The Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) is the share of a married couple's countable assets that Medicaid protects for the spouse who stays at home when the other spouse applies for nursing home or qualifying waiver Medicaid. Federal law sets a 2026 bracket from $32,532 to $162,660. Workers total couple resources on the snapshot date, usually the first day of the first month of continuous institutional care, then assign half of that total to the community spouse within the bracket. The nursing-home spouse must still reach the individual resource cap, often $2,000, before approval.
Congress created the CSRA in 1988 so a nursing-home admission would not strip the spouse who still pays the electric bill and buys groceries. The allowance is one piece of the broader spousal impoverishment rules in 42 U.S.C. 1396r-5.
When only one spouse applies for Medicaid long-term care, the agency treats most countable assets as jointly owned regardless of whose name sits on the account. The CSRA carves out a protected block for the community spouse before the applicant spends down to the individual cap.
Patricia, 78, in Dayton watched her husband Gerald enter a Montgomery County nursing home in February 2026. They held $88,000 in joint PNC accounts and a $24,000 IRA in Gerald's name. Ohio JFS counted the full $112,000 on the snapshot date, not half because Patricia's name was on the checking line.
The CSRA does not apply when both spouses apply from home without an institutional admission. It also does not attach to MAGI Medicaid for working-age adults. Read our spousal impoverishment rules guide for MMMNA income protections that run beside the CSRA worksheet.
Common mistake:Assuming the at-home spouse automatically keeps every account in their sole name. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas all start with the household balance sheet. Joint CD balances count toward the couple total even when only one spouse signs the application.
The snapshot date locks the value of countable resources that will be divided. Ohio Administrative Code rule 5160:1-6-04 uses the first day of the month when the institutionalized spouse begins a continuous period of institutionalization or expects to remain at least 30 consecutive days.
Workers add every countable asset owned by either spouse on that date. Bank accounts, brokerage balances, non-exempt land, and revocable trust principal belong on the list. Exempt items such as a primary home while the community spouse lives there, one vehicle, and household goods stay off the tally. Our non-countable assets for Medicaid post walks through those exclusions.
The standard federal formula takes half of the combined countable total. That figure must fall between $32,532 and $162,660 unless a fair hearing or court order sets a different amount. If half falls below $32,532, the community spouse keeps the entire couple total up to the $32,532 floor.
Carlos and Maria in San Antonio owned $326,000 in countable assets when Carlos entered a Bexar County skilled nursing facility in April 2026. Half equals $163,000, which exceeds the federal cap. Texas HHSC assigned Maria a $162,660 CSRA. Carlos could keep $2,000. The spend-down gap on his side was $161,340 before exempt spending.
Transfers between spouses to reach the CSRA are exempt from the five-year look-back when done for CSRA purposes. Gifts to adult children are not. Pair this section with Medicaid countable assets list before you move money between accounts.
CMS issued updated spousal impoverishment standards in Informational Bulletin CIB-12092025 for January 1, 2026. The community spouse minimum resource standard is $32,532. The maximum resource standard is $162,660.
Those brackets sit beside related 2026 figures families often confuse with the CSRA. The institutionalized spouse resource limit remains $2,000 in most SSI-linked states. The maximum community spouse monthly income allowance (MMMNA) is $4,066.50 per month.
States must operate inside the federal CSRA band unless federal law allows a higher state-elected floor, as New York does. States cannot set a maximum below $162,660 for nursing-facility cases covered by section 1924.
We verify dollar limits against CMS bulletins and state manuals at our editorial policy page. Figures change each January. Always confirm the bracket on your approval notice.
| Measure | 2026 amount | Who receives it |
|---|---|---|
| CSRA minimum (federal floor) | $32,532 | Community spouse when half of assets is lower |
| CSRA maximum (federal ceiling) | $162,660 | Community spouse when half of assets is higher |
| Applicant resource limit | $2,000 | Institutionalized spouse in most states |
| Couple limit (both applying from community) | $3,000 | When spousal impoverishment rules do not apply |
| Maximum MMMNA (income) | $4,066.50/month | Community spouse monthly income floor |
Florida elects a standard community spouse resource allowance up to the federal maximum rather than running a strict half-of-assets formula first. Florida DCF published the 2026 figure at $162,660 for Institutional Care Program cases.
