2024 Poverty Level Income Guidelines Meaning. The federal poverty level, or fpl, is a measure of income level published each year by the department of health and human services. The federal poverty guidelines, also known as the federal poverty level (fpl), measure a household's poverty status based on its annual income.
The federal poverty level is the guideline that determines who receives assistance. As of now, children of any family who make between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty level will receive their school meals for free too.