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Non-Recurring Bonus Payments – Excluded Income/Countable Resource If the bonus is a one-time payment or the household cannot reasonably anticipate receipt of another bonus, it is treated as a non-recurring lump sum and not counted as income; however, it is counted as a resource in the month received and continues to be counted as a resource in future months if the bonus is not spent.

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D. Stable Income Policy Stable income received monthly or semi-monthly is budgeted on the pay dates the employer reports, even though there may be times the pay is received on a different date.

E. Receipt Date Questionable Do not count income in the application month if the receipt date is questionable. If an individual applies for TANF and SNAP at the same time, do not count the TANF income in the SNAP budget unless it is certain the TANF case will be approved prior to the approval of SNAP. Documentation in this situation is essential.

Example 3: Countable Bonus (Quarterly Bonus) James works for a sporting goods store. He receives a monthly wage of $1,600. He also receives a quarterly bonus in January, April, July, and October, but does not know the amount prior to receipt. James’ bonus is countable income as it is recurring and can be reasonably expected. The most recent bonus James received in October was $1,200, which he reports is not typical. Therefore, James requested that the past year of bonus payments be used to find a monthly average. James provided verification of the past 12 months of bonus income:  January: $250  April: $275  July: $250  October: $1,200  Total: $1,975 Since it is verified that James’ most recent quarterly bonus is not representative of his typical bonus, he provided the past 12 months, which will be used to determine a monthly average. The total amount of bonus income received in the past 12 months is divided by 12 (the period of time it is intended to cover) to determine a monthly amount ($1,975/12=$164.58). James’ prospected monthly income is $1,764.58 ($1,600 base + $164.58 bonus). Example: Lump Sum Bonus – Counted in Month Received Kevin works for a large manufacturing company. Kevin works 40 hours per week at a rate of $16.50 per hour. He is paid weekly ($16.50x40 = $660x4.3 = $2,838 monthly). Last year, the manufacturing company paid a one-time bonus to all employees in the amount of $10,000. Kevin does not expect to receive another bonus from the company. Kevin’s bonus is considered a lump sum payment and countable as a resource in the month received. Kevin’s bonus is non-recurring and cannot be reasonably expected in the future. If Kevin has any of the bonus left, this is considered a countable resource for as long as he maintains the resource. Example: Employer indicates normal pay dates are the 1st and 15th. If the 1st or the 15th falls on a non-work day, the pay is received on a different day. The income is prospected using the normal pay dates of the 1st/15th regardless of the day the income is actually received.