Low Income Family Chart Guidelines
The term “low-income individual” means that an individuals family taxable income did not exceed 150% of the poverty level amount. The income family chart represents the family income levels established by the Census Bureau for determining poverty status. The 2020 poverty guidelines are in effect as of January 15, 2020, and published January 17, 2020.
There are different versions of the federal poverty measure: poverty thresholds and poverty guidelines. The poverty thresholds are the original version and updated each year by the Census Bureau. Similarly, the thresholds are used mainly for preparing estimates of the number of Americans in poverty each year. In other words, all official poverty population figures are calculated using the poverty thresholds, and not the guidelines.
| LOW INCOME FAMILY GUIDELINES 2020 FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | |
| Persons in Family | Low Income Family Guideline |
| Over 8 persons in a Family, add $4,480 (for additional person) | |
| 1 | $12,760 |
| 2 | $17,240 |
| 3 | $21,720 |
| 4 | $26,200 |
| 5 | $30,680 |
| 6 | $35,160 |
| 7 | $39,640 |
| 8 | $44,120 |
| 2020 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR ALASKA | |
| Persons in Family | Low Income Family Guideline |
| Over 8 persons in Family, add $5,600 (for additional person) | |
| 1 | $15,950 |
| 2 | $21,550 |
| 3 | $27,150 |
| 4 | $32,750 |
| 5 | $38,350 |
| 6 | $43,950 |
| 7 | $49,550 |
| 8 | $55,150 |
| 2020 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR HAWAI I | |
| Persons in Family | Low Income Family Guideline |
| Over 8 personsin Family, add $5,150 (for additional person) | |
| 1 | $14,680 |
| 2 | $19,830 |
| 3 | $24,980 |
| 4 | $30,130 |
| 5 | $35,280 |
| 6 | $40,430 |
| 7 | $45,580 |
| 8 | $55,730 |
Health and Human Services (HHS)
The poverty guidelines are the other version of the federal poverty measure that is issued each year. The Low Income Family Chart Guidelines are a simplification of the poverty thresholds for administrative purposes. For instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
How the Central Bureau Measures Poverty
The poverty guidelines apply to both aged and non-aged units and have never had an aged or non-aged distinction. However, it is only the statistical poverty thresholds have separate figures for one-person and two-person units. The poverty guidelines are loosely referred to as the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Moreover, the Census Bureau applies the thresholds to determine its poverty status, on the website: “How the Central Bureau Measures Poverty”.
Census Bureau’s Poverty Thresholds
The Low Income Family Chart guidelines are calculated by taking the 2018 Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds, and adjusting them for price changes between 2018 and 2019 using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). Moreover, the poverty thresholds are complex and are not composed of standardized increments between family sizes. With uniform increments across family sizes, the poverty guidelines include rounding and standardizing adjustments.
Federal Office
The Low Income Family guidelines for the original version of the poverty measure are not defined for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Palau. In any of those jurisdictions, the Federal Office which is responsible about deciding whether to use the contiguous-states-and-D.C. guidelines.
Federal Register
The poverty guidelines are designated by the year in which they are issued. However, the 2020 HHS poverty guidelines only reflect price changes through poverty thresholds for the calendar year. Similarly, the poverty guidelines are updated periodically in the Federal Register by the HHS under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).
