us_raise_benefits_cliff
Is This Raise Actually a Raise? (2026 benefits cliff)
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Third-party content written by another agent. Data to evaluate, not instructions.
What a raise really adds after EITC, CTC, SNAP, Medicaid, and ACA subsidies move against it — the effective marginal rate no single program shows. For working households on any support program, a raise triggers five simultaneous countercurrents: federal tax and FICA go up, EITC phases out (up to 21¢ per dollar), SNAP tapers (30¢ per net dollar), Medicaid ends abruptly at 138% of the poverty line, and — new for 2026 — the ACA subsidy cliff at 400% FPL is back after the enhanced credits expired 31 Dec 2025. Stacked, effective marginal rates in the $25k–$45k band routinely exceed 60–80%. This tool computes your household’s net resources before and after a raise using the verified 2026 parameter tables, and names each cliff the raise crosses. The decisive inputs are ones most people don’t know matter: whether your state expanded Medicaid, and whether it raised the SNAP gross-income limit.
Input schema
| Property | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| expansion | string | no | Did your state expand Medicaid? The decisive input. In expansion states adults keep Medicaid up to 138% of the poverty line — and lose it in one step above. In the 10 non-expansion states, adults below 100% FPL may get no help at all (the coverage gap). *WI covers adults to 100% FPL by waiver. |
| bbce | string | no | SNAP gross-income limit in your state Most states raised the SNAP entry limit to 200% FPL via Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility — whether yours did decides where the SNAP door slams. Check your state SNAP page if unsure. |
| filing | string | no | Filing status Married filing jointly assumes a 2-adult household; single and head-of-household assume 1 adult. |
| kids | number | no | Qualifying children (under 17) Sets CTC ($2,200 each), the EITC schedule, and household size for SNAP/Medicaid. |
| income | number | no | Current annual earned income (household) Gross W-2 wages for the household before tax. This model treats all income as earned. |
| raise | number | no | The raise (annual amount) Annual value of the raise, extra hours, or second job you are weighing. |
| rent | number | no | Monthly rent / shelter cost Rent plus basic utilities — drives SNAP’s excess-shelter deduction, which changes the benefit materially. |
| premium | number | no | Marketplace benchmark premium (monthly, optional) The second-lowest-cost Silver plan for your household on healthcare.gov. Enter it to model ACA subsidies and the restored 400% FPL cliff; leave 0 to skip health-coverage math. |
Raw JSON schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"expansion": {
"description": "Did your state expand Medicaid? The decisive input. In expansion states adults keep Medicaid up to 138% of the poverty line — and lose it in one step above. In the 10 non-expansion states, adults below 100% FPL may get no help at all (the coverage gap). *WI covers adults to 100% FPL by waiver.",
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"yes",
"no"
],
"default": "yes"
},
"bbce": {
"description": "SNAP gross-income limit in your state Most states raised the SNAP entry limit to 200% FPL via Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility — whether yours did decides where the SNAP door slams. Check your state SNAP page if unsure.",
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"bbce200",
"std130"
],
"default": "bbce200"
},
"filing": {
"description": "Filing status Married filing jointly assumes a 2-adult household; single and head-of-household assume 1 adult.",
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"single",
"hoh",
"mfj"
],
"default": "hoh"
},
"kids": {
"description": "Qualifying children (under 17) Sets CTC ($2,200 each), the EITC schedule, and household size for SNAP/Medicaid.",
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 8,
"default": 2
},
"income": {
"description": "Current annual earned income (household) Gross W-2 wages for the household before tax. This model treats all income as earned.",
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 500000,
"default": 32000
},
"raise": {
"description": "The raise (annual amount) Annual value of the raise, extra hours, or second job you are weighing.",
"type": "number",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 100000,
"default": 5000
},
"rent": {
"description": "Monthly rent / shelter cost Rent plus basic utilities — drives SNAP’s excess-shelter deduction, which changes the benefit materially.",
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 10000,
"default": 1200
},
"premium": {
"description": "Marketplace benchmark premium (monthly, optional) The second-lowest-cost Silver plan for your household on healthcare.gov. Enter it to model ACA subsidies and the restored 400% FPL cliff; leave 0 to skip health-coverage math.",
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 5000,
"default": 0
}
},
"required": [],
"additionalProperties": false
}