(ProsperNews.net) – The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Food Stamps, is a federal food assistance program that benefits low-income families and individuals. Low-income households receive funds from this program through Electronic Benefits Transfer cards to purchase food. The amount that these families receive depends on the net income earned. Therefore, households with low or net income get the maximum benefits.
You can use different ways to maximize your SNAP benefit, regardless of your household’s net income. Here’s a detailed look at some of the strategies you can adopt.
Claim Your Deductions
SNAP determines its beneficiary net income by subtracting deductions from the gross income. Therefore, the more deductions you have, the lower your net income. SNAP usually applies a standard deduction as payment for necessary expenses, such as toiletries. However, you can claim other deductions to maximize your SNAP benefit. Here’s a breakdown of other deductions you can claim:
Earning Deductions
Earning deductions are usually 20% of your gross income and include work-related costs such as fuel and the cost of purchasing office supplies. Claiming these deductions will lower your income and boost your SNAP benefit.
Medical Cost
You need to report any medical cost for anyone above 60 years old or someone who receives disability-based benefits. This includes out-of-pocket costs over $35 to $190 per month. Charges that are reimbursed by the insurance don’t count as deductibles. It would be best to share how often you pay for this cost, which can be a one-time payment, weekly, monthly, or annually.
Child and Adult Care Cost
If a member of a SNAP household is paying a babysitter due to work, seeking work, or attending school, they’re eligible for a deduction from their gross income for the cost incurred. Non-custodial parents paying child support payments to cover the basic living expenses for their children can also include these costs in their deductible. This also applies to a household with a member incurring costs to cater for disabled adult care. Consequently, this will reduce the net income and increase the allocated SNAP benefit.
Housing Cost
SNAP also determines the total allocation amount based on the deduction made to cater for mortgage or rent costs. Therefore, you must inform them when the rent and mortgage costs have increased and include them in your deductibles. You can use a letter from your landlord, mortgage statements, condo fees, and rent receipts as evidence of increased mortgage or rent payments.
Homeless Shelter Deductions
Wyoming, Ohio, and Kansas allow homeless people to receive SNAP benefits. They have to include a homeless deduction when calculating their net income. However, these states have set a fixed $143 fixed deduction that you can subtract from the net income and increase the total payable SNAP benefits.
Report Any Income Reduction
Since SNAP benefits are awarded based on income, an income reduction makes you eligible for additional benefits. Therefore, if you experience any income reduction due to loss of employment or salary cuts, you must inform SNAP to increase your benefits.
Clarify Your Household Information
SNAP considers people living, buying, and sharing food as household members. Therefore, it’s crucial to state your roommates or any assistant that comes daily to help care for a disabled household member rather than considering them as members of your household. This will exempt them from the gross income, reducing your household’s net income and increasing your total SNAP benefit.
Maximize Your SNAP Benefits with Ease
Everything we’ve discussed above requires you to reevaluate your SNAP application to add or send information to boost your benefits. It’s crucial to contact local SNAP offices if you’ve not provided proper evidence to prove your deductibles, income reduction information, and household changes. These factors will help SNAP recalculate your income and increase the benefits you receive.
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