Oklahoma grants
& benefits: SoonerCare, county tax breaks and OKDHS.

Oklahomans expanded Medicaid by public vote. State Question 802 passed on June 30, 2020, opening SoonerCare to adults 19 to 64 whose income is no more than 138% of the federal poverty level. Coverage for this group began July 1, 2021.

There are no monthly premiums for expansion members. Adults who are not pregnant can be charged copays, capped at the federal 5% out-of-pocket limit unless an exemption applies. Anyone who has or is entitled to Medicare cannot get expansion coverage.

Apply online at MySoonerCare.org, call the SoonerCare Helpline at 800-987-7767, or mail an English or Spanish paper application. OHCA also lists partner sites that help people apply in person.

From January 1, 2027, expansion adults 19 to 64 must log 80 hours each month across a job, community service or a work program, be in school at least half-time, or earn $580 or more a month. OHCA mailed yellow letters on August 31, 2026 to members likely to be affected.

OHCA checks when you apply and again every six months at renewal. If it cannot confirm you meet the rule or qualify for an exemption, you get 30 days to send proof. Hours do not roll over: all 80 must fall in one calendar month.

• People entitled to or enrolled in Medicare, and adults 65 or older
• American Indian and Alaska Native individuals
• Veterans with a disability rated total or 100%
• Pregnant and postpartum women, and former foster youth 25 and younger
• Parents or caretakers of children 13 and younger, or of a person with a disability
• Blind or disabled people, and those with a serious or complex medical condition

Each of these is a county filing, made with the assessor where the home sits. The basic homestead exemption removes $1,000 from the assessed value of the home you live in on January 1. Oklahoma County notes it also caps yearly assessment increases at 3%, which limits value growth rather than the tax bill.

The senior valuation freeze locks the taxable value of a homestead for owners 65 or older on January 1. Its income limit follows a HUD figure set for each county and changes yearly, so ask your assessor for the current number. Oklahoma County listed $89,500 for 2025.

The additional homestead exemption takes off another $1,000 of assessed value when gross household income stays at $30,000 or below, a limit that is the same in every county. Owners under 65 must refile each year by March 15.

• Homestead exemption: Form 921, by March 15 or within 30 days of a valuation increase notice
• Senior valuation freeze and additional homestead: Form 994, same deadline
• Household income counts everyone living in the home, but not VA disability compensation

An honorably discharged veteran certified by the VA as 100% permanently disabled from a service-connected cause can exempt the full fair cash value of the homestead. The surviving spouse keeps the exemption. File OTC Form 998 with the county assessor along with a current VA award letter.

Veterans paid VA compensation at the 100% rate for a permanent disability can also get a sales tax exemption permit through OkTAP, the OTC's online portal. It covers up to $25,000 of purchases a year. An unremarried surviving spouse can keep a permit capped at $1,000 a year.

Form 538-H gives back some of the property tax on your home if you are at least 65 or totally disabled and household income was $12,000 or less. It pays the tax above 1% of that income, up to $200. Claims for 2025 taxes were due June 30, 2026.

Form 538-S, the sales tax relief credit, pays $40 per qualified exemption. Household income has to stay at $20,000 or under, or $50,000 or under if you claim a dependent, are 65 or older, or have a physical disability that limits work. People who got TANF during the year cannot claim it.

Working families can add the state earned income credit, set by 68 O.S. § 2357.43 at 5% of the federal credit and refundable since tax year 2022. The OTC figures it under 2020 federal rules, so check Form 511-EIC instead of copying your federal number.

Two more breaks lower everyday costs. Social Security in your federal income is subtracted on the state return, and since August 29, 2024 the state portion of sales tax no longer applies to groceries.

SNAP runs through OKDHS. Under a two-year federal pilot that started February 15, 2026, the EBT card no longer buys candy, gum, soda, energy drinks or sweetened bottled teas and lemonades. Baked goods, milk, plain water and 100% juice are still allowed.

LIHEAP opens three times a year on OKDHSLive and stays open until money runs out. The 2026 dates were winter heating on January 6, crisis help on April 14 and summer cooling on July 14. Regular heating and cooling claims can take up to 60 days.

If a household member relies on lifesaving medical equipment or faces extreme temperatures, crisis help is available all year by calling 405-522-5050. Citizens of a federally recognized Native Nation can apply through OKDHS or a tribal program, but not both for the same program in one federal fiscal year.