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Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program Policy Manual Chapter 7. Family Definition and Determining Income Eligibility Revised 08/01/2024

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1. Base periods Are the periods of time that are the basis for determining income eligibility. The base period establishes a set period for child care workers to create a “snapshot” of a budget unit’s income and for which income must be verified. The base period should be an accurate representation of the income the household is expected to have available during the certification period.

The following are static base periods used for representative income:

One Month: The base period for most income is the month prior to the month of application or redetermination if representative. Three Months: The base period for child support, spousal support, and alimony is three months prior to the month of application or redetermination if representative. Calculate by adding the income from the three months together and divide it by 3 to obtain a monthly average.

Twelve Months: If the income is received annually or from self-employment, the base period is 12- months. Refer to section V. SELF-EMPLOYMENT

When the child care worker is assessing a family for application or recertification, the above base periods must be discussed. Documentation requested from the recipient shall be based on the above base periods. For the majority of representative income, a 1- month base period is used.

NOTE: When child support is received a 3-month base period is used.