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Title 7: SNAP Page 2 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter F: Budgeting Anticipating Income Revised February 13, 2026 Income in the Month Received Income in the Month Received Legal reference: 7 CFR 273.10(c)(2) and 273.11(a); 441 IAC 65.9(234) Policy: Only count income for a month when you can reasonably anticipate that it will be received. Procedure: When there are one-time variations in the normal receipt date, count the payment for the month for which it is intended. Examples:  Mailing cycles for monthly payments like Family Investment Program (FIP) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance (RSDI) payments can occasionally cause households to receive two checks in a month.  An employer may issue checks early when the normal payday falls on a weekend or holiday.

A household has a member who is in the military. They chose to receive the military pay on the first of each month. The worker knows they will receive two checks in December because a holiday falls on January 1. The check that will be issued at the end of December is considered as received on January 1. If the employee asks the employer to hold back wages, you must count the wages as income in the month in which the wages would normally be received. If an employer holds wages without the consent of the employee, do not count the wages as income unless the household anticipates that it will:  ask for and receive a wage advance; or  receive wages previously held by the employer and the wages have not previously been counted as income. Count wage advances only when you can reasonably expect them to be received. Comment: Never count income as a resource for the same month that you used it to calculate SNAP benefits. For determining countable resources, see 7-D, What Resources to Count. Income in the Application Month Legal reference: 273.10(c)(1)(i), and (ii) Policy: Use the household’s income for the entire calendar month in which the application was filed to determine their eligibility and benefits for the month of application.