Utah Medicare Savings Program Income Limits 2026

That $202.90 Medicare Part B premium hits different when your Social Security check is $1,400 a month. If you're helping a parent in Utah figure out whether the state will pick up that tab, here are the actual numbers for 2026.

Three Programs, Three Income Ceilings

Utah runs three Medicare Savings Programs through the Department of Workforce Services. Each one pays the Part B premium, and QMB covers even more. The income limits below already include the standard $20 monthly disregard that DWS applies to unearned income.

QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) — up to 100% FPL:

• Single: $1,350/month
• Couple: $1,824/month
• Covers Part A and Part B premiums, plus all deductibles, coinsurance, and copays

SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary) — up to 120% FPL:

• Single: $1,616/month
• Couple: $2,184/month
• Covers the Part B premium only

QI (Qualifying Individual) — up to 135% FPL:

• Single: $1,816/month
• Couple: $2,455/month
• Covers the Part B premium only (funding is capped annually, first-come basis)

These income limits take effect March 1, 2026, and run through February 28, 2027. The resource limits are the same across all three programs: $9,950 for an individual, $14,910 for a couple. Resource limits update January 1 each year.

How DWS Actually Counts Income

DWS looks at gross Social Security — the full amount before Part B premiums, taxes, or garnishments are deducted. That catches people off guard. Your parent's bank deposit is lower than their countable income because SSA already subtracted the premium.

The $20 general disregard applies once per household to unearned income. So if your parent gets $1,370 in gross Social Security, DWS counts $1,350 — right at the QMB ceiling.

For earned income, DWS excludes the first $65 per month and half of everything above that. A parent working part-time at $500/month would have only $217.50 in countable earned income.

One thing that trips families up: you cannot use a Medicaid spenddown to meet MSP limits. Unlike traditional Medicaid, where excess income can be offset by medical bills, MSP eligibility requires hitting the monthly ceiling outright.

What Counts as a Resource — and What Doesn't

DWS counts liquid assets on the first of each month: checking, savings, CDs, and the cash surrender value of life insurance policies with aggregate face value over $1,500. Jointly held accounts are presumed 100% owned by the applicant unless you document the co-owner's contributions.

What's excluded: the primary home (as long as someone lives there or intends to return), one vehicle regardless of value, burial spaces, irrevocable burial contracts up to $1,500 per person, and retirement accounts that are actively paying out periodic distributions.

That $9,950 individual limit is far more generous than the $2,000 limit for traditional Medicaid that most families have heard about. Many people self-disqualify because they're thinking of the wrong program.

The January-February COLA Window

Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment takes effect in January, but Utah doesn't update MSP income limits until March 1. To prevent that two-month gap from knocking people off their benefits, DWS disregards the COLA increment during January and February. The higher income only counts starting March 1, when the new poverty-level thresholds kick in.

What to Do Next

If your parent's income falls under the QI ceiling ($1,816 single, $2,455 couple), they likely qualify for at least one of these programs. Even SLMB and QI, which only cover the Part B premium, save $2,434.80 a year — and any MSP enrollment automatically triggers Part D Extra Help for prescription drug savings.

Applications go through DWS online at jobs.utah.gov/mycase, by phone at 1-866-435-7414, or on paper using Form 61. The Utah Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide walks through the full application process, income calculations, and what to expect after approval.

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