FPL
Government & Politics abbreviation · Public Program
| Stands for | Federal poverty level |
|---|---|
| Categories | Government & Politics |
FPL stands for Federal poverty level, a public program abbreviation also used in medicine.
Income measure, based on annual HHS poverty guidelines, used to determine eligibility for programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, ACA subsidies, SNAP and school meals. The 2025 guideline for the 48 contiguous states was $15,650 for one person and $32,150 for a family of four.
Example: Adults earning up to 138 percent of the FPL qualify for Medicaid in expansion states.
Usage notes
Programs set limits as percentages of the FPL, such as 130 percent for SNAP gross income. Alaska and Hawaii have higher guidelines. The poverty guidelines differ from the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds, which are used for statistics. The measure dates to Mollie Orshansky's 1960s formula based on the cost of a basic food budget.
Related abbreviations
More public program abbreviations
- EBT – Electronic Benefit Transfer
- EIDL – Economic Injury Disaster Loan
- EITC – Earned Income Tax Credit
- ESTA – Electronic System for Travel Authorization
- FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid
- FMR – Fair Market Rent
- FRA – Full retirement age
- FWS – Federal Work-Study
- H-1B – H-1B specialty occupation visa
- HCBS – Home and community-based services
- HCV – Housing Choice Voucher
- IDR – Income-driven repayment