FPL, or the "federal poverty level", is the official measure of poverty used to determine a household’s eligibility for aid and services.
The FPL is evaluated and determined each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The FPL is determined using the FPL from the previous year and then making changes to reflect inflation and expected price increases over the next year.
There is one FPL issued for the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. Alaska and Hawaii set their own FPL due to differences in the economy in those two states.
The FPL is not the same for all households because it is determined by family size. The FPL for a family of two is not going to be the same as a family of 8. The following table provides the breakdown of the percentages of FPL based on family size. When determining if your income qualifies, you have to find out what percentage of the FPL it lands in with relation to the number of people in your household.
The following table can be used as a guide: