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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FAMILY INVESTMENT ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) MANUAL HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION Section 100 Page 2

100.3 Required Household Combinations (continued) the same building, they cannot be separate households if they share any common living quarters (e.g. kitchen or bathroom). A. Spouses are either of two individuals who: A. Are married to each other under applicable state law; or B. Hold themselves out to the community as husband and wife by representing themselves as such to relatives, friends, or

neighbors. Example 1: Mr. A applied for SNAP benefits. When questioned about who lives with him he said Mrs. A also lives in the home. Mr. A said they had separated, but she had no place to live so he let her stay at his house. They do not purchase and prepare food together. The case manager includes Mrs. A in the household because spouses cannot be separate households. Example 2: Mr. A applied for the SNAP again. Mr. and Mrs. A are now divorced. They still live in the same house and still purchase and prepare food separately. The case manager certifies Mr. A as a one-person household. Example 3: Mr. B applied for SNAP benefits for himself. When asked if other people live in the home, he stated that his girlfriend, Ms. C, and her son live with him. He also stated that Ms. C and her son purchase and prepare food separately from him. (Note: Mr. and Ms. C are not “holding themselves out to the community as husband and wife”) The case manager certifies Mr. B as a one-person household after getting verification from Ms. C that they do not purchase and prepare food together.

Example 4: Mrs. G applied for SNAP benefits for herself and two

children. She stated that her husband was not in the home only

because he is in the Army and is stationed out of the U.S.

REVIEWED MAY 2026