SNAP Eligibility

Individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or households including anyone who receives Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP), Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP), or Strategies to Empower People (STEP) Program benefits are exempt from the resource limit. Households not exempt from the resource limit may have up to $2750 in resources, such as a bank account, cash, certificate of deposit (CDs), stocks, and bonds. Non-exempt households that include at least one household member who is age 60 or older or includes a disabled member may have up to $4250 in resources.

Households are not exempt from the resource limit if:

• Any member is disqualified for Intentional Program Violation, or
• The household is disqualified for failing to comply with work registration requirements.

The following individuals are not exempt from the resource limit:

• An ineligible alien,
• An ineligible student,
• An individual who is disqualified for failure to comply with work registration requirements,
• An individual who is disqualified for failure to provide or apply for a social security number, and
• An individual who is on strike.

Households must meet income tests (unless all members are receiving FITAP, KCSP, or STEP benefits, or SSI).

Most households must meet both the gross and net income tests, but a household with a person who is 60 years old or older or a person who is receiving certain types of disability payments only has to meet the net income test.

Gross income means a household's total, non-excluded income, before any deductions have been made. Net income means gross income minus allowable deductions. Households, except those noted, that have income over the amounts listed below cannot get SNAP benefits.

The amount of SNAP a household receives depends on the number of people in the SNAP household and the amount of their net income. The table below shows the maximum SNAP allotments by household size.

Other Eligibility Requirements

• Identity - Individuals must show proof they are the person they claim to be. Applicants must provide proof of their identity.
• Residence - the client must be living in Louisiana.
• Citizenship - household members can include either US citizens and/or certain aliens with verifiable USCIS documentation.
• Enumeration - households must provide or apply for Social Security numbers for each member before certification.
• Work Registration - all able-bodied adults, with specific exceptions, must register for work and accept suitable employment

Visit the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program online and view the federal requirements for food assistance in several languages.