Qualifying for Georgia Medicaid to pay for nursing home care requires meeting specific income and asset limits. Most people do not qualify automatically. They must either spend down their assets or engage in legal planning to meet the requirements.
In 2026 the income limit is $2,982 a month and the asset limit is $2,000 for a single person.
Georgia Medicaid Income Limits for Nursing Home Care
In Georgia, the income limit for Medicaid nursing home coverage is $2,982 per month (2026). This is the gross income cap. If your monthly income exceeds this amount, you do not automatically qualify.
However, Georgia allows a Qualified Income Trust (also called a Miller Trust) to handle excess income. If your income is above the limit, income can be directed into this special trust, so you can meet the income limit. You still have to meet the asset limit. The income in the trust is then applied to the cost of your care.
Georgia Medicaid Asset Limits for Nursing Home Care
The asset limit for a single person applying for Georgia Medicaid nursing home coverage is $2,000 in countable assets. For a married couple where one spouse needs nursing home care, the community spouse (the one at home) can keep more: up to $162,660 in countable assets (2026 figure, adjusted annually).
What Counts as a Countable Asset?
- Bank accounts (checking, savings, money market)
- Investment accounts and brokerage accounts
- Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
- Additional vehicles beyond one
- Vacation or rental property
- Cash value of some life insurance policies
What Does Not Count as a Countable Asset?
- Your primary home (if you intend to return or a spouse lives there)
- One vehicle
- Personal belongings and household items
- Prepaid irrevocable burial plans
- Certain annuities structured under Medicaid rules
The Spend-Down Problem
Without planning, a single person applying for Medicaid has to get countable assets down to $2,000 before Medicaid starts paying. For someone with $200,000 in countable savings, that can mean spending about $198,000 first. See what a nursing home costs in Georgia to know how fast that money goes. To see how many Georgians 65 or older who live alone could pay for a year in a private nursing home room from their income plus their net worth, with and without their home, see our Georgia estimates of income and wealth against the cost of care.
This is the problem Medicaid planning solves. Legal strategies (including irrevocable trusts, exempt asset repositioning, and spousal protection planning) can reduce how much you have to spend down. No trust is a guarantee.
The Five-Year Lookback Period
When you ask Medicaid to pay for nursing home care, Medicaid looks back five years (60 months). This is a federal rule, 42 U.S.C. § 1396p(c). If you gave assets away or moved them into a trust during those five years, Medicaid can impose a penalty period. During the penalty, Medicaid will not pay the nursing home.
This is why planning works best when it starts early. Assets you move into a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust today stay inside the lookback until five years have passed. If you apply before then, their full value counts toward the penalty.
How to Actually Qualify: Two Paths
Path 1: Spend Down
You spend your assets on nursing home costs until you hit the $2,000 limit, then apply. This is the most common path for people who did no planning, and the most expensive for families.
Path 2: Legal Planning
Working with an elder law attorney, you restructure your assets before you need care. This may involve creating a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, converting countable assets into exempt assets, or using other legal strategies to qualify without spending down everything.
When to Start Planning
The best time to start is five or more years before you expect to need nursing home care. The sooner you act, the more options you have. If you are already in a nursing home or facing an imminent admission, some planning is still possible but the available strategies are more limited.
If you want to understand where you stand and what your options are, start with a call. Your first call is free, about 15 minutes, and happens by phone with Shawn. If you move forward, your next step is the Design Meeting with Shawn and Melissa, which is credited toward your plan.
