Childcare subsidy income limits by state, 2026: $34,656 to $157,092 for a family of 3

A family of 3 earning $60,000 is under the childcare assistance income line in Tennessee. Across the border in Georgia, the same family is not.

The federal government sets a ceiling, each state draws its own line under it, Colorado lets its counties draw their own lines under that, and the budget decides who gets a slot after all of it.

4 layers, 1 program.

It is a program for working parents by design: the federal rule requires a parent who is working, in job training or in school. It is also 1 of the levers in our guide on how to afford daycare, alongside the dependent care FSA and the child and dependent care tax credit.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) publishes a state-by-state table, dated January 2025 and built from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) plans states filed in 2024. Most states have moved their line since, a few of them down.

So we went to each state agency's own income chart, and used the plan only where the agency posts nothing newer.

What are the childcare subsidy income limits by state?

For a family of 3, they run from $34,656 a year in Idaho to $157,092 in Vermont, a 4.5x spread, with the median state, Minnesota, at $58,406.

New Mexico is off the chart entirely. It dropped its income limit on Nov 1, 2025, which makes the highest income limit in the country no limit.

How to read a row: the dollar figure is the highest annual gross income at which a family of 3 can qualify when it first applies. The percent is that figure divided by the median income for a family of 3 that the state itself prints, or the federal estimate where it prints none.

The year is when the chart took effect, or when the plan or plan amendment was filed or approved. States run A to Z, and Find in page with the state's name is the fastest route on a phone.

^a The state sets its line in poverty terms or prints no median income, so the share is the annual limit divided by the ACF FY2027 state median income estimate for a 3-person household (LIHEAP IM 2026-01). Every other share uses the median income figure the state prints in its own chart or plan. ^b The agency states a percent but no dollar figure, so the dollar figure is that percent of the federal benchmark: the 2026 HHS poverty guideline of $27,320 (Indiana, Oregon) or the ACF FY2027 median income estimate of $90,822 (Florida).

Read the second column, then the third. Nevada stops at 41% of its median income and lands at $36,168.

Massachusetts goes to 85% of a much higher median and lands at $118,488.

Same federal program, $82,320 apart.

Georgia and Ohio are the 2 big states near the bottom of the range: $37,212 and $39,624. Texas is at $80,139 and New York at $97,854.

The gap between Georgia and Texas alone is $42,927.

For scale, the median infant daycare bill we found in Labor Department data for 2022 is $1,056 a month, or $12,675 a year. That is 22% of the median-state limit and 37% of Idaho's.

The all-in daycare center bill in our cost of daycare vs nanny breakdown is $1,585 a month, or $19,020 a year.

1 caution on the year column. Most states reset the dollar line once a year, often on Jul 1 or Oct 1, and 9 rows still cite a plan because the state posts no newer chart.

Do I qualify for child care assistance?

A family qualifies for child care assistance when 3 things line up: a child under 13, a parent working or in school or job training, and gross family income under the state's line in the table above.

• Age. The child is under 13, or under 19 and unable to care for himself, at the state's option.
• Activity. A parent is working, in job training or in school. States define the hours. A parent who loses a job mid-year keeps assistance for at least 3 months to look for work, and a state can allow longer (45 CFR 98.21).
• Income. Gross family income under the state's line, and family assets of no more than $1,000,000. Children who need protective services can also qualify, and a state may waive the income test for them case by case.

Run a family of 3 through the table: at $45,000 a year it is under the limit in 43 of 51, and at $60,000 it is under in 25.

At $75,000 it is under in 15, and 11 of those 15 are states at or above the 85% ceiling. That is why "do I qualify" has no national answer, only 51 local ones.

Qualifying is also not the same as getting a slot. HHS's own summary of comments on the 2026 rule notes that "many States already face long child care waitlists," and the rule does not change that.

Today the agency pages in Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon and South Carolina say new applicants go on a waitlist or wait for an invitation, and Colorado lists 28 of its 64 counties with a waitlist or an enrollment freeze.

The income line gets a family in the door. Funding decides how long the line is.

How do you apply for childcare assistance?

Through the state's CCDF lead agency, not the federal government. The whole process fits in 4 steps.

1. Find the agency. ACF keeps the list of state CCDF administrators with the agency name, phone number and website for all 50 states and the territories. Alabama's is the Department of Human Resources, Texas's is the Workforce Commission, Florida's is the Department of Education.
2. Check the current line. The state's own income chart is where the current dollar line lives, and the source column in our table links to it for 42 states.
3. Gather the paperwork. Expect to show proof of income, proof of the work or school activity, and the child's age and residency. States can ask for more.
4. Know the clock once approved. The family gets at least 12 months before a redetermination (45 CFR 98.21). A state can also grant presumptive eligibility for up to 3 months and start paying a provider before the paperwork is complete.

Read step 4 again. A raise during that year does not end eligibility, as long as income stays under 85% of state median income for the family size.

What is the maximum income for a childcare subsidy?

The federal maximum is 85% of state median income for the family's size, which on ACF's FY2027 estimates works out to $64,277 for a family of 3 in Mississippi, $86,996 in the median state and $144,228 in DC.

That is the line a state may not cross with federal money (45 CFR 98.20). Under it, a state can set its line at 40% of median, as Georgia does, or at the full 85%, as 14 states do.

Maine and Vermont go higher and certify that the money above 85% is state money, not federal. New Mexico went further and dropped its income limit on Nov 1, 2025.

The ceiling moves with the median, and ACF publishes a new state median income estimate every year.

Compare the 2 tables: the median state's actual limit, $58,406, sits $28,590 under the median ceiling. Most states leave room on the table.

