SNAP Household Income Limits: Counted Income, Deductions, and Assets

SNAP household income limits are set as monthly dollar amounts that scale with household size, and most applicants must clear two tests: gross monthly income at or below 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and net monthly income (after deductions) at or below 100 percent of that level.¹ For fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026), a one-person household in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. must have gross monthly income below $1,696 and net monthly income below $1,305. Every additional person raises both figures.

FY2026 Monthly Income Limits by Household Size

These are the standard federal thresholds for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands use higher figures.

1 person: $1,696 gross / $1,305 net
2 people: $2,292 gross / $1,763 net
3 people: $2,888 gross / $2,221 net
4 people: $3,483 gross / $2,680 net
5 people: $4,079 gross / $3,138 net
6 people: $4,675 gross / $3,596 net
7 people: $5,271 gross / $4,055 net
8 people: $5,867 gross / $4,513 net
Each additional person: add $596 gross and $459 net

Gross income is what comes in before any deductions. Net income is what remains after SNAP subtracts the allowable deductions described below. If your household has an income above the gross limit, deductions cannot rescue the case under standard rules. If you clear the gross test but fail the net test, you also do not qualify.

Households With an Elderly or Disabled Member

Households that include someone age 60 or older or someone with a disability skip the gross income test entirely. Only the net income limit applies.² A household with well over $2,000 in gross monthly income can still qualify if medical and shelter deductions bring net income under the limit for its size.

What Income SNAP Counts

Federal rules divide countable income into earned and unearned categories, and nearly every recurring dollar falls into one or the other.³

Earned income is wages, salaries, commissions, and self-employment profit, all measured before taxes are withheld. When hours or pay vary, the state usually averages recent earnings to project a monthly figure. Self-employed applicants document gross receipts and business costs; many states offer a simplified deduction of 40 to 50 percent of gross self-employment income in place of itemizing, though actual expenses can be used if they run higher. Depreciation is not an allowable expense for SNAP even though the IRS accepts it.

Unearned income is money that arrives without a current job behind it: Social Security, unemployment, pensions, veterans’ benefits, child support received, and regular cash contributions from friends or family. The state adds earned and unearned income together to produce gross monthly income, which is the figure compared to the gross limit.

Income SNAP Does Not Count

A number of receipts are excluded from the calculation because they either don’t repeat month to month or represent something other than food-purchasing power.⁴

Lump-sum payments such as tax refunds, retroactive Social Security payments, insurance settlements, and returned security deposits are treated as resources, not income.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments and similar federal energy assistance.
Educational aid, including grants, scholarships, fellowships, work-study earnings, and student loans with deferred repayment.
Loans of any kind, because repayment is owed.
In-kind help and vendor payments made directly to a third party on your behalf.
Earnings of household members under 18 who are still in elementary or secondary school.
Earned Income Tax Credit payments, whether received as a refund or advance.
Irregular income under $30 per quarter that cannot be reasonably anticipated.

Who Counts as Your Household

The income limit that applies to you depends on how many people are in your SNAP household, and the SNAP definition doesn’t always match your lease or your family tree. The general rule is that people who live together and share meals are one household.⁵ Two unrelated roommates who cook and eat together are one SNAP household; roommates who genuinely maintain separate food arrangements can be treated as two.

Certain relationships are grouped together regardless of shared meals. Spouses in the same home are always one SNAP household even if they buy groceries separately. Parents and their children under 22 who live in the same home are also one household, unless the adult child is elderly or disabled. An elderly or disabled person who cannot prepare meals independently may be treated as a separate household even while living with others. The state may ask for verification of separate food arrangements during the interview.

Deductions That Lower Net Income

The distance between gross and net income is set by deductions, and stacking them is often what makes a household eligible.²

Standard deduction, applied to every household. For FY2026 this is $209 per month for households of one to three people, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more.⁶
Earned income deduction of 20 percent of gross earned income, applied automatically.¹
Dependent care costs paid out of pocket for childcare or care of a disabled adult so that a household member can work, train, or attend school.
Medical expenses over $35 per month for elderly or disabled household members, including prescriptions, doctor visits, transportation to appointments, and health insurance premiums.
Excess shelter costs above half of income after other deductions, covering rent or mortgage, property taxes, utilities, and insurance. The deduction is capped at $744 per month for most households, with no cap for households that include an elderly or disabled member.⁶
Legally owed child support paid out, deductible in some states.

An example shows how these compound. A single parent with one child earning $2,400 per month, paying $900 in rent and $200 in childcare, first loses the $209 standard deduction and $480 earned income deduction (20 percent of $2,400), leaving $1,711. The $200 dependent care deduction brings it to $1,511. Half of that is roughly $756, so shelter costs above $756 are deductible up to the cap. The final net figure is what gets compared to the $1,763 net limit for a two-person household.

States That Raise the Gross Income Limit

Forty-six states use broad-based categorical eligibility, a policy that lets households qualifying for a modest state-funded service become categorically eligible for SNAP.⁷ Participating states can set gross income limits as high as 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and can raise or eliminate the asset limit. The net income test still applies. Because broad-based categorical eligibility only expands access, an applicant who does not qualify through it can still apply under the standard federal rules.

Asset Limits

Income is not the only test. Countable resources such as cash, checking, and savings must fall under $3,000 for most households and $4,500 for households with a member who is 60 or older or disabled.¹ Your home and the land it sits on are excluded. Most retirement and pension accounts are excluded, though withdrawals may count. Resources of household members receiving SSI or TANF are excluded. For non-excluded licensed vehicles, fair market value above $4,650 counts.² In most states that use broad-based categorical eligibility, the asset test has been raised or eliminated, so many applicants never face it.

A Note on College Students

Meeting the income limits is not enough for students enrolled at least half-time in higher education. They also need to fit one of several specific exemptions, such as working at least 20 hours per week, participating in federal or state work-study, caring for a young child, being a single parent enrolled full-time with a child under 12, receiving TANF, being under 18 or age 50 or older, or being placed in college through a SNAP Employment and Training program, a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program, or a Trade Adjustment Assistance program.⁸ Students who get most of their meals through a campus meal plan are ineligible regardless of income. The temporary COVID-era student exemptions expired in July 2023.

1
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
2
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Special Rules for the Elderly or Disabled
3
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
5
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.1 – Household Concept
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
7
Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE)
8
Food and Nutrition Service. Students