Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a)
Person considered self-employed. A person is considered
self-employed when:
(1) he or she claims
self-employed status;
(2) he or she
works as a sole proprietor or an independent contractor;
(3) he or she is in business for oneself,
including a part-time business or gig work;
(4) he or she earns self-employment income
from a partnership according to United States Internal Revenue tax
forms;
(5) there is an
employer/employee relationship and the employer does not withhold income taxes
or Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), even when required by law to do
so; or
(6) the employer withholds
taxes and the person provides proof he or she files taxes as
self-employed.
(b)
Self-employment income. Self-employment income received by
household members whose income is derived from a self-employment enterprise
owned solely or in part by the household member or when the household member
works for an employer, but is considered self-employed per (a) of this Section,
is treated per (1) through (10) of this subsection.
(1)
Capital gains. The worker
counts as income the proceeds from the sale of capital goods or equipment and
calculates it in the same manner as a capital gain for federal income tax
purposes. Even though a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of capital
goods or equipment are taxed for federal income tax purposes, the worker counts
the full amount of capital gain as income.
(2)
Profit sharing. Households
who operate S corporations, general or limited partnerships, or limited
liability companies (LLC) may receive profit sharing that is reported on the
household's personal income tax return.
(A) S
corporation profit sharing is considered unearned profit-sharing income. Refer
to Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 340: 50-7-29(b)(2) and (c)(7) for
information regarding S corporations.
(B) Partnerships are unincorporated
businesses with two or more partners. Each partner may receive a profit share
from the business. When the partner's Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), Partner's Share
of Income, includes selfemployment income, the worker considers the partner's
profit share as self-employment income.
(3)
Self-employed farm income.
To be considered a self-employed farmer, the farmer must receive or anticipate
receiving annual gross proceeds of $1,000 or more from the farming enterprise.
(A) Farming is defined as cultivating or
operating a farm for profit either as owner or tenant.
(B) A farm includes stock, dairy, poultry,
fish, fruit, truck farms, or plantations, ranches, ranges, or orchards.
(i) A fish farm is an area where fish are
grown or raised, artificially fed, protected, and cared for, and does not
include an area where they are only caught or harvested.
(ii) A plant nursery is a farm for purposes
of this definition.
(C)
Per Section 273.11(a)(2)(ii) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(7 C.F.R. §
273.11(a)(2)(ii)), when the
cost of producing self-employment farm income exceeds the income received, the
worker offsets the losses against other countable household income by:
(i) first offsetting the losses against other
self-employment income; and
(ii)
then offsetting any remaining farm self-employment losses against the total
amount of earned and unearned income received by the household after applying
the earned income deduction, per OAC
340:50-7-31(a)(2).
(D) When the household's self-employment farm
income exceeds the cost of producing the farm income and there are no losses to
offset, the worker calculates the self-employment farm income as regular
self-employment income per (b)(7) of this Section.
(4)
Monthly self-employment
income. Self-employment income received on a monthly basis that
represents a household's annual support, is normally averaged over a 12-month
period. When the averaged amount does not accurately reflect the household's
actual monthly circumstances because the household experienced a substantial
increase or decrease in business, the worker calculates the self-employment
income based on anticipated earnings.
(5)
Seasonal self-employment
income. Self-employment income intended to meet the household's needs
for only part of the year is averaged over the period of time it is intended to
cover. For example, the income of selfemployed vendors who work only in the
summer and supplement their income from other sources during the balance of the
year is averaged over the summer months rather than a 12-month
period.
(6)
Annualized
self-employment income. Self-employment income that represents a
household's annual support is annualized over a 12-month period, even when the
income is received in a shorter period of time. For example, self-employment
income crop farmers receive is averaged over a 12-month period when the income
represents the farmer's annual support.
(A)
When the household's self-employment income has been received for less than a
year, the income is averaged over the period of time received and the monthly
amount projected for the coming year.
(B) When the household's self-employment
income has been received for a short time and there is insufficient data to
make a reasonable income projection, the worker does not consider income from
this source until the benefit renewal or certification renewal month. At
benefit renewal or certification renewal, the worker averages the income over
the number of months received until a full year's information is
available.
