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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 6000 6600 The Excess Shelter Deduction 6620 Utility Expenses 5. Shelter costs for a home temporarily unoccupied by its owners Shelter costs will be allowed for those homes that are temporarily unoccupied by the owners because of employment or training away from home, illness, or abandonment caused by a natural disaster or casualty loss. To include the costs of a home temporarily unoccupied by the owners, all four (4) of the following criteria must be met: • The household must be incurring these shelter costs. • The household must intend to return to the home. • The home must not be leased or rented during the absence of the owners. • If there are occupants currently in the home, these occupants must not be claiming the shelter costs for SNAP purposes. If a household claims expenses for a temporarily unoccupied home, the eligibility worker will verify the household’s actual utility expenses for the unoccupied home in every case and will not use the standard utility allowance. 6. Charges for Repair of Home Charges for the repair of the home which was damaged or destroyed due to a natural disaster such as, but not limited to, a fire or a flood, are deductible when such charges are billed or otherwise become due. Shelter costs will not include charges for repairing the home that have been or will be reimbursed by private or public relief agencies, insurance companies, or from any other source. 6620 Utility Expenses SNAP Manual 03/01/2026 At initial application, utility expenses will be verified to determine the type of utility allowance the household will receive. For households receiving in-kind assistance, verification of the dollar value of that assistance is required. At renewal or a reported change utility costs will be verified if the source has changed, when the household has moved, or the household becomes ineligible for the current utility allowance. The utility allowances are predetermined amounts assigned to eligible households based on the utility expenses incurred by the household. Actual utility costs are not allowable even if the expenses are higher than the standard. At application, a household will be assigned one (1) of the following based on eligibility: • Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) • Basic Utility Allowance (BUA) • Homeless Living Allowance (HLA); or • Telephone Standard NOTE: Refer to Appendix D for the value for each standard listed above as this may change annually.