Tool
Household income calculator
Applications ask for monthly or annual income. Paychecks arrive hourly, weekly, or every two weeks — and the conversion is not as simple as multiplying by four. This does the arithmetic for every earner in your household.
Earners in the household
Add a row for each person with income. Include wages, unemployment, Social Security, child support — anything the application will ask you to report.
Compare against a limit
Optional. Look up the current income limit published by the program you are applying to, enter it here, and see where your household lands as a percentage of it. We deliberately do not hardcode these limits — they change every year and differ by state.
Gross, not take-home
Most programs evaluate gross income — the amount before taxes and deductions — not what lands in your account. Enter gross figures unless the application specifically asks otherwise.
Counted income is usually lower than total income
Several programs subtract certain expenses before comparing your income to a limit — rent, utilities, child care that lets you work, and some medical costs for older or disabled household members. This means households that look over the line on paper are sometimes within it once deductions are applied. That calculation is done by the agency, not here, which is one more reason not to rule yourself out before applying.