Only the following shall be considered as shelter expenses:

(ii) Property taxes (State and local assessments), insurance on the structure itself; the cost of fuel and electricity for heating, cooling, cooking and domestic hot water, water, sewage, garbage and trash collection; the basic fee for one telephone including the tax on the basic fee, and fees charged by the utility provider for initial installation of the utility. One-time deposits shall not be considered as shelter expenses.

(iii) Costs for the home if temporarily not occupied by the household because of employment or training away from the home, illness or abandonment caused by a natural disaster or casualty loss. The members of the household must intend to return to the home. The current occupant, if any, is not permitted to claim the shelter expenses for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purposes and the home must not be leased or rented during the absence of the household.

(a) The standard allowance for heating/cooling consists of the costs for heating and/or cooling the residence, electricity not used to heat or cool the residence, cooking fuel, sewage, trash collection, water fees, fuel for heating hot water and basic service for one telephone. The standard allowance for heating/cooling is available to households which incur heating and/or cooling costs separate and apart from rent and are billed separately from rent or mortgage on a regular basis for heating and/or cooling their residence, or to households with an elderly or disabled member entitled to a Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) payment or other Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act (LIHEAA) payment. A household living in public housing or other rental housing which has central utility meters and which charges the household for excess heating or cooling costs only is not entitled to the standard allowance for heating/cooling unless they are entitled to a HEAP or LIHEAA payment. Such a household may claim actual costs which are paid separately. Households which do not qualify for the standard allowance for heating/cooling may be allowed to use the standard allowance for utilities or the standard allowance for telephone. As of October 1, 2025, but subject to subsequent adjustments as required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the standard allowance for heating/cooling for SNAP applicant and recipient households residing in New York City is $1,062; for households residing in either Suffolk or Nassau Counties, it is $988; and for households residing in any other county of New York State, it is $877.

(b) The standard allowance for utilities consists of the costs for electricity not used to heat or cool the residence, cooking fuel, sewage, trash collection, water fees, fuel for heating hot water and basic service for one telephone. It is available to households billed separately from rent or mortgage for one or more of these utilities other than telephone. The standard allowance for utilities is available to households which do not qualify for the standard allowance for heating/cooling. Households which do not qualify for the standard allowance for utilities may be allowed to use the standard allowance for telephone. As of October 1, 2025, but subject to subsequent adjustments as required by the USDA, the standard allowance for utilities for SNAP applicant and recipient households residing in New York City is $419; for households residing in either Suffolk or Nassau Counties, it is $388; and for households residing in any other county of New York State, it is $355.

(c) The standard allowance for telephone consists of the cost for basic service for one telephone. The standard allowance for telephone is available to households which do not qualify for the standard allowance for heating/cooling or the standard allowance for utilities. As of October 1, 2025, but subject to subsequent adjustments as required by the USDA, the standard allowance for telephone for all SNAP applicant and recipient households residing in New York State is $32.

(vi) Shelter costs for homeless households. Each household in which all members are homeless (homeless household) and not receiving free shelter throughout the calendar month and which incurs or reasonably expects to incur shelter costs during a month are eligible for a standard shelter allowance as a shelter expense. A homeless household may, however, claim actual verified shelter costs as a shelter expense if the actual costs are greater than the standard shelter allowance. A homeless household which incurs no shelter costs during the month is not eligible for a standard shelter allowance.