Code of Maine Rules
10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL
Chapter 301 - SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) RULES
FS-500's
500 - INCOME AND DEDUCTIONS
Section 144-301-500-FS 555-6 - Calculating Eligibility and Monthly Benefit

Universal Citation: 10 ME Code Rules ยง 144-301-500-FS 555-6

Current through 2024-38, September 18, 2024

1. Determining Income and Applying Standards:

A. Gross Income:

The household's total countable gross income must be at or below the gross income standards (Section 999-3 Charts 2 - 4) to determine Categorical Eligibility, eligibility to be considered a separate household from an elderly individual or an individual with disabilities and/or eligibility for benefits. If the gross test is passed all other conditions must still be met.

B. Determining Net Income:

If the household may be eligible after the gross income tests, this step-by-step procedure is used to calculate the net monthly income:

(1) Add all gross earned and unearned income including legally obligated child support payments.

(2) Subtract 20% of earned income (Section 555-5) .

(3) Subtract legally obligated child support payments.

(4) Subtract the Standard Deduction (Sections 555-5 and 999-3 Chart 7).

(5) If the household contains a member who is elderly or has a disability, subtract the Excess Medical Deduction (Section 555-5) .

(6) Subtract dependent care expenses.

(7) If applicable, subtract homeless shelter deduction to determine adjusted net income (Sections 555-5 and 999-3 Chart 8).

(8) Subtract the Excess Shelter Deduction
(a) Determine total shelter costs (Section 555-5) .

(b) Subtract half the figure arrived at in 7, above, from the shelter costs to determine the shelter deduction.

(c) Subtract the shelter deduction up to the cap (Section 999-3 Chart 8) from the adjusted net income to determine the net SNAP income (NSI) (Section 555-5) .

EXCEPTION: There is no shelter cap for a household containing at least one individual who is elderly or has a disability.

If the NSI is less than $0, it is raised to $0.

C. Net Income Test:

Non-categorical households must have an NSI at or below the net income standard (Section 9993 Chart 1).

2. Determining Benefit Amounts

A. Determining a Full Month's Benefit

An eligible household's monthly benefit is determined by subtracting 30% of the NSI from the Thrifty Food Plan for that size household (Section 999-3 Chart 5) and rounding down to the nearest whole dollar.

EXCEPTION: Except for the initial month, eligible one and two member households are eligible for a minimum allotment (Section 999-3 Chart 6).

B. Determining an Initial Month's Benefit

The initial allotment is determined by the following:

(1) No minimum allotment is taken into consideration for the initial month.

(2) Migrant and seasonal farm worker households which participated in the program, in the previous month are eligible for a full month's benefit for the initial month.

(3) For all other households the allotment issued for the initial month is prorated from the date of application (Section 999-1) or the date the household takes the required action per the standards established in Section 222-6(5).
(a) The corresponding figure in the "Table of Percentages for Proration" in Section 555-7 is multiplied by the full months benefit calculated in A, above (disregarding the minimum).

(b) The product is rounded down to the nearest whole dollar.

(c) If this figure is less than ten, there is no allotment for the initial month. Otherwise, this figure is the allotment for the initial month.

(4) The Department shall not reduce an initial month's allotment to pay off a claim without the household's permission.

(5) The allotment for the initial month after an annual eligibility review and any month there was a break in participation during the certification period is only prorated if the household was at fault for the break in participation.

(6) An eligible household with a date of application after the 15th of the month is issued an initial allotment which combines the initial month's allotment and the first regular month's allotment. No further benefits will be issued until the second full month.

NOTE: If a household files an application with less than a 30 day break since their previous participation, the resulting benefits do not qualify for the combined two month allotment provision.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Maine may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.