How to Calculate Food Stamps Eligibility
When money is tight due to unforeseen or unchangeable financial circumstances, you may wonder if you qualify for food stamps. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal food stamp program. You may qualify for food assistance based on your total monthly household income and the number of people in your house. SNAP benefit applications are processed through your county health and human services department, but you may use the SNAP eligibility tool to determine if you qualify for benefits and the amount you may receive before you head to the county office.
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Instructions
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Navigate to the USDA online eligibility tool and click the "Start Tool" button (see Resources).
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Select your state of residence from the drop-down menu, select your user category and tell the system how you heard about the screening tool. Click the "Continue" button.
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Answer questions regarding your household size, including the number of people in your home.
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Enter household member information. You must include the first name and age of each member and provide citizenship and disability status information. Include yourself as one of the household members. Click the "Continue" button.
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Enter asset information for each household member. Types of assets include bank accounts, retirement accounts and cash on hand. You must enter a value for each asset and list assets separately. If you need more rows to complete your asset information, click the green "plus" icon on the left side under the last row. Click "Continue" when finished.
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Enter earned income information for each household member. Earned income includes wages from employment, self-employment and rental income. Click "Continue."
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Enter unearned income for each member of the house. Unearned income includes money you receive for child support, social security benefits, unemployment and worker's compensation. Click "Continue" when finished.
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Enter your total monthly housing and utility expense. Click "Continue."
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Enter the monthly amount you spend on dependent child care, and then click "Continue" again.
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Enter the amount you pay monthly for child support. If you only receive child support, do not enter an amount here. Click "Continue."
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Receive your results. If the eligibility tool determines you are eligible for benefits, you will also receive an estimate of your monthly benefit.
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