The Federal Food Stamp Program is now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Eligibility for SNAP depends on things like the number of people in your household, income, and resources (cash, bank accounts, etc…). Income includes money earned from work. It also includes benefits like Social Security and unemployment. The following table shows the 2012 gross and net income level that households must meet to qualify for SNAP food stamp payments.
SNAP Income Thresholds (2012)
Households have to meet income tests unless all members are receiving TANF, SSI, or in some places general assistance. Gross income means a household’s total, non-excluded income, before any deductions have been made. Net income means gross income minus allowable deductions. Allowable deductions include, 20% deduction from earned income; standard deduction of $147 for households sizes of 1 to 3 people and $155 for a household size of 4 (higher for some larger households); dependent care deduction when needed for work, training, or education; and certain medical expenses.
SNAP Benefit
The amount of benefits the household gets is called an allotment. The net monthly income of the household is multiplied by 0.3, and the result is subtracted from the maximum allotment for the household size to find the household’s allotment. This is because SNAP households areexpected to spend about 30 percent of their resources on food.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest data, a record 44.7 million people participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in fiscal 2011 at a $75.3 billion cost to taxpayers. That’s up from 28.2 million and $37.6 billion in 2008. Some four million people are now on food stamps in Texas, with California (3.7 million) and Florida (3.1 million) close behind.
You or an authorized representative has to apply at the local office for SNAP benefits. For more details on eligibility and application requirements visit the USDA SNAP page
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