What is financial eligibility?

You must meet the SNAP income tests to get SNAP benefits. There is no asset test for most Massachusetts households. See Is there a gross income test for SNAP?

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. This walks you through the financial rules step-by-step

Financial Calculation Tools:

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