Every January, CSRA limits (Community Spouse Resource Allowance) change how you will be affected if your spouse needs long term care under Medicaid. Here’s what you need to know about the changes in 2026.
When one spouse needs nursing home care or other long-term care paid for by Medicaid, many families worry about what happens to the spouse who stays at home. In Maryland, as in every state, Medicaid follows federal rules designed to prevent the healthy spouse (called the “community spouse”) from being left without enough money to live comfortably.
Fortunately, federal law helps protect the community spouse from facing financial struggles. One of the most important protections is the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA).
What Are CSRA Limits?
To determine whether or not a person is eligible for Medicaid, the state considers both their income and their countable assets.
A single applicant is entitled to only $2,500 in countable assets. Anything above that amount generally must be spent down or restructured using proper Medicaid planning strategies.
However, if a person has a spouse, their spouse (the community spouse) may keep additional assets under the CSRA.
Bear in mind that some property is not included as a “countable asset” in any case. Such property includes a primary residence (within equity limits), one vehicle, personal belongings, household goods, and certain prepaid burial arrangements.
To sum it up, the CSRA is the amount of countable assets the community spouse is allowed to keep when the other spouse applies for Medicaid long-term care benefits. The amount of the CSRA changes at the beginning of each year, however.
How the CSRA Limits Have Changed for 2026
- The maximum CSRA for 2026 is $162,660, increased from $157,920 in 2025.
- The minimum CSRA for 2026 is $32,532, increased from $31,584 in 2025.
How CSRA Limits Are Calculated
Medicaid looks at the couple’s combined countable assets on a snapshot date, usually the first day of the month that one spouse enters a nursing home for at least 30 consecutive days.
- Maximum: The community spouse may retain up to 50% of the couple’s assets (subject to the maximum and minimum numbers).
- Minimum: If half of the couple’s assets is below the minimum, the community spouse may keep those assets up to the minimum CSRA (even though they exceed 50%).
Practical Steps for Maryland Families
- Review Your Current Assets
Talk with your estate planning attorney about which assets count for Medicaid purposes and which do not. You do not have to be broke to qualify for Medicaid.
- Plan Before a Crisis
The time to plan for Medicaid is now, not after you or your spouse is already in a nursing home. Your estate planning attorney can guide you in protecting the assets you have spent a lifetime to build and minimizing the high costs of nursing home care.
- Monitor Annual Changes
CSRA limits change every year. Even small increases can impact your estate planning. Of course, your life also changes as you acquire and divest yourself of property. It’s important to keep on top of these changes for your Medicaid planning.
Chesapeake Wills and Trusts Can Help You Keep What’s Yours
Chesapeake Wills and Trusts doesn’t believe in just one-off estate planning. That’s why we offer the Chesapeake Care Plan that regularly informs you of legal and tax changes in order to keep your estate planning up to date and provides regular estate planning check-ups. Reviewing how CSRA updates affect your situation is only one very small part of that.
Schedule a consultation with one of our experienced Maryland attorneys to discuss your estate plan and keeping your plan up-to-the-minute.