Getting cut off from food stamps usually comes down to failing one of several SNAP tests at once: income above the limit, resources above the cap, a missed reporting or recertification deadline, a work-requirement clock running out, a change in who lives in your household, or a program violation. The notice you received should say which one. In most cases you have 10 days from that notice to request a hearing and keep your benefits flowing while you appeal.
Income Went Over the Limit
SNAP applies two income tests. Gross income (everything before taxes and deductions) generally cannot exceed 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level for your household size. Net income, after allowable deductions for shelter, dependent care, and the standard deduction, cannot exceed 100 percent of poverty.1eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
For fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026), the monthly gross income limits are:
- 1 person: $1,696
- 2 people: $2,292
- 3 people: $2,888
- 4 people: $3,483
- 5 people: $4,079
- 6 people: $4,675
- Each additional person: add $596
The net income limit for a three-person household is $2,221 per month.2USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility Deductions can save a case that looks over on gross. A household earning $2,888 gross may still qualify once high rent and childcare come out of the calculation. Households where every member is elderly or disabled skip the gross test entirely and only face the net limit.1eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
Here’s the wrinkle that catches people. Forty-six states use broad-based categorical eligibility, which raises the gross income ceiling — sometimes as high as 200 percent of poverty, or roughly $4,442 per month for three people.3USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) States land at 130, 165, 185, or 200 percent depending on their rules. If you were told you were over income, check the actual limit your state uses before assuming the case is closed. Call your local SNAP office and ask.
Assets Crossed the Resource Cap
SNAP also looks at what you own. For fiscal year 2026, countable resources cannot exceed $3,000 for most households, or $4,500 if the household includes someone 60 or older or someone with a disability.2USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
Countable resources include cash, bank balances, savings certificates, and stocks or bonds. Non-liquid property like a second vehicle or recreational land can also count unless excluded.4eCFR. 7 CFR 273.8 – Resource Eligibility Standards Vehicle rules vary: some states exclude all vehicles, others count value above a threshold. In states using broad-based categorical eligibility, the asset test is often waived entirely, meaning savings above $3,000 don’t disqualify you. If your state does apply the test and you crossed it, benefits stop even when income is fine.
A Household Change Pushed You Over
Eligibility depends on who lives with you and shares meals. When someone moves out, your income ceiling drops to the smaller size. A family of four sitting just under the $3,483 gross limit becomes a household of three at $2,888 — and if income didn’t fall along with the household, they’re now over.
The math also runs the other way. Adding a household member raises the ceiling, but the change has to be reported before benefits will adjust. Elderly or disabled people who live with others but buy and prepare food separately can sometimes qualify as a one-person household with their own calculation.
A Deadline Was Missed
Procedural cutoffs happen as often as income-based ones. Three deadlines matter.
Change Reporting
You must report major changes — a new job, a job loss, a change in income, a new address — within 10 days of learning of the change.5eCFR. 7 CFR 273.12 – Reporting Requirements Some states use simplified reporting, where you only report once income crosses a set threshold, but the 10-day rule kicks in as soon as a reportable event happens. Missing it can end benefits and generate an overpayment claim.
Mid-Certification Review
Many states mail a periodic report or mid-certification form partway through your certification period. Return it by the printed deadline even if nothing has changed. If it doesn’t come back, benefits stop.
Recertification
Every case has a certification period, usually 6 or 12 months. Benefits cannot continue past that period without a fresh application and an interview by phone or in person.6eCFR. 7 CFR 273.14 – Recertification Miss the paperwork deadline or the interview and benefits lapse. There’s no automatic grace period, and a longer gap may mean starting the application over from scratch.
The Work-Requirement Clock Ran Out
Adults aged 18 to 54 with no dependents and no disability face the strictest rules. These able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) can receive SNAP for only three months in any three-year period unless they work or take part in an approved training program for at least 80 hours a month.7eCFR. 7 CFR 273.24 – Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults The clock runs whether you’re tracking it or not. When it expires, benefits stop.
Several groups are exempt from the ABAWD time limit: anyone unable to work because of a physical or mental condition, pregnant individuals, anyone with someone under 18 in their SNAP household, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth aged 24 or younger who were in foster care on their 18th birthday.8USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements Volunteer hours and vocational training can count toward the 80-hour requirement, but only when your local agency has approved the program. Confirm in writing before relying on those hours.
You Enrolled in School
College students are one of the most common groups blindsided by a cutoff. If you’re enrolled at least half-time in a college, university, or trade school, you’re generally ineligible unless you meet an exemption.9eCFR. 7 CFR 273.5 – Students Students who get most of their meals through an institutional meal plan are ineligible either way.
Exemptions that let an enrolled student qualify include working at least 20 hours per week, taking part in federal or state work-study during the term, being under 18 or 50 and older, receiving TANF, having a condition that prevents working, caring for a young child, or being enrolled through an approved employment and training program such as SNAP E&T or a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program.9eCFR. 7 CFR 273.5 – Students Students enrolled less than half-time aren’t subject to any of these restrictions, though the standard income and asset tests still apply.
A Violation Triggered Disqualification
Intentional program violations bring escalating disqualification periods: 12 months for a first violation, 24 months for a second, and a permanent ban for a third. Specific offenses carry harsher penalties from the start. Using benefits to buy controlled substances brings a 24-month ban on the first offense and a permanent ban on the second. Trafficking benefits for firearms or explosives, or trafficking $500 or more in benefits at once, means a permanent ban on the first offense. Using a false identity to collect benefits in multiple locations brings a 10-year disqualification.10eCFR. 7 CFR 273.16 – Disqualification for Intentional Program Violation
These bans apply only to the individual, not the whole household. Other members can still receive benefits, though the household allotment shrinks to reflect the disqualification. People with outstanding felony warrants, or who are violating probation or parole conditions, are also ineligible while law enforcement is actively seeking them.
How to Appeal and Keep Benefits Running
Before an agency reduces or terminates your benefits mid-certification, it has to send you a written notice of adverse action at least 10 days before the change takes effect.11eCFR. 7 CFR 273.13 – Notice of Adverse Action That 10-day window is what matters. Request a fair hearing before it closes, and if your certification period hasn’t ended, your benefits continue at the previous level while the appeal is pending. The agency assumes you want continued benefits unless you specifically waive them.12eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings If you lose the appeal, you’ll likely owe back what you received in the meantime.
Requesting a hearing can be as simple as a phone call or a written statement to the agency saying you want to appeal. You can challenge any action taken within the prior 90 days, and you can also contest your current benefit level at any time during your certification period. The state must hold the hearing and issue a decision within 60 days of your request.12eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings You can represent yourself, bring a friend or family member, or have a lawyer speak for you. Many areas have free legal aid organizations that handle SNAP appeals, and your adverse action notice should tell you whether one covers your county.