A monthly income of $1,350 can put a single Medicare beneficiary at the usual 2026 federal limit for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program. QMB is unusually valuable because it can cover Part A and Part B premiums and the deductibles, coinsurance and copayments attached to Medicare-covered care. The figure is a reason to apply, not a nationwide promise of approval, because states make the eligibility decision and can use different counting rules.
QMB can remove several layers of Medicare cost sharing
QMB is one of four Medicare Savings Programs administered through state Medicaid offices. For an individual, Medicare’s April 2026 fact sheet lists a monthly income limit of $1,350 and a resource limit of $9,950; for a married couple, the listed limits are $1,824 a month and $14,910 in resources. The one-page federal fact sheet identifies cash in checking, savings and retirement accounts as examples of countable resources.
The help extends beyond the monthly Part B premium. The current Medicare program page says QMB can pay Part A premiums when a person does not receive premium-free Part A, as well as Part B premiums and Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. Providers generally may not bill a QMB participant for Medicare-covered services, although a small Medicaid copayment can apply in some states.
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The $1,350 figure is a screening point, not a national cliff
Medicare warns that the published limits do not capture every state’s rules. Alaska and Hawaii generally use higher income limits, some states exclude amounts or types of income, and some do not apply a resource test at all. That is why a beneficiary slightly above $1,350 should not disqualify himself based on a federal chart. The state Medicaid office, not an online calculator or insurance agent, controls the application.
Income counting can also differ from the amount deposited in a bank account. Deductions and exclusions may affect the eligibility calculation, and the relevant household size matters. A married couple’s limit is not simply twice the individual number. Applicants should gather Social Security award information, pension or wage records and recent account statements, then let the state apply its rules instead of trying to reverse-engineer eligibility from take-home income.
QMB is different from the other three savings programs
The Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary and Qualifying Individual programs generally help with the Part B premium but do not carry QMB’s full protection against Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Their usual 2026 individual income limits are higher: $1,616 for SLMB and $1,816 for QI. The Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals program addresses Part A premiums for certain disabled people who returned to work and lost premium-free Part A.
Those distinctions matter because the household savings can differ sharply. A person approved for premium-only help may still owe the normal cost sharing when care is received. A person approved for QMB can have both the recurring premium and much of the point-of-care bill addressed. Approval for any Medicare Savings Program also generally brings Extra Help with Medicare Part D drug costs, creating a second source of savings.
The application belongs with the state Medicaid office
Medicare directs applicants to their state rather than to the Social Security retirement application. The federal Medicaid contact directory links to state agencies and local help. A beneficiary can also call 1-800-MEDICARE for direction, but the state will request the financial documents and issue the decision.
It is worth keeping a copy of the application and noting when documents were submitted. QI funding is handled on a first-come, first-served basis with priority for prior recipients, while QMB and SLMB follow their own state procedures. If a provider continues billing Medicare deductibles or coinsurance after QMB approval, the Medicare page advises showing both the Medicare and Medicaid or QMB cards and raising the billing problem.
The current federal numbers belong to 2026
The $1,350 income limit and $9,950 resource limit are the usual individual QMB figures for 2026, not permanent thresholds. Medicare says the limits generally rise each year, and the April fact sheet cautions that they may change in 2027. Anyone applying after the calendar turns should use the new year’s table rather than an old search result.
For a beneficiary near the line, the practical decision is straightforward: ask the state to test eligibility. Medicare’s own guidance says people should apply even if they think their income or resources may be too high. That official instruction, paired with the breadth of QMB’s premium and cost-sharing help, makes an application more reliable than treating $1,350 as an automatic yes or no.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Figures are linked to their primary sources; where a claim could not be verified from the public record, we say so.
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