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Circumstances when an Average is NOT Appropriate There are circumstances when averaging income is not appropriate.

If averaging is not used to prospect fluctuating income, there must be a discussion with the customer to arrive at the most accurate income figure for the employment and it must be thoroughly documented in the narrative.

Example 3: Prospecting Fluctuating Income (3 month’s income) Kevin applies for SNAP on July 14th. Kevin has ongoing employment at a grocery store and is paid weekly on Wednesdays. Kevin’s hours fluctuate from week-to-week. Kevin indicates that the past 3 months of paychecks would be most representative of his income.  4/1: $345  4/8: $275  4/15: $315  4/22: $480  4/29: $125  5/6: $210  5/13: $395  5/20: $310  5/27: $450  6/3: $275  6/10: $490  6/17: $360  6/24: $225  7/1: $450  7/8: $310  7/15: Has not received  7/22: Has not received  7/29: Has not received Total income: $5,015 Total number of checks submitted: 15 Determine average (total/number of checks): $5,015/15 = $334.33

Income for Application Month of July (ongoing employment at the time of application must be converted):  $334.33 x 4.3 = $1,437.62 Prospective Income for August and forward  $334.33 x 4.3 = $1,437.62 Example 4: John’s most recent paycheck shows a $9 hourly wage. His six prior paychecks show an $8.50 hourly wage. John states his hourly wage will remain at $9 per hour. The prior paychecks that show an $8.50 hourly wage are not representative of John’s prospective income; therefore, an average would not be appropriate. In this case, we can prospect John’s future income by using the prior hours worked multiplied by $9 per hour and using the correct conversion factor for his pay schedule.