Benefits for seniors in Michigan

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Michigan calls Medicaid "MA" in its rules. The main group for older adults is AD-Care (aged and disabled care). It is full Medicaid for people who are 65 or older, or who have a disability.

• Income: countable income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. For 2026, MDHHS uses $1,350 a month for one person and $1,824 for a couple. This already adds back the $20 of income that is not counted. The limits change each April.
• Assets: $9,950 or less for one person, or $14,910 for a couple.
• Over the limit? You can still apply. MDHHS checks other groups, including ones where you pay a monthly "deductible" before Medicaid starts paying.

If you also have Medicare, Medicaid works alongside it and can help with costs Medicare does not pay.

Long-term care: Medicaid can pay for nursing home care and for care at home through MI Choice, Home Help and PACE. For nursing home and waiver care, income can be up to $2,982 a month, and the asset limit is usually $2,000. In a nursing home, you keep $60 a month for personal needs, and the rest of your income goes toward your care. MDHHS also looks back at gifts or transfers made for less than they were worth, which can cause a waiting period.

Estate recovery: If you were 55 or older and got long-term care services, Michigan may seek repayment from your estate after you die. Only property that goes through probate court is affected, and recovery is put off while a spouse or certain children are living. Questions: MDHHS Beneficiary Help Line, 1-800-642-3195.

Help paying Medicare costs

Michigan's Medicare Savings Programs use the federal income limits. In 2026 they are:

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, "full-coverage QMB"): pays your Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. Income up to $1,350 a month for one person, $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Michigan also calls this "limited-coverage QMB"): pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,616 a month for one person, $2,184 for a couple.
• ALMB (Additional Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary, the federal QI program): pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,816 a month for one person, $2,455 for a couple.

Assets: $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple.

If you get any Medicare Savings Program, you also get Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

We did not find a current Michigan state drug program for seniors. Your best option is federal Extra Help, which lowers Part D premiums and copays. In 2026 you pay no more than $5.10 for a generic drug or $12.65 for a brand-name drug. Everyone with Part D also has a yearly out-of-pocket cap of $2,100.

Extra state payment with SSI

Michigan adds a small State SSI Payment to the federal SSI check.

• Living on your own: $14 a month for one person, or $21 a month for a couple.
• Who pays it: the state (MDHHS), not Social Security. It is paid every three months, in March, June, September and December.
• If you live in someone else's household, the amounts are lower. People in adult foster care or a home for the aged get a larger state amount.

Food help

Michigan's SNAP program is called the Food Assistance Program (FAP). Benefits go on a Michigan Bridge Card.

• Income: if your household's gross income is at or below $2,660 a month for one person ($3,608 for two), there is no asset test. Households with someone 60 or older or disabled do not have to pass the usual gross income test, but net income (after deductions such as medical costs) must be at or below $1,330 for one person.
• Assets: if an asset test applies, the limit for a group with a senior or disabled member is $4,500.
• Apply: online at NewMiBridges.Michigan.gov, or with paper form MDHHS-1171 at your local MDHHS office.

Senior Project FRESH gives older adults at least $25 on an electronic card to buy fresh produce.

• You must be 60 or older (55 or older for members of a federally recognized tribe in Michigan), with income at or below $29,526 a year for one person or $40,034 for two.
• The season runs May 1 to October 31. Unused benefits do not carry over.
• Apply through the Healthy Together app or website, or get help from a local lead agency listed at Michigan.gov/MDHHS-SPF. If money runs out in your county, you go on a wait list.

The Eldercare Locator can also point you to home-delivered meals and group meals.

Help staying at home

• MI Choice Waiver: Medicaid services at home or in another residential setting for adults who need nursing-home-level care and meet the long-term care income and asset rules above.
• Home Help: Medicaid pays a caregiver or agency to help you with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating and moving around, and with housework, laundry, meals and shopping. You must be assessed as needing hands-on help, and a medical professional must certify the need. A spouse generally cannot be paid. Ask your local MDHHS office for an adult services assessment.
• PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): for people 55 and older who need nursing-home-level care and live in a PACE service area. PACE runs in several southern Michigan counties. It combines your medical care and long-term care in one program.

MI Options counselors (1-800-803-7174) can help you sort through these choices.

Property tax and housing help

Homestead Property Tax Credit (form MI-1040CR) helps homeowners and renters with property taxes on their Michigan home. For tax year 2025:

• The most you can get is $1,900.
• Total household resources must be $71,500 or less. For most people, the credit starts to shrink above $62,500.
• Seniors 65 and older get a larger share: 100% of their qualifying tax if household resources are $21,000 or less, dropping step by step to 60% at higher incomes.
• Renters count 23% of the rent they paid as property tax (10% in service-fee housing).
• Homeowners' taxable value must be $165,400 or less.
• You can file even if you do not have to file an income tax return. If you missed it, you can still claim the 2025 credit until April 15, 2030.

Poverty exemption: if you cannot afford your property taxes, your city or township Board of Review can cut or cancel the tax on your home. Each local unit sets its own income and asset guidelines. Use Treasury form 5737 and ask your local assessor about deadlines.

Delaying payment: seniors, people with disabilities and some others may be able to put off property tax payments. Ask your local or county treasurer.

Help with energy bills

• Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP): helps low-income households with heating and energy bills through local agencies. Call 2-1-1 or visit 211.org to find one.
• State Emergency Relief (SER): MDHHS help with shut-off notices and heat or electric bills. Each year it pays up to $600 for natural gas heat and up to $900 for propane or fuel oil. Apply at NewMiBridges.Michigan.gov or your local MDHHS office.
• Home Heating Credit (form MI-1040CR-7): a Treasury credit for heating costs, usually paid to your heating company. For 2025, one person with income up to $17,243 could get up to $604. Claims are filed between January 1 and September 30 each year, so the next window opens January 1, 2027. Treasury: 517-636-4486.
• Weatherization Assistance Program: helps eligible low-income households make their homes more energy efficient.

Free help and counseling

• MI Options (Michigan's SHIP): free, unbiased help with Medicare choices, Medicaid, and long-term care at home. MI Options replaced the old MMAP program. Call 1-800-803-7174, or email [email protected].
• Area Agencies on Aging: local agencies for meals, in-home help and caregiver support. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116 (call or text), or eldercare.acl.gov.
• State aging office: the Aging, Community Living, and Supports Bureau at MDHHS.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for