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FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES CERTIFICATION INCOME AND RESOURCES FNS 305 RULES FOR BUDGETING INCOME

4 Section 305 Change #01-2023 January 09, 2023 2. Three months: The base period for child support, spousal support and alimony is the three months prior to the month of application or redetermination. Note: Three-month average is only used if the income is received on a monthly basis, for income received more often than monthly see FNS 315 Special Budgeting Procedures for details. 3. Twelve Months: If the income is received annually or from self-employment, the base period is 12 months. B. Nonrepresentative Income: If the income received during the base period is not representative of what the client expects to receive during the certification period: 1. Explore alternative budgeting methods for projecting or averaging income. 2. Based on experience and prudent judgement, determine what budgeting method will be the most representative estimate of the income the FNS unit will receive during their certification period. 3. Clear documentation must be provided to explain why the income is considered nonrepresentative and what income and budgeting method was used to determine countable income. 305.03 ROUNDING PROCEDURES Unless otherwise noted, use standard rounding procedures to round to two decimals (cents). A. Round down when the third decimal is 4 or less. Example: $100.22 X 2.15 = $215.473 round to $215.47. B. Round up when the third decimal is 5 or more. Example: $100.66 X 4.3 = $431.419 round to $431.42. 305.04 DOCUMENTATION PROCEDURES Documentation means the type of verification and summary of the information obtained has been entered in the appropriate evidence in North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology (NC FAST). Documentation must be detailed enough that a County,