Food Assistance Program
How It Works
The Food Assistance Program (once referred to as Food Stamps) helps low-income households with their monthly food expenses. Food Assistance is issued through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), which means that benefits are deposited monthly into the household's EBT account. Households are issued a card and pay for their groceries at food stores by using the card, which works like a debit card, at the checkout counter. The cost of the purchased groceries is deducted electronically from the EBT account.
Who Is Eligible
To receive Food Assistance, you must meet certain requirements:
-
You must be a U.S. citizen or qualified legal immigrant.
-
You must have or apply for a Social Security number.
-
You must meet the income and reserve requirements.
Income Limits
|
Food Assistance Unit Size |
Gross Income |
Net Income |
|
1 |
$1,107 |
$851 |
|
2 |
$1,484 |
$1,141 |
|
3 |
$1,861 |
$1,431 |
|
4 |
$2,238 |
$1,721 |
|
5 |
$2,615 |
$2,011 |
each additional +377 +290
Resources
Households may have $2,000 in countable resources such as bank accounts, cash, stocks, real estate and vehicles. If at least one person is 60 or older, or disabled, the limit is $3,000.