(7)
Determining net monthly annualized self-employment income. When
the household has business expenses associated with its self-employment income,
the business expenses are deducted before determining if the household meets
the maximum gross income standards, per Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS)
Appendix C-3, Maximum Food Benefit Allotments and Standards for Income and
Deductions. When the household does not have business expenses, the gross
self-employment income is used.
(A) When the
household filed an income tax return on its self-employment income for the most
recent year, the worker uses the gross self-employment income shown on the
income tax return, subtracts 50 percent of the income for claimed business
expenses, and divides the net self-employment income by the number of months to
be averaged, per 7 C.F.R.
§
273.11(b)(3)(iv).
(B) When the household did not file an income
tax return on its self-employment income for the most recent year, the worker
uses (i) through (iii) of this subparagraph to determine the net monthly
selfemployment income.
(i) The worker computes
gross self-employment income, including capital gains, using the household's
self-employment business records or employer records, when
applicable.
(ii) When the household
declares incurred business expenses, the worker subtracts 50 percent of the
gross self-employment income as business expenses, per
7 C.F.R. §
273.11(b)(3)(iv). When the
household did not incur business expenses, a business expense deduction is not
given.
(iii) The worker then
divides the net self-employment income by the number of months to be
averaged.
(C) The worker
adds monthly net self-employment income to all other earned income the
household receives. When the household reports a loss instead of a profit on
the business, the worker does not deduct the loss from other household income.
(i) The worker adds the total monthly earned
income, less the earned income deduction per OKDHS Appendix C-3 to all other
monthly income the household receives.
(ii) The worker subtracts the standard
deduction, dependent care, and shelter costs as for any other household, per
OAC 340:50-7-31, to determine the
monthly net income of the household.
(8)
Anticipated income. When a
household who would normally have the self-employment income annualized
experiences a substantial increase or decrease in income, the worker does not
calculate self-employment income on the basis of prior earnings, such as income
tax returns. Instead, the worker calculates the self-employment income using
only the income that can reasonably be anticipated to project future earnings.
The worker uses procedures in (b)(7)(B) and (C) of this Section to determine
net monthly self-employment income.
(9)
Household with income from
boarders. A household that operates a commercial boarding house may be
considered a food benefit household and self-employed per (7) of this
subsection. A household with boarders or roomers that is not a commercial
boarding house may receive food benefits per (A) through (C) of this paragraph.
(A) The worker excludes a person paying a
reasonable amount for room and board from the household and counts payments
from the boarder as self-employment income when determining the household's
eligibility and benefit level.
(i) The income
from a boarder includes all direct payments to the household for room and
meals, including contributions to the household for part of the household
shelter expense.
(ii) The worker
does not count expenses a boarder pays directly to someone outside the
household as income to the household.
(B) The worker excludes 50 percent of the
boarder payment as the cost of doing business.
(C) The worker includes the net income from
self-employment with other earned income minus the earned income deduction.
(i) The worker computes the shelter cost the
household incurs, even when the boarder contributes part of the shelter
expense, to determine if the household qualifies for a shelter
deduction.
(ii) The shelter and
utility cost does not include any expense billed to and directly paid by the
boarder to a third party.
(10)
Rental income. The worker
considers income received from rental property as self-employment income.
(A) The worker treats rental income as earned
income when a member of the household actively manages the property an average
of at least 20 hours per week.
(B)
When a household member does not actively manage the property at least 20 hours
each week, the worker considers the income as unearned. The person is eligible
for business expenses per (7) of this subsection.
Amended at 9 Ok Reg
3843, eff 8-24-92 (emergency); Amended at 10 Ok Reg 1821, eff 5-13-93; Amended
at 17 Ok Reg 473, eff 10-12-99 (preemptive); Amended at 19 Ok Reg 1767, eff
6-14-02; Amended at 23 Ok Reg 1896, eff 7-1-06; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 2187, eff
7-1-07; Amended at 25 Ok Reg 937, eff 6-1-08; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 840, eff
6-1-09; Amended at 27 Ok Reg 1241, eff 6-1-10; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 850, eff
6-1-11; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 794, eff 7-1-12