Understanding How the Min & Max Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance Works
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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2025
What Is the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance?
When only one spouse in a married couple enrolls in Medicaid, there are spousal protections in place that provide financial support to the non-applicant spouse, who is also called the community spouse. One of these protections is the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA), which permits beneficiary spouses to transfer some, or even all, of their monthly income to their low-income community spouses.
Who Can Use the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance
The Minimum MMNA can be especially helpful for Nursing Home Medicaid recipients. They are required to give most of their income to the state to help pay for care, but they can keep enough to make Minimum MMNA payments, if applicable (they can also keep enough to pay other insurance premiums and a personal needs allowance, but those are not relevant to this article). The Minimum MMNA can also be used by couples with one spouse enrolled in a Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver, which covers long-term care in the beneficiary’s home, the home of a loved one, or, in some states, the community.
However, it’s important to note that the Minimum MMNA does not apply to Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Medicaid, which is also known as state or regular Medicaid for seniors.
How the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance Works
Community spouses are entitled to have monthly income that meets the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMNA) in their state. The federal government sets guidelines for the Minimum MMNA and for a Maximum MMNA, and states can set their allowance limit anywhere in between.
The Maximum MMNA federal guideline is $3,948, effective Jan. 1, 2025 – Dec. 31, 2025. There are 14 states that use this number as their Minimum MMNA, so community spouses in the following 14 states are entitled to have $3,948/month in income: Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, plus Washington, D.C.
The Minimum MMNA federal guideline is $2,643.75, effective July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026, in 48 states and Washington, D.C. The two exceptions are Alaska, where the Minimum MMNA is $3,303.75 and Hawaii ($3,040). The Minimum MMNA is based on the Federal Poverty Level, and since Alaska and Hawaii have their own poverty levels, their Minimum MMNAs are also different.
There are 33 states that use the federal guidelines for both their Maximum MMNA ($3,948) and their Minimum MMNA ($2,643.75, although some states may round the number to $2,644 or $2,645). In these states, community spouses can have a Minimum MMNA greater than $2,643.75 if their “shelter” costs justify it. Shelter costs are calculated using the Excess Shelter Allowance, which can also be referred to as the Shelter Standard or the Community Spouse Monthly Housing Allowance.
If a community spouse has shelter expenses that exceed the Excess Shelter Allowance, then they can add the difference to their Minimum MMNA. The Excess Shelter Allowance is currently $793.13. Shelter costs can include expenses such as mortgage, property tax, rent, homeowner’s/renter’s insurance and utilities. For utility expenses, states use their own Standard Utility Allowance that takes into account the relevant utilities, which may include heating, cooling, electricity, water, garbage, sewer and basic phone.
Cathy’s mortgage, homeowner’s insurance and property tax payments amount to $1,851/month, and she pays utilities, so she can add Minnesota’s Standard Utility Allowance of $649 to her expenses, which makes the total $2,500. That means Cathy is entitled to an extra $1,706.87/month ($2,500 – $793.13 Excess Shel-ter Allowance = $1,706.87), for a total of $4,351.87/month. Since that’s above the Maximum MMNA, she is entitled to $3,948/month, which means Peter can transfer up to $3,303/month to Cathy. His income is $2,700/month, so he can transfer all of that to Cathy.
The Excess Shelter Allowance is only relevant in the 33 states that use both a Minimum and a Maximum MMNA, which are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
State Exceptions
There are a few states that have unique Minimum MMNA rules and limits. Alabama and North Dakota both use one standard figure of $2,644 for their Minimum MMNA. And Wisconsin uses a Minimum MMNA of $3,406.66 and a Maximum MMNA of $3,948.
Other Implications of the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance
The income that a married Medicaid beneficiary transfers via the Minimum MMNA is not counted toward their income limit for eligibility. So, a beneficiary who has income over their limit can be income-eligible due to their MMNA transfers. However, the timing of the MMNA process does not allow it to be used as a reliable Medicaid Planning strategy. In other words, a senior can’t count on a MMNA transfer to make them eligible.
It may be possible to use the MMNA to a beneficiary’s financial advantage after they enroll, but this is not guaranteed and it would be extremely complex. In fact, calculating a Minimum MMNA is so complicated that states often make mistakes. Anyone considering using the Minimum MMNA in any manner should consult with a Certified Medicaid Planner before attempting it on their own.
