New Hampshire Medicaid Asset Limit: What You Can Keep in 2026

The most confusing number in New Hampshire Medicaid is the asset limit — because there are technically two of them. The official published figure is $2,500 for a single applicant. The number that actually governs eligibility in 2026 is $7,500. Understanding why requires knowing how New Hampshire's resource disregard works.

The $7,500 Effective Asset Threshold

Under House Bill 2, effective January 1, 2024, New Hampshire applies a "resource disregard" that raises the functional asset ceiling for anyone seeking nursing facility or home-based waiver services.

The disregard is calculated automatically by the state's New HEIGHTS system. There are two versions:

• If your parent is evaluated under the Categorically Needy program (base limit: $1,500), the system deducts a $6,000 disregard — leaving an effective ceiling of $7,500.
• If your parent is evaluated under the Medically Needy program (base limit: $2,500), the system deducts a $5,000 disregard — again producing an effective ceiling of $7,500.

The result is the same either way: a single applicant can hold up to $7,500 in countable assets and remain asset-eligible. For married couples where both spouses are applying, the combined effective limit is $15,000.

This is meaningfully more generous than the federal floor. Most states maintain a $2,000 asset limit for single applicants. New Hampshire's disregard gives families an additional $5,500 buffer.

What the State Counts as an Asset

"Countable assets" are financial resources the Medicaid system includes when evaluating eligibility:

• Checking and savings accounts
• Money market accounts and certificates of deposit
• Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
• IRAs and 401(k) accounts — New Hampshire counts retirement accounts as resources, unlike some states that treat them differently
• Cash value of life insurance policies above $1,500
• Non-primary real estate and investment property
• Annuities that are revocable, assignable, or not actuarially sound

The Bureau of Family Assistance uses the electronic Asset Verification System (AVS) to run real-time queries across financial institutions nationwide. They will find accounts you don't mention.

What Is Exempt

Exempt assets don't count toward the $7,500 limit:

Primary home. The family home is exempt from asset calculations as long as the applicant states an intent to return home, or a spouse, minor child, or disabled child of any age lives there. There is a home equity cap of $752,000 in 2026 — but that cap is waived entirely if a community spouse remains in residence.

One motor vehicle. One vehicle of any value is fully exempt.

Household goods and furnishings. Personal effects, clothing, and furniture are not counted.

Prepaid burial contracts. Irrevocable prepaid funeral and burial contracts are fully exempt with no dollar cap.

Burial spaces. A burial plot purchased for the applicant or their immediate family is exempt.

Term life insurance. Term policies (which have no cash value) do not count regardless of face value.

Whole life insurance under $1,500 cash value. Whole life policies with cash surrender values of $1,500 or less are exempt.

The Married Couple Exception for CFI Waiver Applicants

This is the planning detail most families miss entirely.

When one spouse applies for nursing home Medicaid, the couple's joint assets are pooled and split under the Community Spouse Resource Allowance rules. The at-home spouse can keep up to $162,660 in 2026 — the rest must be spent down.

But when one spouse applies for the Choices for Independence (CFI) home-based waiver instead, a different rule applies: the BFA evaluates only assets held in the applicant spouse's individual name. Joint assets in the community spouse's sole name are completely invisible to the eligibility calculation.

This means a couple can retitle joint bank accounts and investment portfolios into the community spouse's name before filing the CFI application. Because transfers between spouses are exempt from the 60-month lookback penalty, this can be done immediately — even during a care crisis. The applicant spouse reaches the $7,500 effective limit, and the couple's savings remain protected.

Ongoing Compliance After Approval

Medicaid eligibility isn't one-time. Your parent must maintain assets at or below the $7,500 effective limit at the end of every calendar month. If a large income deposit sits in their account at month-end — a pension payment, Social Security check, or family contribution — it counts as a resource.

The $93 monthly Personal Needs Allowance for nursing home residents must be spent each month; accumulated PNA sitting in a resident trust account counts toward the limit.

The New Hampshire Medicaid Long-Term Care & Asset Protection Guide includes a worksheet for calculating your parent's countable assets, identifying exempt items, and building a compliant spend-down plan — before the application goes to the BFA for review.

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