Getting SNAP Benefits

The Benefit Amount

If you qualify for benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) calculates how much you get in benefits each month by looking at the maximum benefit for a household of your size, your household’s net income, and other factors. Read Who Can Get SNAP to understand how SNAP looks at your household, and who is included.

If your household has no monthly net income, SNAP may give you the maximum benefit amount for a household of your size.

Try this tool to see the maximum amount of monthly SNAP a household of your size could get:</translate

SNAP Income and Benefits Guidelines

Number of people in your household:	12345678
SNAP guidelines for your household:
	$15,650
	$5,500
	$298
	$546
	$785
	$994
	$1,183
	$1,421
	$1,571
	$1,789
Gross income limit per month (160% FPG)
Net income limit per month (100% FPG)
Maximum monthly benefit

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If you do have net income, SNAP expects you to spend 30% of it on food. This means that for every $100 in net income, SNAP expects you to spend $30 on food.

For your monthly benefit, SNAP gives you the maximum monthly benefit for your size of household minus the amount that they expect you to spend on food (30% of your net income).

Formula for Monthly Benefit Amount:

Maximum amount from the guidelines

Minus your net income x 0.3

= Your SNAP benefit amount

Tim lives alone and gets income from Social Security benefits and work. His net income is $500. After he deducts his medical expenses and shelter allowance, his benefits amount is calculated like this:

Tim's SNAP benefit calculation:

Maximum benefit amount from the guidelines	$298
Earned income	500.00
Minus (0.3 x $500)	-
Tim's Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) food benefit

Getting Your Benefits

When you get SNAP, you get an Iowa Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which is a plastic card that looks and works like a debit card. Iowa puts money on the EBT card each month and you use the card to pay for food. Learn more about how to use your SNAP benefits on your EBT Card.

Reporting Changes

To avoid problems with your SNAP benefits you must notify them if:

• Your household's total gross income goes over the limit for your household size
• An able-bodied adult without dependents stops working 80 hours a month, or
• Anyone in the household gets lottery or gambling winnings of $4,500 or more.

Any of these changes must be reported by the tenth day of the month after the change happens. You can report changes by calling 1-877-347-5678 or email IMCSC@dhs.state.ia.us.