What happened to the 7% copay cap?

HHS rescinded the 7% cap on family copayments effective Jul 13, 2026, so the copay rule in force today is the older sliding fee scale.

The 7% cap lasted 2 years and 2 months.

The March 2024 CCDF rule (89 FR 15366, effective Apr 30, 2024) made 7% of family income a hard cap on copayments. Before that, 7% had been an optional benchmark from the 2016 rule, based on 2011 Census data showing families spent about 7% of income on child care.

On May 12, 2026, HHS published "Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund" (91 FR 25796). Effective Jul 13, 2026, it rescinded the 7% cap along with 3 other 2024 requirements: paying providers based on enrollment rather than attendance, paying them prospectively, and putting some slots on grants or contracts.

HHS was asked whether it would at least recommend a benchmark. Its answer, in the rule: "HHS will not be recommending a benchmark for co-payments at this time."

So the copay rule in force today is the older one. Every state must run a sliding fee scale based on income and family size, with copays that are "not a barrier to families receiving assistance," and a state may waive the copay for families at or below 150% of poverty (45 CFR 98.45(l)).

States that want to keep 7% can. The federal government no longer makes them.

The 2026 rule did not amend 45 CFR 98.20 or 98.21, so the 85% ceiling and the 12-month window still stand.

If your employer offers a dependent care FSA, the 2026 limit is $7,500, and a copayment to a licensed provider is the kind of expense it covers.

Does Head Start have an income limit?

Yes: Head Start's income limit is the federal poverty line, not state median income, and for 2026 that is $27,320 for a family of 3 in the 48 contiguous states and DC.

It is $34,150 in Alaska and $31,420 in Hawaii. A child also qualifies if the family is eligible for public assistance such as TANF or SSI, or the child is homeless or in foster care (45 CFR 1302.12).

Early Head Start covers children under 3. Head Start Preschool covers age 3 to school entry.

There is some room above the line. A program can fill up to 10% of its seats with over-income children who would benefit, and up to 35% more with families between 100% and 130% of poverty if it meets outreach conditions and serves eligible families first.

A program may also subtract housing costs above 30% of gross income before it applies the income test, and Tribal programs can enroll children regardless of income.

Put the 2 programs side by side. Head Start's line, $27,320, is $31,086 below the median state's childcare assistance limit.

Idaho's line, the lowest dollar limit in our table, still works out to 127% of the 2026 poverty guideline. Head Start's income line sits below every state's subsidy line, and it is free.

What about free state pre-K?

State pre-K is a separate system, run by state education or early learning agencies, and it is where a lot of 4-year-olds end up.

NIEER's 2025 State of Preschool yearbook counts nearly 1.8 million children in state-funded preschool in the 2024 to 2025 school year, which is 37% of 4-year-olds and 9% of 3-year-olds.

12 states enrolled more than half of their 4-year-olds, led by DC at 94%, and several of those programs have no income test at all. For a 3- or 4-year-old, it is a separate route from the subsidy in the table above.

Frequently asked questions

What are the daycare assistance income limits?

For a family of 3, the initial limit runs from $34,656 a year in Idaho to $157,092 in Vermont, with a median state at $58,406. New Mexico has no income limit. The federal ceiling is 85% of state median income (45 CFR 98.20).

What is CCDF eligibility?

A child must be under 13, live in a family with income at or below 85% of state median income and assets of no more than $1,000,000, and have a parent working or in job training or school (45 CFR 98.20). States may set a lower line, and 34 do. Maine and Vermont go above 85% with state money, and New Mexico has no income limit.

How many states use the full 85% of median income?

14, by their current income charts or plans: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. South Carolina and Utah were at 85% in their 2024 plans and now start new applicants at 55% and 50%. Maine and Vermont go above 85% with state funds.

Is the child care copay still capped at 7% of income?

No. The 7% cap from the March 2024 CCDF rule was rescinded by the May 12, 2026 rule "Restoring Flexibility in the CCDF" (91 FR 25796), effective Jul 13, 2026. States must still use a sliding fee scale that is not a barrier to families, and may keep 7% if they choose.

Does income have to stay under the limit all year?

No. Eligibility lasts at least 12 months once granted, and a rise in income during that year does not end it unless income passes 85% of state median income for the family size (45 CFR 98.21).

What is the Head Start income limit for 2026?

100% of the federal poverty guideline, which is $27,320 for a family of 3 in the 48 contiguous states and DC, $34,150 in Alaska and $31,420 in Hawaii. Families on TANF or SSI, and children who are homeless or in foster care, qualify regardless of income (45 CFR 1302.12).

Where are the child care assistance program income guidelines for 2026?

On each state agency's own income chart, which most states reset once a year, often on Jul 1 or Oct 1. ACF's last state-by-state table is dated January 2025 and built from 2024 plans, so the table above links each state's current chart or, where none is posted, its plan.

Where do I apply for child care assistance?

With your state's CCDF lead agency, not a federal office. The Administration for Children and Families publishes the list of state and territory CCDF administrators with each agency's phone number and website.

Rules current as of Oct 2026: CCDF eligibility ceiling 85% of state median income and $1,000,000 in assets (45 CFR 98.20), 12-month minimum eligibility (45 CFR 98.21), 7% copayment cap rescinded effective Jul 13, 2026 (91 FR 25796), 2026 poverty guideline $27,320 for a family of 3, state limits from agency income charts in effect Oct 16, 2026 (42 states) and FFY 2025 to 2027 CCDF plans (9 states). States refresh their dollar limits every year, so check the date on this line before you lean on it.

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