Page 241

MS 5820

[1]

Volume 2 - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) MS 5820 – R. 8/31/26 – OMTL – 705 Rounding

When calculating gross or net monthly income and deductions, round the monthly amounts to the nearest dollar ($.01-.49, round down; $.50-.99, round up). Complete rounding before and after each calculation for income and deductions except for the calculation of shelter and medical expenses. Shelter and allowable medical expenses are calculated using exact dollars and cents. Round total expenses prior to determining the shelter or medical deduction.

[Note: See MS 5810 for calculation procedures for elderly or disabled members, excluded members, and self-employed members.]

Do not round cents before adding or multiplying hourly or daily earnings. Round all cents before adding or multiplying weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, quarterly, or annual earnings. This policy also applies to child support deductions and dependent care. Staff must follow rounding procedures in MS 5650 for rounding child support income.

Do not round Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (RSDI). Enter the actual net RSDI amount. If there is an overpayment of RSDI retained in order to pay back an RSDI claim, subtract the current overpayment amount from the ‘net’ amount to calculate the amount of RSDI to be counted in the case.

When calculating the allotment, round the 30 percent of net income up to the nearest whole dollar.

Example: Round cents in gross weekly earnings prior to multiplying by 4-1/3. Round the cents resulting from this multiplication before calculating the earned income deduction. Round cents from this deduction before subtracting from earned income. Because rounding could result in a significant decrease in a household's shelter or medical expenses, the individual costs are calculated using exact dollars and cents. However, round the total shelter/medical costs to determine the deductions before determining net monthly income.