Michigan DHS Income Eligibility Chart for Food Stamps

To qualify for food stamps in Michigan, your household’s gross monthly income generally has to stay at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. For a single person that ceiling is about $2,610 a month before taxes for the federal fiscal year running October 2025 through September 2026. The limit climbs with each additional person in the household, and several deductions can bring your countable income under the cutoff even when your paycheck sits above it.

Gross Income Limits by Household Size

Michigan uses broad-based categorical eligibility, which raises the gross income cutoff from the standard federal SNAP threshold of 130% of the poverty level up to 200%.¹ That higher ceiling means many households denied in stricter states can qualify here. The figures below apply from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026:²

1 person: $2,610 per month
2 people: $3,526 per month
3 people: $4,442 per month
4 people: $5,360 per month
5 people: $6,276 per month
6 people: $7,192 per month
7 people: $8,110 per month
8 people: $9,026 per month
Each additional person: add roughly $916 per month

Gross income covers everything your household receives before taxes or withholdings: wages, Social Security payments, child support, unemployment compensation, and most other recurring cash. The federal government adjusts these thresholds every October 1 based on cost-of-living changes.³

Net Income Limits

The gross test is only the first gate. For most households, Michigan also checks net income after allowable deductions. That number has to fall at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. For FY2026 the net limits are:²

1 person: $1,305 per month
2 people: $1,763 per month
3 people: $2,221 per month
4 people: $2,680 per month
5 people: $3,138 per month
6 people: $3,596 per month
7 people: $4,055 per month
8 people: $4,513 per month
Each additional person: add $459 per month

Two exceptions change which test applies. Households where every member receives Supplemental Security Income or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are categorically eligible and do not have to meet either income test.⁴ Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability only have to meet the net income limit, not the gross one. That matters for higher-earning families with significant medical costs, who can still qualify on net income alone.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

The distance between your gross income and your net income is where deductions do their work. Even paychecks close to the 200% ceiling can drop below the net limit once the right subtractions come off the top.

Standard and Earned Income Deductions

Every household gets a standard deduction that scales with size: $209 per month for one to three people, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more.⁵ On top of that, 20% of all earned income (wages, salary, self-employment) is automatically excluded. A three-person household earning $3,000 a month in wages subtracts $209 plus $600, dropping countable income to $2,191 before any other deductions.

Shelter and Utility Costs

If your housing expenses run above half your income after other deductions, the excess counts as a shelter deduction. Qualifying costs include rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and utilities. For households without an elderly or disabled member, the shelter deduction is capped at $744 per month in FY2026.⁵ Households with an elderly or disabled member have no cap and can deduct the full excess. Recent federal legislation removed internet service fees from the list of deductible utility costs.

Medical Expenses for Elderly or Disabled Members

Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability can deduct out-of-pocket medical costs over $35 per month.⁶ Prescription and over-the-counter medications, dental care, health insurance premiums, Medicare premiums, co-pays, hearing aids, dentures, prosthetics, and reasonable transportation to medical appointments all count. Only expenses not reimbursed by insurance qualify. It’s a commonly overlooked deduction that can make a real difference on a fixed income.

Who Counts as Your Household

Reading the income chart correctly depends on who Michigan groups with you on a single case. The state follows a purchase-and-prepare rule: people living under the same roof who buy groceries and cook together count as one household. Roommates who keep completely separate food budgets can apply as separate households.

Some family relationships override that flexibility. Spouses living together are always one household. Parents and their children under 22 are grouped together even if the children buy their own food.⁷ The right household size matters because it decides which row of the chart applies. A parent and a 21-year-old child each earning $1,800 a month are evaluated as one two-person household with $3,600 in gross income, not as two individuals each well under the one-person limit.

Assets and Savings

Michigan eliminated the Food Assistance asset limit for most households in March 2024. Before that date, every household faced a $15,000 cap on countable resources. Now, for the vast majority of applicants, savings accounts, investments, and cash on hand do not affect eligibility.

One narrow exception remains. If your household income exceeds 200% of the federal poverty level and you only qualify because a member is elderly, disabled, or a disabled veteran, a $4,500 asset limit applies. Countable assets in that situation include cash, bank balances, and certain investments. Your primary home, most vehicles, and retirement accounts are still excluded.⁷

Work Requirements Apply Separately

Meeting the income limit is not the only condition. All non-exempt adults aged 16 through 59 have to register for work, accept suitable job offers, and not voluntarily quit a job without good cause.

A stricter rule applies to a narrower group. Adults between 18 and 54 who are able to work and have no dependents can receive food assistance for only three months within any three-year period unless they work or participate in a qualifying work program for at least 80 hours per month.⁸ The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 expanded these rules. The upper age for the time-limited group is rising from 54 to 64, and previous exemptions for veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth have been removed. States also face tighter restrictions on obtaining waivers for areas with high unemployment. USDA is still issuing guidance, so specifics may continue to shift as implementation progresses.

You are exempt from work requirements if you are under 16 or over 59, physically or mentally unable to work, pregnant, caring for a child under 6, enrolled at least half-time in school or a training program, or already participating in a substance abuse treatment program. Households where someone receives unemployment benefits are also generally exempt during the benefit period.

What Qualifying Actually Pays

Falling under the income limit is not the same as receiving the maximum benefit. Michigan calculates your monthly allotment by taking 30% of your net income (the share you’re expected to spend on food yourself) and subtracting it from the maximum allotment for your household size. The FY2026 maximums are:⁵

1 person: $298
2 people: $546
3 people: $785
4 people: $994
5 people: $1,183
6 people: $1,421
7 people: $1,571
8 people: $1,789
Each additional person: add $218

A three-person household with $500 in net monthly income would have 30% of that ($150) subtracted from the $785 maximum, leaving a monthly benefit of $635. Households with zero net income receive the full maximum allotment.

1
Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
2
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Income Eligibility Standards
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
4
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Maximum Allotments and Deductions
6
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Medical Expenses Handbook
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements