Can You Get Food Stamps While on Disability?

SSDI eligibility won’t automatically qualify you for food stamps, but being disabled does make it easier to qualify.

Food stamps are benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) disability payments are administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you're getting SSDI, you've met Social Security's eligibility requirements for disability benefits, including having worked and paid Social Security taxes (FICA) long enough to earn sufficient "work credits." To get SSDI benefits, you must apply directly to Social Security. (Learn more about how SSDI benefits work.)

If you're receiving SSDI and also qualify for SNAP benefits, you can receive food stamps (in the form of an "electronic benefits transfer" or EBT card). But if your income and resources are too high, you won't be eligible for SNAP benefits even if you're getting SSDI disability and don't earn too much income for SSDI.

But SNAP does have some special rules for people who are disabled that can make it easier to qualify for food stamps. Here's what you need to know about qualifying for SNAP benefits as a disabled person, including how to apply for food stamps.

• How Does a Disabled Person Qualify for SNAP?
• How Much Can a Disabled Person Get in Food Stamps?
• How to Apply for Food Stamps as a Disabled Person

How Does a Disabled Person Qualify for SNAP?

Your eligibility for food stamps is based on your income and other financial resources. As a disabled person, SNAP doesn't count all of your income—allowing you to deduct certain expenses and making it easier to qualify for food stamps. If you're receiving SSDI, the SNAP program will already consider you disabled.

Does Each State Have Their Own Income Limits for SNAP?

Even though SNAP is a federal program, applications for food stamps are handled at the state level. Each state does set some of its own eligibility rules, and the states differ in some aspects regarding the criteria for qualifying.

For example, some states don't count a primary vehicle as an asset for purposes of determining whether you have too many resources (assets) to qualify for SNAP. In all states, however, you need to meet certain income and resource limits to qualify for SNAP benefits.

Some states use the federal income limits, which we set out in the chart below, while other states use a higher income limit, allowing more people to receive food stamps.

SNAP Income Limits for Food Stamps

Normally, you must meet both the "gross" income (before taxes and other deductions) and the "net" income (after taxes and deductions) limits to qualify for food stamps. But if you're disabled and getting SSDI, you need only meet the net income limit.

Under federal law, all of your income is counted to determine if you're eligible for food stamps. SNAP counts both your earned income (like wages from a job) and unearned income (like disability benefits, including SSDI).

The chart below shows the income limits for households that apply for SNAP benefits from October 2023 through September 2024. The income limits are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.

Income Limits for SNAP Benefits Based on Household Size

Deductions: Income That SNAP Doesn't Count

If you're getting SSDI disability benefits, SNAP doesn't count all your income when determining your eligibility for food stamps. To determine your net income for SNAP purposes, you can subtract the following from your gross household income:

• 20% of your earned income
• $198 for households of one to four people (the "standard deduction")
• dependent care costs when needed for you to work, get training, or go to school
• your medical expenses over $35 for the month (if not paid by insurance or someone outside your household), including:
  • doctor bills
  • medication costs (when approved or prescribed by a doctor)
  • inpatient and outpatient hospital expenses
  • cost of nursing care
  • cost of dentures, and
  • other medically related expenses (like certain transportation costs, attendant care, and health insurance premiums).

  You can also deduct all of your housing costs that are more than half of your household's income, including the following:

  • rent or mortgage payments and interest
  • taxes on the home
  • fuel for heat and cooking
  • electricity
  • water, and
  • the basic fees for one telephone.

  If you're homeless, you're allowed a standard shelter deduction of $179.66.

  In some states, you can also deduct any court-ordered child support payments you make.

  Let's say you're disabled and live with your spouse, but have no other household members. If you're receiving $1,200 per month in SSDI benefits, and your spouse earns $1,000 per month from part-time work, your total household gross income is $2,200 per month. Let's also say your total shelter costs (rent, utilities, and phone) are $1,400 per month, and you pay $400 of your own medical expenses each month.

  To calculate your net monthly income for SNAP purposes, you'll first need to determine your monthly adjusted gross income (AGI).

  1. Subtract 20% of your household's earned income from your household's gross income: 20% of $1,000 is $200. So, $2,200 – $200 = $2,000.
  2. Subtract the standard deduction for a two-person household form that figure: $2,000 - $198 = $1,802.
  3. If you had dependent care expenses or paid child support (in a state that allows that deduction), you'd subtract those monthly amounts next. For this example, let's say you don't pay those.
  4. Subtract the portion of your medical costs that you pay after the first $35. If you pay $400 per month total in medical expenses, you'll deduct $365 ($400 – $35 = $365). And $1,802 – $365 = $1,437.

  So, your adjusted gross income at this point is $1,437 per month.

  Next, compare your shelter costs to your adjusted gross income to see if your total shelter costs are more than half your AGI. Based on this example, half your AGI would be $719.50 (since $1,437 ÷ 2 = $719.50).

  Then, subtract that amount (half your income, or $719.50) from your total shelter costs ($1,400) to determine your "excess shelter cost" like this:

  $1,400 – $719.50 = $680.50 (your "excess shelter cost").

  Finally, subtract your excess shelter cost from your adjusted gross income:

  $1,437 – $680.50 = $756.50.

  In this example, your net monthly income amount for SNAP purposes would be $756.60. Since your net monthly income of $756.60 is less than the $1,644 of net income allowed for a two-person household (see chart above), your household income would qualify for food stamps under SNAP rules.

  Resource Limits for Food Stamps

  Even if you meet the income requirements for SNAP benefits, you won't qualify for food stamps if your resources exceed the limit. Normally, households can have up to $2,750 in countable resources (like cash or money in a bank account) and still qualify for food stamps. But since you're disabled, you can qualify for SNAP benefits with up to $4,250 in countable resources.

  Typically, your home or lot doesn't count as an asset for SNAP purposes. Neither do your furniture or clothing. One car per adult (and any vehicles used by household members under 18 to get to school or work) are also not counted as resources. Some other licensed vehicles are excluded, including the following:

  • vehicles used to earn income (like taxis, trucks, and delivery vehicles)
  • a vehicle you use as your home (like a motorhome you live in full-time)
  • a vehicle needed to transport a physically disabled person
  • vehicles used to carry most of your household's fuel or water, or
  • a vehicle that's worth less than $1,500 if sold.

  Unlicensed vehicles usually count as resources. For excluded vehicles, if the fair market value is over $4,650, the excess value counts as a resource.

  For instance, let's say you own an extra vehicle, like an RV you use for camping, and you're not still making payments on it. If the RV's fair market value is $15,000, it would count as $10,350 in resources ($15,000 - $4,650 = $10,350).

  How Much Can a Disabled Person Get in Food Stamps?

  If you qualify for SNAP benefits, the amount of food stamps you'd get each month would be based on three things:

  • your income and resources
  • the size of your household, and
  • where you live.

  For instance, in the District of Columbia and 48 states (not including Alaska or Hawaii), the minimum SNAP benefit amount is $23 per month for the fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024).

  The maximum amount of food stamps you could get in FY2024 depends on the size of your household. In DC and the lower 48 states, it breaks down this way: