(Revised 09/01/2020 ML 3587)
The following individuals residing with a household must not be considered household members when determining the households' eligibility or benefit. The non-household member must be excluded from the household while determining household size.
- Boarders including foster care individuals. When the household providing the boarder service has not requested that the individual(s) be included as a member of the household.
- Individuals who live with the household (regardless of relationship) who do not eat the majority of their meals (over 50% of three meals daily) as a part of that household.
Examples:
- Over the road truck drivers or salespersons, who have no separate residence and return home on weekends, but are out of the home during the week and eat the majority of their meals away from home.
- A child who is attending school in another community and is only home on weekends.
- Live-in attendants.Individuals who reside with a household to provide medical, housekeeping, child care, or similar personal services.
- Residents of an institution. Including those in prison, jail, work release, state hospital, developmental centers and those on approved leave that have not been discharged and residents of Burdick Job Corp.
- Roomers.Individuals to whom a household furnishes lodging, but no meals, for compensation.
- Students.Individuals enrolled in an institution of higher education that are ineligible because they fail to meet the student eligibility criteria.
- Others.Other individuals who share common living quarters with the household but do not customarily purchase and prepare meals with the household.
Example:
If the applicant household shares living quarters with another family to save rent, but does not purchase and prepare food together with that family, the members of the other family are not members of the applicants household.
Work Requirements
Work Requirements for participation do not apply to non-household members.
Treatment of Assets
The assets of non-household members are excluded while determining household eligibility and benefit level.
Exception:
Assets owned jointly by an eligible household member and a non-household member are counted in their entirety to the SNAP household.
Treatment of Income
The income of a non-household member living with a household is not considered in determining eligibility or level of benefits of the household, unless the non-household member makes the money available to the other household members.
When a non-household member makes money available (e.g. deposit to joint account) from a countable income source to other household members, it is counted as unearned income.
- The net earned income of the non-household member is the portion counted as unearned income when the non-household member is making all of their earned income available to the household.
- Cash payments from any countable income source made to the household by the non-household member are treated as unearned income to the household.
- When the earned income of a non-household member and other household members is combined into one wage, the income is determined as follows:
Treatment of Expenses
If the household shares deductible expenses with the non-household member, only the amount actually paid by or billed to the SNAP household is deducted as a household expense. If deductible expenses cannot be separated they are prorated evenly among the individuals making the payments and only the household’s pro rata share allowed.
Exception:
The appropriate utility standard must not be prorated. The household is entitled to the entire standard.