Rosa and Luis Delgado in Tampa held $214,000 in countable assets when Luis entered a Hillsborough County nursing home in January 2026. Their paid-off Seminole Heights bungalow stayed exempt because Rosa still lived there.
Under a half formula, Rosa would keep $107,000. Florida's standard election protects up to $162,660, so Rosa's CSRA is $107,000 because that is her half share and it sits inside the cap. Luis keeps $2,000. Together they retain $109,000 before spend-down on Luis's side.
The spend-down gap is $105,000. Rosa should pay verified debt, fund exempt prepaid funeral contracts, and cover Luis's private-pay nursing invoices through allowed channels in our nursing home Medicaid spend down guide. She cannot gift the difference to their daughter without look-back risk.
Run the math on the Florida Medicaid spend down calculator with $214,000 in household countable assets and one spouse applying.
Texas HHSC and Ohio Job and Family Services use the federal greatest-of formula in long-term-care manuals. Half of combined countable resources sets the starting point, subject to the $32,532 floor and $162,660 ceiling.
Helen and Frank in Houston held $214,000 in joint accounts when Frank entered a Harris County facility in May 2026. Half equals $107,000. Texas assigned Helen a $107,000 CSRA because that number sits inside the bracket. Frank's spend-down target was $105,000 to reach his $2,000 cap after the CSRA transfer.
Margaret and Harold in Columbus owned $196,000 in countable resources when Harold entered a Franklin County nursing home in March 2026. Ohio JFS calculated half at $98,000 for Margaret's CSRA. Harold retained $2,000. The couple kept $100,000 total before spending the remaining $96,000 through allowed channels.
When couple assets fall below $65,064, half drops under the $32,532 floor. The community spouse keeps the entire couple total up to $32,532. A couple with $48,000 in Akron would assign Margaret the full $48,000 CSRA, not $24,000.
Test both scenarios on the Texas and Ohio calculators before you file with HHSC or the county JFS office.
Common mistake:Splitting joint accounts 50/50 on a spreadsheet without filing the Medicaid application. Ohio and Texas expect the CSRA division to appear on bank statements tied to the eligibility month. Coordinate transfers with your caseworker or elder law attorney.
New York runs spousal impoverishment on nursing-home and Chronic Care pathways with a state-elected CSRA floor of $74,820 in 2026. The community spouse keeps the greater of $74,820 or half of countable assets, up to $162,660.
James and Elena in Buffalo totaled $140,000 in countable assets when James entered an Erie County nursing home in June 2026. Half equals $70,000, which falls below New York's floor. Elena's CSRA is $74,820, not $70,000. James must still spend down to his individual resource limit on the Chronic Care worksheet.
New York allows up to $33,038 in countable resources for many Chronic Care applicants in 2026, far above Ohio's $2,000 cap. The CSRA and the individual resource limit are separate lines on the HRA worksheet. Passing one test does not skip the other.
Pennsylvania CAO applies the federal half formula between $32,532 and $162,660 for nursing-facility cases. Gloria in Philadelphia entered a facility with $118,000 in couple resources in February 2026. Her husband kept a $59,000 CSRA. Gloria spent down to Pennsylvania's $2,400 individual cap through private-pay invoices and a prepaid burial contract.
Use the New York and Pennsylvania calculators to separate CSRA protection from the applicant's remaining spend-down gap.
States elect different CSRA methods inside the federal band. The table below shows how five high-traffic states treat a married nursing-home applicant with $200,000 in countable couple assets on the snapshot date. Your county may apply waiver rules differently.
Standard-figure states protect up to $162,660 without requiring half to reach the cap first. Half states assign 50% subject to the floor and ceiling. New York adds its own $74,820 floor above the federal minimum.
These examples assume a paid-off primary home exempt while the community spouse lives there. Rental property, second vehicles, and IRA balances in the applicant's name still count before you run the table math.
After you estimate the CSRA, subtract it plus the applicant's individual cap from couple assets to find the spend-down gap. That remainder must leave through exempt purchases, care costs, or compliant annuities, not gifts.
| State | CSRA method | Community spouse CSRA | Applicant cap | Approximate spend-down gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Standard up to federal max | $100,000 (half share inside cap) | $2,000 | $98,000 |
| Texas | Half with federal floor and cap | $100,000 | $2,000 | $98,000 |
| Ohio | Half with federal floor and cap | $100,000 | $2,000 | $98,000 |
| New York | Greater of $74,820 or half | $100,000 | Up to $33,038 Chronic Care | Varies by program line |
| Pennsylvania | Half with federal floor and cap | $100,000 | $2,400 | $97,600 |
The CSRA answers how much the community spouse keeps. Spend-down answers how the applicant reaches the individual resource cap after that split. The two worksheets run in sequence, not as a single subtraction.
