Food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), help people with low incomes buy food. If you’re living in North Carolina and wondering how these benefits are figured out, this essay will break it down. The process isn’t super complicated, but it involves looking at your income, expenses, and household size. Let’s take a closer look at how it works.
Who’s Eligible for SNAP in North Carolina?
To get SNAP in NC, you need to meet certain requirements. The main factor is your income. There are different income limits based on the size of your household. The more people you have in your family, the more income you can have and still be eligible. Generally, you must also be a U.S. citizen or a legal non-citizen. There are also some work requirements. Able-bodied adults without dependents might need to work or participate in a work program to receive benefits, although there can be exceptions. If you are unsure if you are eligible, you can check on the DSS website.

Eligibility also considers resources, or things you own that can be converted to cash, like bank accounts. There are limits on how much money you can have in the bank and still qualify for SNAP. These resource limits can vary depending on the household.
The best way to check if you’re eligible is to apply through the NC Department of Health and Human Services. They’ll look at your specific situation and let you know if you qualify. This is a free service.
Also, there are certain groups of people that are automatically eligible if they already receive other forms of assistance.
Calculating Gross Monthly Income
The first step in figuring out your SNAP benefits is to look at your gross monthly income. This means all the money you get before taxes and other deductions. It includes things like wages from a job, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and any other regular income you receive. To find out your monthly gross income, the caseworker multiplies your weekly income by 4.33, which is a way to estimate a month.
This is the money the state uses to start calculating how much food stamps you are eligible for.
For example, if you work and earn $300 per week, your caseworker would multiply that by 4.33, and use $1299 as your gross monthly income. If you receive a social security check for $800 a month, the caseworker would add that to the gross income, resulting in $2099.
Here’s an example of what might be included in your gross monthly income:
- Wages from a job
- Self-employment income
- Social Security benefits
- Unemployment compensation
- Child support payments
- Alimony payments
- Pensions
- Disability payments
- Rental income
Deductions from Gross Income: Standard Deduction
Once the caseworker calculates your gross income, they’ll subtract certain deductions. These deductions help lower your countable income, which can increase the amount of SNAP benefits you get. The first deduction is a standard deduction, which is a fixed amount that everyone gets.
The amount of the standard deduction is determined by the size of your household. This helps to make the process more fair.
The federal government sets the standard deduction, and it changes from time to time. Check the most recent numbers from the NC Department of Health and Human Services to make sure you have the current amounts. This adjustment is made to adjust for inflation.
To figure out your countable income, the caseworker will subtract the standard deduction from your gross income. For example, if your gross income is $2,000, and the standard deduction for your household size is $200, your countable income would be $1,800.
Other Deductions: Shelter Costs
In addition to the standard deduction, there are other deductions you can take, one of which is shelter costs. Some housing costs are used to deduct from your gross income. This includes rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, and home insurance. These costs are used to determine how much food stamps you get because those are expenses that you have to pay that leave less money to spend on food.
However, there’s a limit to how much shelter costs can be used as a deduction. The caseworker will look at what the state determines as your excess shelter cost. This is the amount of your shelter costs above a certain limit. The limit changes each year. The caseworker subtracts the excess shelter cost from your gross income.
For example, if your gross income is $2,000, your shelter cost is $800 and the limit is $600, the excess shelter cost is $200. Here is an example of how excess shelter costs are calculated:
- Monthly Rent: $800
- SNAP Shelter Standard: $600
- Excess Shelter Cost: $200
In addition to the excess shelter costs, you can also deduct any utility expenses, like electricity, gas, and water. But there is only one way to do this. You can only deduct the utilities if you don’t get help paying for them.
Other Deductions: Medical Expenses
Medical expenses can also be deducted if you or someone in your household is elderly (age 60 or older) or has a disability. You can deduct medical costs above a certain amount, and this amount changes each year. This is a way to help people who have high medical bills so they can get food stamps. This makes sure that they still have money to spend on food. This helps them keep up with expenses.
Medical expenses that can be deducted include things like health insurance premiums, co-pays, prescription medications, and other medical costs. It’s important to keep records of your medical expenses, like receipts and bills. The caseworker will need to see these to verify the costs. Then the caseworker will use those costs to adjust your food stamp amount.
Let’s imagine that an elderly person has $300 in medical costs each month. If the minimum is $200, the excess medical expenses would be $100. The caseworker would subtract this amount from their gross income.
Here’s a list of medical expenses that can be deducted:
Expense | Description |
---|---|
Doctor’s visits | Costs for seeing doctors or specialists. |
Prescriptions | Costs for prescription medications. |
Health Insurance | Premiums for health insurance plans. |
Dental care | Costs for dental checkups and treatments. |
Eyeglasses | Costs for eyeglasses and eye exams. |
Calculating the Net Monthly Income and Maximum Benefit
After subtracting all the allowed deductions (standard deduction, shelter costs, medical expenses), the caseworker arrives at your net monthly income. This is your income after all the deductions have been taken out. The next step is to figure out how much SNAP benefits you can get. The amount of SNAP benefits depends on the size of your household and your net monthly income.
The state uses a table that shows the maximum monthly SNAP benefit based on your household size. They look up your household size to see the highest amount you could potentially receive.
Then, they subtract a percentage of your net monthly income from the maximum benefit amount. The federal government determines the percentage. The more money you have left after deductions, the fewer food stamps you get.
Let’s pretend your household size is 2. The maximum monthly benefit might be $500, and the caseworker determines that you have to pay 30% of your net monthly income towards your food expenses. This means the caseworker multiplies your net monthly income by 0.30. If that calculation is $100, then the caseworker will subtract that amount from the maximum benefit amount. You would get $400 worth of food stamps.
Receiving Your SNAP Benefits
Once your SNAP benefits are calculated, you’ll receive them on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. Think of it like a debit card that can only be used to buy food. You can use it at most grocery stores and some farmers’ markets.
The EBT card gets loaded with your monthly benefit amount. You can then use the card to purchase eligible food items. This includes things like fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, and dairy products.
You cannot use your EBT card to buy alcohol, tobacco, pet food, or non-food items. It is important to keep track of your EBT card balance and usage.
The card will be reloaded on the same day of the month. You will get the benefit amount each month. Remember that the amount you get each month may change.
Conclusion
Understanding how food stamps are calculated in North Carolina can seem confusing at first, but by breaking it down step-by-step, it becomes easier to grasp. The process involves looking at your income, deducting certain expenses, and determining your benefit based on your household size and income. By knowing how these benefits are figured out, you can better understand if you’re eligible and how to use the program if you qualify. This process ensures that those in need can get help to buy food.