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Division/Section Family Support Chapter No./Name 4 – Economic Independence (EI) Part No./Name B – Eligibility Factors Section No./Name B-600-FITAP-SNAP Income Document No./Name B-650-SNAP Deductions Effective Date September 1, 2026

16 of 22 Shelter expenses for the unoccupied home such as rent, mortgage, property tax, insurance, etc. should be entered on LITE using expense code SUNA, “Shelter for Unoccupied Home.” If the household also incurs utility expenses for the unoccupied home, the BUA amount of $258.00 must be entered as a monthly expense using the SUNA expense code. LITE will allow multiple occurrences of the expense code SUNA, but will not allow more than one standard utility expense code (SUA, BUA, and TEL).

EXCEPTION: If the household includes a member who is elderly or disabled, allow an uncapped shelter deduction for the full monthly amount that exceeds 50% of the household's monthly income after other deductions.

Do not allow the uncapped shelter deduction for households which do not currently contain a member who is elderly or disabled (even if they receive a medical deduction for a member who is now institutionalized or deceased).

Verification of Utilities

Verification of responsibility for utility costs is required only if questionable. Document the reason the expense is questionable.

Verification of Other Shelter Costs

Verification of shelter costs must be requested at Application, Redetermination, and if a change is reported at Simplified Report or as an interim change. Client statement is not an acceptable form of verification for shelter costs.

Questionable Information of Shelter Expenses

Any shelter expense should be verified when it is questionable.

If the SUA is used, verify that a household incurs heating or cooling expenses only if the household's statement is questionable.

Refer to C-1122-5 SNAP regarding questionable information.

Some examples of questionable information include:

Example: A client claims he has $500 in income but is paying $900 in rent.

Example: A client claims he is paying $700 in rent but lives in Section 8 housing.

Example: A client claims he has had no income in the past several months but has not been evicted and the utilities have not been disconnected.