Are You Eligible To Receive SNAP Benefits?

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) provides a pre-screening tool to help you find out if you or others might be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. The tool is not an application for SNAP. But the tool can help you make an informed decision as to whether you or others should apply at your local SNAP office. It can also estimate how much you might get. Only your local SNAP office can tell you for sure.

The first question asks you for a state or territory. Enter the state or territory of the person who is interested in SNAP information. There are some states have their own pre-screening tools for SNAP eligibility. If you live in one of those states, the system will automatically direct you to the state's pre-screening tool. Some states have made small changes to their SNAP eligibility rules. So your state tool is more accurate.

Some states have special rules. If this The next question is the number of people who live in the home. If some people in the home buy and eat food separately, they don't count as members of the SNAP household unless they are the spouse or a child under the age 22.

If a person is renting a room and lives with you, the person is probably not a member of your household. The person is in your household only if he or she eats the same food you do.

Once you provide the number of people that live in your home and are members of your family, you need to provide the name and age of every person. You also need to say if the person is a U.S. Citizen and whether the person is disabled.

The next step is to record the household assets. Some assets are cash or money in a bank. Some might be physical things a household member owns such as rental property. For each person in the household, you record the type of asset each person has and the value.

If you have a lot of assets, this may disqualify you from getting SNAP benefits. But some assets don't count. If your assets do not count, you will still be eligible. So if you have many assets, your results might not be right. If the pre-screening tool says you are not eligible, you should check your local SNAP office to make sure. You might still be eligible.

If someone in your household owns a car or truck, it might be a big asset, if it's worth a lot of money.

The amount of assets a household has can determine if the household can receive SNAP benefits. Each state has its own rules on counting the value of cars or trucks. If you use a car or truck while you do your job, it might not count as an asset. But, cars or trucks used to go to and from work are still counted as an asset. A household who thinks it might not be eligible because of the car or truck it owns should consult with the local SNAP office.

You can get the state's rules for cars and trucks. You can also learn how to guess how much the car or truck is worth. That way you can check to see if that car or truck might be worth too much. If it is worth a lot of money, the household might not be eligible for SNAP benefits. However, it is best to ask a local SNAP office worker to help determine the value of the car or truck.

 You will also need to enter the earned income for each person in the house. The amount of income you record is the total or gross income. You also need to enter the amount of unearned income. That is income that doesn't come from working. This would include money from a government program like Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). It could also be money from nongovernmental sources like alimony, or child support.

Most states also have a "standard utility allowance" (SUA) that you can deduct instead of your utility cost. The SUA is an estimate of how much a person might pay for utilities each month. In each state it is the same number for every household. But it can change from state to state. Your SUA in your state may be more than what you pay for utilities. If so you can deduct it instead of deducting what you actually pay. This can help you because you can get a bigger deduction this way. The pre-screening tool will check to see whether your state SUA or your actual utilities cost more. Then it will automatically pick the larger one for you so you get a bigger deduction. But when you apply you will need to figure this out yourself. So you need to check with your local office for more information.

If you are homeless, you probably don't have any of these costs. But you can still get a "deduction" for shelter. A deduction is an amount of your income that doesn't count because you have to spend it on something other than food. If you are homeless, you can get a deduction for shelter of $143 per month in many states. The next step is to record the the assets of each person in the household. Some assets are cash or money in a bank. Some might be physical things a household member owns such as rental property. For each person in the household, you enter the kind of asset the person has and the estimated value.

You will need to record if anyone in the household needs dependent care. Dependent care is considered money that you must spend on a member of the household so that person can go to school or work. It might include childcare, an elderly person or someone that is disabled.

You will also document if anyone spends money on child support and how often it is paid. The final category is the amount of medical expenses that each person has. This can include doctors and drug stores. You can only deduct medical costs for people that are disabled or are over 60 years of age.

The final page gives you the results. Here you will find out if you household might be eligible for SNAP benefits and an estimate of how much you might be able to receive. Remember, each state may have a different set of criteria and you should check with your local state office.