WIC — the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — uses a more generous income cutoff than many other federal assistance programs: 185% of the federal poverty level, rather than the 100% or 130% thresholds SNAP and some other programs use. * For the guidelines running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, that 185% cutoff works out to $28,999 a year for a household of one, rising to $101,582 a year for a household of eight. Larger households add a set amount per additional person, following the same 185% formula. * Income alone doesn't get you into WIC, though — you also have to fit one of the program's specific categories: pregnant women, postpartum or breastfeeding mothers, infants, and children up to their fifth birthday. A family can meet the income requirement and still not qualify if no one in the household fits one of those categories. * WIC calculates eligibility using gross income — the amount before taxes and other deductions — which is different from how some other benefit programs calculate net income after deductions, and it's worth knowing since it can make WIC easier to qualify for than programs that count only net income. * One shortcut worth knowing: if your household is already enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF, you're typically automatically income-eligible for WIC too, without having to separately document your income all over again.