Medicaid Long-Term Care Look-Back Calculator

Gifts and below-value asset transfers made in the 60-month window before applying for Medicaid can trigger a penalty period that delays coverage, and this tool estimates how long that delay might run. For families weighing nursing home or home health care, that waiting period carries real consequences, since benefits stall even after eligibility otherwise begins. In 2026, the national average private-pay rate for nursing home care, which states often use as the penalty 'divisor', is projected near $11,000 per month.

To find the penalty length, the total value of uncompensated transfers is divided by the state's average monthly nursing home cost, the 'divisor'. Transfer $110,000 in assets where the state divisor is $11,000, for example, and the result is a 10-month penalty. That clock does not start at the moment of the transfer; it begins once the person would otherwise qualify for Medicaid and has filed an application.

Treat the output as an estimate rather than a final number, because state-specific rules and individual facts shift the actual penalty. Two errors show up repeatedly: overlooking some of the transfers entirely, and misjudging the fair market value of property that was given away. A qualified elder law attorney can pin down the details and help you sidestep mistakes that prove expensive.