Benefits for seniors in Utah

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Utah Medicaid is run by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). DWS takes applications and decides who qualifies.

• Who qualifies: You are 65 or older, blind, or disabled, and have low income and few assets. If you get SSI, there is no separate income test.
• Income: Up to $1,330 a month for one person, or $1,804 for a couple. This is 100% of the federal poverty level.
• Assets: Up to $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a married couple.
• Over the income limit? Utah has a "spenddown." If your medical bills are high, you may still qualify after your bills bring your income down to the limit.
• What it covers: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and more. With Medicare, it helps with costs Medicare does not pay.

Nursing home care. Medicaid can help pay for a nursing home if your monthly income is less than the private cost of your care. You may keep $2,000 in assets. In a nursing home you keep a personal needs allowance of $45 a month, and the rest of your income goes toward your care. A spouse at home can keep half of the couple's countable assets, between $32,532 and $162,660. Your home may not count if your equity is under $752,000. Apply with the Medical application plus the nursing home addendum.

Estate recovery: After you die, Utah's Office of Recovery Services can claim money from your estate for Medicaid paid after age 55. It does not do this while you have a living spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child. Medicare Savings Program costs are not recovered. Call ORS at 801-536-8798 with questions.

Help paying Medicare costs

Utah has three Medicare Savings Programs, also called Medicare Cost-Sharing Programs. You must have Medicare Part A.

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. Income below 100% of the poverty level, about $1,350 a month for one person or $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income below 120% of the poverty level, about $1,616 a month for one person or $2,184 for a couple.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income below 135% of the poverty level, about $1,816 a month for one person or $2,455 for a couple. QI depends on yearly federal funding.

Utah uses the federal limits. The asset limit is $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for a couple. Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over.

If you get QMB, SLMB or QI, you get Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically. You still need a Medicare drug plan.

Prescription drug help

Utah's state agencies do not list a state drug payment program for seniors. Use federal Extra Help, which lowers Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. If you have Medicaid, it also helps with drug costs.

Extra state payment with SSI

Utah does not add money to the SSI check of a single person living in their own home. If you live alone, your SSI payment is the federal amount, up to $994 a month.

Utah does pay a very small supplement in a few cases. A couple living alone gets $5.60 a month more. A single person living in someone else's household gets $3.81 a month more. People in a nursing home who get SSI also get a small state supplement on top of their personal needs money.

Food help

Utah's food program is SNAP (often called food stamps), run by DWS.

• Easier income test: If someone in your home is 60 or older, or gets certain disability payments, your household only has to pass the net income test, not the gross income test.
• Assets: Up to $4,500 if a household member is 60 or older or disabled.
• Medical costs: Bring proof of medical bills. Ask DWS how they can lower your countable income.
• Fast help: Benefits start from the day you apply. If you qualify for expedited service, you may get food help within seven days.

Your local Area Agency on Aging can tell you about senior meals at centers and meals delivered to your home.

Help staying at home

Aging Waiver. This Medicaid program helps adults 65 and older stay at home. It is run by the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS).

• Who qualifies: You are 65 or older, need nursing home level of care, and qualify for Medicaid.
• Income: You can keep income up to the poverty level for your own needs.
• Services: Case management, homemaker and chore help, personal attendant care, adult day health, respite for caregivers, home-delivered meals, emergency response systems, home changes for safety, and more.
• Limits: The waiver serves a limited number of people, so there may be a wait.
• How to start: Call DAAS at 801-538-3910 or your local Area Agency on Aging.

New Choices Waiver. This is another Utah Medicaid waiver for care in the community. Its income limit is higher: up to $2,982 a month. Ask DWS or DAAS if it fits your situation.

Other help: Utah Medicaid also has waivers for people with physical disabilities or brain injury. DAAS can tell you about non-Medicaid in-home help and whether a PACE program serves your area.

Property tax and housing help

Utah's Tax Commission and county offices run several programs. For 2026 applications, household income (from 2025) must be under $44,221.

• Renter credit (Circuit Breaker renter refund): If you are 66 or older (or an unmarried surviving spouse), you may get up to $1,412 back, based on your income and rent. File online at tap.utah.gov or mail form TC-90CB by December 31. Call 801-297-6254.
• Homeowner credit (low-income abatement): If you are 67 or older (or an unmarried surviving spouse, or you got the credit last year), part of your property tax may be cut, up to $1,412. Apply with your county by September 1.
• Indigent abatement: If you are 67 or older, disabled, or face extreme hardship, your county may cut your tax. Apply with your county by September 1.
• Senior tax deferral: If you are 75 or older, you may be able to put off paying your property tax. Interest is added. Household income can be up to $88,442. Apply with your county by September 1 each year.
• Blind exemption: Legally blind owners can get part of their property's value exempt. Apply with your county by September 1.

Tax Commission general help: 801-297-3600 or 1-800-368-8824.

Help with energy bills

• HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Target): Utah's LIHEAP program, run by DWS. It helps low-income households pay heating and power bills, with crisis help if you face a shut-off. Household income must be at or below 150% of the poverty level, and you must pay your own energy costs.
• Early sign-up for seniors: Households with someone 60 or older, a disabled member, or a child under 6 can apply starting October 1. Others start November 1. Help runs until September 30 or until funds run out.
• How to apply: Apply at your local HEAT office. Bring your power and heat bills and proof of last month's income and medical costs.

Free help and counseling

• SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program): Utah's free Medicare counseling program. Counselors help you compare plans, apply for Extra Help and the Medicare Savings Programs, and solve billing problems. Call 1-800-541-7735.
• Area Agencies on Aging: Local agencies across Utah offer meals, caregiver help, in-home services and benefits help. Call DAAS to find yours.
• Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS): Utah's state aging agency, part of DHHS. Call 801-538-3910.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for