Do you qualify for SNAP Food Stamps?



In order to receive SNAP Food Stamps you need to apply, you can get started with how to apply on this website. You can also go to your local SNAP office to receive assistance with your application.

Determining your eligibility for this program will depend on many factors. These include your gross income, your resources and it will depend on the number of people in your household. Your residency and citizenship status will also determine qualification.

U.S. citizens are eligible, but many legal aliens qualify for SNAP Food Stamps too. Those members of a household that are eligible to receive benefits will not be affected by any members of your household that cannot receive benefits. If you would like additional information about immigrant SNAP eligibility please see this website.

Screening for SNAP Food Stamps

Some people would like to prescreen their eligibility prior to apply for SNAP benefits. There are a few ways to do this. Please note, pre-screening is NOT an application, you must separately apply to receive benefits. The USDA provides an online pre-screening tool to help determine if you are eligible for benefits. This tool will also give an estimate of the amount of benefit you may receive. You can access the USDA pre-screening tool here.

If you need assistance in using the USDA's pre-screening tool, a tutorial is available here.

Many states vary on food stamp eligibility criteria, and the only way to determine if you qualify is to find out your state's specific eligibility criteria. Please view the following 'Just the Facts' video about qualifying for SNAP Food Stamps.



Pennsylvania Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for SNAP benefits, you'll need to meet the following criteria:

  • You need to be a U.S. citizen or a legal alien
  • You need to be a resident of the state of Pennsylvania
  • You need to meet a certain income limits: There are two different groups of potential enrollees with two different income limits. The first groups are enrollees with a current bank balance of $2,001. The second group are enrollees with a current bank balance under $3,000 who share their household with a senior citizen (age 60 and over), or with a person with disability.
  • Regardless of which category you're in, you also need to meet a certain annual income limit: If your household has only one member, your annual income needs to be less than $14,079; For a household of two, annual income needs to be less than $18,941; For a household of three, annual income needs to be less than $23,803; For each additional member or your household, you need to add amount of $4,862.
  • Finally, your household needs to meet a resource/asset limit:Asset limit for any household that doesn't have an elderly or disabled member is $5,500; Asset limit for any household that has an elderly of disabled member is $9,000. Assets include your current bank balance; cash on hand, cars and motorcycles. On the other hand, there are some assets which are non-countable: the house you live in, one car, income tax returns, retirement account, and life insurance policies.

In order to prove that you're eligible, you'll need to gather the documents which will show that you meet all of the previously listed criteria.

Eligible U.S. citizens are:

  • People who were born in the U.S
  • People who were naturalized by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)
  • People who got citizenship from parents who were naturalized U.S. citizens
  • People who were granted citizenship through any of the government programs or any other official way

You also need to show that you're a resident of the State of Pennsylvania. There's no limit on time you previously needed to spend in this state. You can apply in case you just moved to Pennsylvania and even if you don't plan on staying for a longer period of time.