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Financial Eligibility

Produced by Patricia Baker and Victoria Negus
Reviewed January 2020

You must meet the SNAP income tests to get SNAP benefits. There is no asset test for most Massachusetts households. See Can someone else help me apply for SNAP?7.
There are three basic steps in the SNAP math:

Your countable gross income must be under the financial limit for your household size.
Your countable net income is determined after allowing certain deductions for shelter, dependent care and some other expenses.
Your monthly SNAP benefit is calculated by subtracting 30% of your countable net income from the maximum SNAP benefit for your household size.

The financial eligibility rules are confusing. Part 3 walks you through the financial rules step-by-step.

Financial Calculation Tools:

Check out our on-line and mobile-friendly SNAP calculator at Masslegalservices.org/SNAPCalculator. An Excel spreadsheet calculator is also available at that link for quick calculations.
For a simple one-page SNAP Worksheet, go to Appendix A.