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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 12/2014

NET INCOME LIMITS

0020

Clients must meet net income limits to be eligible for cash assistance or SNAP EXCEPT for people in 0020.03 (People Exempt From Net Income Limits). Some programs also have a gross income eligibility test. See 0019 (Gross Income Test).

The net income limit is the assistance standard for the correct unit or household size. Assistance standard tables are in:

0020.09 MFIP/DWP Assistance Standards.

0020.12 SNAP Assistance Standards.

0020.18 GA Assistance Standards.

0020.21 MSA Assistance Standards.

0020.22 GRH Assistance Standards.

For information on which table in a section to use, see 0020.06 (Choosing the Assistance Standard Table).

When clients are income eligible, see 0022 (Budgeting and Benefit Determination) to determine benefit amounts.

MFIP: Compare net income against MFIP assistance standards to determine eligibility and level of benefits.

MFIP has 2 sets of assistance standards, the Transitional Standard and the Family Wage Level. See 0020.09 (MFIP/DWP Assistance Standards), 0022.12 (How to Calc. Benefit Level - MFIP/DWP/GA).

DWP: See 0020.09 (MFIP/DWP Assistance Standards), 0022.12 (How to Calc. Benefit Level - MFIP/DWP/GA).

SNAP: Each month compare the unit's prospective total net income to its standard in 0020.12 (SNAP Assistance Standards) to determine income eligibility. See 0004.51 (Destitute Units, Eligibility and Benefits) for how to determine net income in the initial month for destitute units. If the income is greater than the standard, the unit is ineligible. See 0022 (Budgeting and Benefit Determination).

See 0020.03 (People Exempt From Net Income Limits) for the net income exceptions for Categorical Eligibility.

MSA: For clients receiving SSI, there is no net income test.

For clients not receiving SSI, determine the client's prospective total net income and compare it to the standard in 0020.21 (MSA Assistance Standards) to determine income eligibility. If the income is equal to or greater than the standard, the unit is ineligible.

If a unit will be ineligible for 1 month only, suspend rather than terminate assistance. See 0022.18 (Suspensions).

GA: A unit's total net income must be less than its assistance standard to be income eligible. Each month compare the unit's prospective income against its standard in 0020.18 (GA Assistance Standards) to determine eligibility.

GRH: A client’s total net income must be less than the assistance standard to be income eligible. Determine the client’s prospective total net income and compare it to the standard in 0020.22 (GRH Assistance Standards) to determine eligibility. If the income is