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Determining Eligibility - SNAP (Food Stamps)

In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamp Program), applicant households must meet both financial and non-financial eligibility requirements.

Non-financial eligibility requirements include:

·        citizenship or immigrant status;

·        providing a Social Security number or applying for one;

·        meeting work rules (able-bodied adults between 16 and 60 years of age must register for work, accept an offer of suitable work, and take part in an employment and training program to which they are referred by the SNAP office. Generally, able-bodied adults aged 18 to 50 who do not have children and are not pregnant can only receive food stamps for 3 months in a 3-year period unless they are working or participating in a work or workfare program); and

·        student status.

Financial requirements govern both the amount of assets and the amount of income a household may have and still be eligible for benefits. The SNAP Program has two income tests, Gross Income and Net Income. Households with an elderly or disabled member are subject only to the Net Income Test.

In the SNAP (Food Stamps) Program, some applicant households may be considered "categorically eligible" if certain conditions, such as all household members receive SSI and no household member has been disqualified for an intentional program violation, are met. If a disabled applicant is considered categorically eligible, then she or he does not have to meet either the gross or the net income test.

Households that do not meet the required income limits are not eligible for SNAP. For those households that must pass the gross income test, monthly gross income must be less than 130 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. Monthly net income must be 100 percent or less of the Federal poverty guidelines (i.e., the maximum monthly net income standard). The Federal poverty guidelines are uniform for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia and vary for Alaska and Hawaii to reflect higher food costs.

In addition to these financial and non-financial requirements, households may have to meet certain program requirements in order to continue receiving benefits.

Additional Information

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service operates an online SNAP Pre-Screening Eligibility Tool, called SNAP Step 1, which can help you determine if you may be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. To access this tool from the Internet, go to:
http://www.foodstamps-step1.usda.gov/

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