Over the Medicaid income limit? How a pooled income trust works
Keep your income, pay your bills, and still get Medicaid home care in New York.
A Social Security check plus a small pension can easily push a parent over New York's Medicaid income limit ($1,836 a month for a single person in 2026). A pooled income trust is the legal, common way to qualify anyway, for home care.
How it works, step by step
- You join a nonprofit pooled trust (there are several approved ones in New York).
- Each month you deposit the income that is over the Medicaid limit.
- Medicaid doesn't count that money as your income.
- The trust uses it to pay your bills: rent, utilities, phone, and similar household costs.
You keep living on your full income. It just goes through the trust first.
Who can use one
- People who are disabled, at any age. In New York people 65 and older can join too.
- You need a disability determination. For people 65+ the state's review team handles this.
Important limits
- It works for home care (community Medicaid). It does not help with income for nursing home Medicaid.
- It's for income. Putting savings into the trust after age 65 can cause a penalty.
- Trusts charge enrollment and monthly fees. Compare them before you choose.
Example
Ms. Grant, 78, in East Flatbush, gets $2,300 a month from Social Security and a pension. She's about $444 over the limit (after the $20 disregard). She deposits about $444 a month into a pooled trust, which pays her Con Ed and phone bills. She qualifies for Medicaid home care and keeps her apartment.
General information, not legal advice. Figures verified November 2026.