Federal law lets applicants spend excess countable assets on exempt items, verified debt, prepaid funerals within state limits, homestead repairs, and private-pay nursing home bills. Those channels appear in our nursing home spend down article with dollar examples by state.
Income still runs on a separate test after assets qualify. Texas and Florida route nursing-home income above $2,982 per month through Qualified Income Trusts even when the CSRA math passes. New York Chronic Care may require surplus income payments while assets sit under the $33,038 cap.
Walter and Diane in Pittsburgh held $245,000 when Walter entered a facility in August 2026. Diane kept a $122,500 CSRA under Pennsylvania half math. Walter needed to reach $2,400 while paying $8,400 per month in private-pay room charges. The CSRA protected Diane's share. It did not erase Walter's spend-down clock.
CSRA methods split into two camps. Roughly half of states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, assign half of countable assets subject to the $32,532 floor and $162,660 ceiling. Other states elect a standard CSRA up to $162,660, including Florida, Texas, California, and Massachusetts.
New York is an outlier with a $74,820 state CSRA floor in 2026, well above the federal minimum. Couples with $140,000 in Buffalo keep more for the community spouse than the same couple would under strict half math in Cleveland.
Illinois publishes a fixed CSRA of $143,172 for long-term-care cases in 2026 rather than running half first. That figure sits between the federal floor and ceiling and surprises families who expect a 50% split on every dollar.
Snapshot timing also varies on HCBS waiver entries. Ohio uses the waiver request date when the applicant meets non-financial rules. Iowa lets either spouse request a resource assessment before filing the full application. Ask your county which date controls your file.
Common mistake:Applying Texas HHSC CSRA output to a New York HRA Chronic Care file. The state floor, applicant resource cap, and income surplus rules all differ. Run the calculator for the state where the applicant will file.
After you total countable assets and estimate the CSRA, run the remaining gap through a state calculator. The calculator hub links all 51 state pages with local caps and exempt categories.
Start with the Florida, Ohio, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania tools if your family spans Sun Belt, Midwest, and Northeast rules.
Return to the spousal impoverishment guide for MMMNA income shifts and fair-hearing routes when the standard CSRA leaves the community spouse short on monthly cash.
The federal CSRA bracket for 2026 runs from $32,532 to $162,660. The community spouse keeps a protected share inside that band when the other spouse applies for nursing home or qualifying waiver Medicaid. The institutionalized spouse usually must hold no more than $2,000 in countable assets after the split in most states.
Workers total every countable asset owned by either spouse on the snapshot date, usually the first day of the first month of continuous nursing-home care. They take half of that total in most states, then apply the federal floor and ceiling. Standard-figure states may assign up to $162,660 without requiring half to reach the cap first. New York uses the greater of $74,820 or half, up to $162,660.
The federal minimum CSRA is $32,532 in 2026. If half of a couple's countable assets falls below that figure, the community spouse keeps the entire couple total up to $32,532. New York sets a higher state floor of $74,820. Illinois uses a fixed CSRA of $143,172 for long-term-care cases rather than the federal minimum alone.
Yes. Federal law requires states to apply spousal impoverishment rules, including the CSRA, when one spouse enters a Medicaid-certified nursing facility or certain HCBS waiver programs. The rules do not apply when both spouses seek regular community Medicaid without long-term-care services, and they do not apply to MAGI expansion coverage for working-age adults.
No. The CSRA caps what the community spouse may retain in countable assets. Exempt property such as a primary home while the spouse lives there, one vehicle, and household goods can stay protected beyond the CSRA. Countable assets above the CSRA plus the applicant's individual cap must be spent through allowed channels or restructured under state rules.
No. The CSRA protects the community spouse's share first. The institutionalized spouse must still reach the individual resource limit, often $2,000 in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania or up to $33,038 on many New York Chronic Care cases. Spend-down continues on the applicant's side until countable assets fall under that cap.
