Food Stamps: What Restrictions (Besides Income) Disqualify You From SNAP Benefits?
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Cory Dudak
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
If your financial or living situation recently changed, you might wonder if you still qualify for SNAP benefits, the Federal government’s supplemental nutrition assistance program, formerly food stamps.
Additionally, as various states lift certain eligibility requirements, you may find that you qualify for SNAP benefits even if you previously haven’t. Let’s explore not just the income requirements, but other factors that may disqualify you from SNAP benefits, and how state laws may change in the future.
SNAP is a federally-funded, state-administered benefits program. As such, states have the power to waive some eligibility requirements, including those that are part of the controversial Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which can keep convicted drug felons from receiving SNAP benefits.
Income Qualifications for SNAP Benefits
Any discussion of SNAP qualifications should begin with the income requirements. The poverty level for 2023, which determines 2024 eligibility, rose from $27,750 for a family of four up to $30,000. To qualify for SNAP, your gross monthly income must be at or below 30% of the poverty line. The poverty line is higher for larger families and lower for smaller families, down to $14,580 for a single person in 2024.
Additionally, your net income, which is your gross income minus household expenses, can’t exceed the poverty line for your household size.
To determine your net income, subtract all allowable expenses and the standard deduction of $198 per month or more (depending on the size of your household) from your gross household income. If your income or expenses recently changed, it could affect your eligibility.
What Assets Can You Hold and Still Receive Food Stamps?
Income isn’t the only factor to qualify for SNAP benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Your assets cannot exceed $2,750 if you don’t have a person with a disability in your household or a person who is 60 or older. If you have a disabled family member or an older adult in your household, your assets can’t exceed $4,250.
Assets include resources you could use to purchase food, including money in a bank account. Typically, your personal property, retirement savings and vehicles don’t count as an asset for determining SNAP eligibility, according to the CBPP.
General Work Requirements for SNAP
Individuals between the ages of 16 and 59 who are able to work need to meet general requirements to qualify for SNAP. These requirements include:
- Registering for work
- Participating in a SNAP Employment and Training program
- Taking a suitable job offer
- Not quitting a job you hold or reducing your work hours below 30 per week
If you are taking care of a child under 6 or an incapacitated child or adult, can’t work due to physical or mental limitations or show proof that you are participating in an addiction treatment program for drugs or alcohol, your state may waive the general work requirements.
Additionally, these requirements typically don’t apply to students who attend school or training at least half-time.
Three-Month Time Limit for Adults Without Dependents
Adults without dependents face more stringent requirements to qualify for SNAP. Individuals over the age of 18 and under 52 without dependents and without any sort of physical or mental disability may only receive SNAP benefits for three months at a time every three years unless they are working or in a work training program at least 20 hours a week. Pregnant people may be exempt from this restriction.
During the pandemic, Congress suspended the work-reporting requirement, but, beginning in October 2023, individuals without dependents who are capable of working or participating in a work-training program part-time must do so to continue their benefits.
In October 2024, the work-reporting requirement extends to adults up to and including age 54. However, U.S. veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster children up to the age of 24 are exempt from these requirements.
Some states will waive the work-reporting requirement in regions with high levels of sustained unemployment, the CBPP reported. You will need to check with your state to determine if you live in such an area.
Other Qualification Requirements
In addition to requiring most able-bodied adults without children to work in order to qualify for SNAP benefits, the government disqualifies a few other categories of people, regardless of income and assets.
These categories include people:
- On strike;
- Without a documented immigration status;
- Who are lawfully present immigrants but have not been in the U.S. for five years (if they don’t meet other criteria set by the federal government).
Additional Restrictions on SNAP Benefits
In 1996, the federal government passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, a lifetime ban on SNAP benefits for anyone with a drug felony conviction after the act passed. The ban also applies to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
In recent years, some states have modified or phased out this law. The Collateral Consequences Resource Center reported that 25 states and Washington D.C. opted out of both federal bans. Four states opted out of the SNAP ban but modified the TANF ban. Fourteen states modified both bans, while six modified only the SNAP ban. The CCRC reported that only South Carolina has kept both bans intact as of December 2023.
Some of the qualifications to receive SNAP in states where the ban was only modified, not lifted, may include drug testing and/or participation in an addiction treatment program. There may also be a waiting period after the conviction.
Missouri is one state that previously modified the law and is now looking to completely lift the ban on food stamps for convicted criminals with a drug felony, the Springfield News-Leader recently reported. Missouri joins Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina in considering legislation that would fully lift the ban on SNAP benefits for those with a felony drug conviction.
“Successful reentry into society from the criminal justice system requires being able to meet basic needs such as food,” state senator Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City Democrat, told the Springfield News-Leader. “Denying access to basic needs programs makes it harder for people with convictions to get back on their feet.”
If you are not sure about your eligibility for SNAP benefits, contact your state agency. You can find contact and application information on the Web at the USDA’s SNAP State Directory of Resources website, or by reaching out to your local SNAP office.
More From GOBankingRates
