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July 1, 2026
62 Income that is normally obtained, but received on an irregular basis, is to be averaged over the period between payments.
Example 2: Felicia is a salesperson who doesn’t always receive a commission check every quarter. She did not receive a commission last quarter. Her last check was $200 and was received six (6) months ago. Divide the $200 by six (6) months and count $33.33 per month as her income until she reports receiving another commission check.
If neither the amount nor the frequency is consistent or predictable, count it only for the month in which it is received as non-recurring income.
Example 3: Rau receives a sales commission check whenever his company determines that their profits will allow them to pay out commissions. Rau has not received a commission check for nine (9) months although before that he was getting them on a quarterly basis. Rau reports that he received a $175 check this month but doesn’t know when he will receive another check. $175 is counted as income in the current month.
This section last updated 12/1/2022
Section 6.4.3 Non-Recurring Income Income that is received on a one-time basis is to be budgeted in the month that it is received. Examples of this include lottery winnings, a one-time bonus, or a lump sum payment.
This section last updated 12/1/2022
Section 6.4.4 Self-Employment Income Self-employment income for Wisconsin Shares eligibility is defined in statute as the sum of net earnings reported to the Internal Revenue Service plus depreciation expenses, personal business and entertainment expenses, personal transportation costs, purchases of capital equipment, and payments on the principal of loans. See Process Help Section 11.2 for further guidance.
Example: John has been a self-employed construction worker for several years. He generally works many hours during the summer months, and very little during the winter. He applies for Wisconsin Shares in November and provides his previous year’s taxes to verify his yearly income and expenses. His net yearly self-employment income plus disallowed self-employment expenses are divided by 12 to determine a monthly income average. Based on his monthly income, he meets financial eligibility criteria for initial eligibility. John reports on January 7 that he has not worked since December 30. This is a normal fluctuation in his business so there would be no change in the income budgeted.