TEFAP Income Guidelines 2026: The Limits by Household Size
Short answer: for 2026, USDA’s TEFAP income guidelines start from the HHS poverty guidelines ($15,960 a year for a household of one, $33,000 for four, plus $5,680 for each extra person in the 48 contiguous States and DC). Each State sets its TEFAP limit at or between 185% and 300% of those figures, so at 185% the limit is $29,526 a year ($2,461 a month) for one person and $61,050 ($5,088 a month) for a household of four. Find your State’s percentage below, then read across the table.
The rule behind the numbers
USDA’s income guidelines page says it plainly: under 7 CFR 251.5(b), each TEFAP State agency must set uniform statewide eligibility criteria for USDA Foods for home consumption, including a maximum income standard at or between 185 percent to 300 percent of the poverty guidelines HHS publishes each year. USDA publishes the 100% and 185% figures; the State picks its own percentage and prints its own table. A State can also count a household as eligible because it already takes part in another income-based program (see TEFAP eligibility).
2026 TEFAP income limits: 48 States, DC and Puerto Rico
Annual gross income, with the monthly figure under it. The 100% and 185% columns are USDA’s published figures. The 200%, 250% and 300% columns are the same HHS guidelines multiplied by that percentage and rounded up to the dollar, the way USDA rounds its 185% column. Your State’s printed table is the official one.
| Household size | 100% (HHS) | 185% | 200% | 250% | 300% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $29,526 | $31,920 | $39,900 | $47,880 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $40,034 | $43,280 | $54,100 | $64,920 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $50,542 | $54,640 | $68,300 | $81,960 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $61,050 | $66,000 | $82,500 | $99,000 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $71,558 | $77,360 | $96,700 | $116,040 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $82,066 | $88,720 | $110,900 | $133,080 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $92,574 | $100,080 | $125,100 | $150,120 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $103,082 | $111,440 | $139,300 | $167,160 |
| Each additional person | +$5,680 | +$10,508 | +$11,360 | +$14,200 | +$17,040 |
Alaska and Hawaii (2026)
Alaska and Hawaii have their own, higher HHS guidelines. Both States use 300% according to our State pages.
| Household size | 100% (HHS) | 185% | 300% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $19,950 | $36,908 | $59,850 |
| 2 | $27,050 | $50,043 | $81,150 |
| 3 | $34,150 | $63,178 | $102,450 |
| 4 | $41,250 | $76,313 | $123,750 |
| 5 | $48,350 | $89,448 | $145,050 |
| 6 | $55,450 | $102,583 | $166,350 |
| 7 | $62,550 | $115,718 | $187,650 |
| 8 | $69,650 | $128,853 | $208,950 |
| Each additional person | +$7,100 | +$13,135 | +$21,300 |
| Household size | 100% (HHS) | 185% | 300% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18,360 | $33,966 | $55,080 |
| 2 | $24,890 | $46,047 | $74,670 |
| 3 | $31,420 | $58,127 | $94,260 |
| 4 | $37,950 | $70,208 | $113,850 |
| 5 | $44,480 | $82,288 | $133,440 |
| 6 | $51,010 | $94,369 | $153,030 |
| 7 | $57,540 | $106,449 | $172,620 |
| 8 | $64,070 | $118,530 | $192,210 |
| Each additional person | +$6,530 | +$12,081 | +$19,590 |
Which percentage your State uses
From our TEFAP rules by State pages, each checked against the State agency’s own documents in October 2026 (each State page links its source). Two States fall outside the 185–300% band: Washington’s manual sets 400% of net income, which the regulation allows only as an alternative standard USDA approves, and Nebraska’s form still printed 180% when we checked, below the federal floor, so confirm with Nebraska DHHS or your food bank.
- 180% (1): Nebraska
- 185% (22): Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming
- 200% (10): Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wisconsin
- 225% (1): New York
- 235% (1): California
- 240% (1): New Hampshire
- 250% (2): Massachusetts, Virginia
- 300% (12): Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont
- 400% (1): Washington
When the 2026 figures take effect
HHS published the 2026 poverty guidelines in January 2026 and USDA’s TEFAP memo followed in February. Each State decides the date its new table applies, and many switch once a year. Until your State agency or food bank sends the new table, keep using the one it gave you: a household is judged against the figures your State has in force on the day it signs the declaration.
Checklist: putting the new table into use
- Get your State’s 2026 table from your food bank or the State agency (its name and link are on your State page).
- Note the date it takes effect, and the date on the old table you are replacing.
- Replace the posted copy at intake, if your State requires one to be posted (several do).
- Replace the table on your printed self-declaration forms; destroy blank copies of the old form.
- Tell intake volunteers that households already enrolled do not need to re-declare unless your State says so; the renewal interval is the State’s.
- Keep a copy of each year’s table with your TEFAP records, so a monitor can see which limit applied on a given date (records a pantry must keep).
How PantryPOS handles it
PantryPOS stores the HHS guidelines and your State’s percentage, and recalculates the income table when new guidelines are published. At intake the household picks its size and declares income at or below the limit shown, or a qualifying program; the declaration, signature and date are kept with the visit, so the distribution log a monitor asks for prints with the basis for eligibility on every line. No pay stubs, no ID: the rule does not allow requiring them, and the software does not ask.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TEFAP income limit for 2026?
It depends on your State. USDA publishes 185% of the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines: $29,526 a year ($2,461 a month) for one person and $61,050 ($5,088 a month) for a household of four in the 48 contiguous States and DC. States may set their limit anywhere from 185% to 300%; at 300% the figures are $47,880 for one and $99,000 for four.
Is the TEFAP income limit based on gross or net income?
USDA’s table does not say; the State decides how income is counted. Most State forms ask for gross household income. Washington, for example, measures 400% of net (after-tax) income.
What are the 2026 federal poverty guidelines?
$15,960 a year for one person, $21,640 for two, $27,320 for three, $33,000 for four, plus $5,680 for each additional person (48 contiguous States and DC). Alaska and Hawaii have higher figures.
Can a household over the TEFAP limit still get food?
Often, yes. The TEFAP limit applies to USDA Foods. Many pantries give donated and purchased food to households above the limit under their own rules, keeping USDA Foods for eligible households.
Do we need proof of income for TEFAP?
Usually not. Most States use self-declaration: the household states its size and income on the State’s form and signs it. 7 CFR 251.5(b)(3) also bars using ID, address documents or length of residency as an eligibility criterion.