For 2026, New York's Community Spouse Resource Allowance runs from a state minimum of $74,820 up to a federal maximum of $162,660 (the community spouse keeps the greater of the state minimum or half of countable resources, up to the federal max), with a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of $4,066.50/month, per NYSDOH GIS 26 MA/03.
The detail behind the program
These figures exist specifically so that a spouse who continues living in the community is not left destitute when the other spouse needs Medicaid-funded nursing home or long-term care. Without them, a couple's entire savings could effectively be required to spend down before either spouse qualified for help.
The Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance sets a floor for how much monthly income the community spouse is allowed to keep, even if that means the institutionalized spouse's own income is redirected to the community spouse to reach it. These figures update annually, so confirm the current year's numbers with NY Medicaid or an elder law attorney before relying on them for planning -- the 2026 figures above will not be the 2027 figures.
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