Food stamp eligibility is complicated, and the rules change often. This page is a good starting point, but the best way to find out if you’re eligible for food stamps is to apply for them.
If you have a question that we haven’t answered here, let us know.
To figure out if you qualify for food stamps, Texas needs to know your:
- Household size: How many people you live and buy/make food with.
- Income: How much money your household makes. Earned income is the money you make from jobs. Unearned income includes cash assistance, Social Security, unemployment insurance, and child support.
- Assets: How much you have in the bank, not including retirement savings or the most recent tax returns. Some states also include real estate, trusts, investments, and vehicles as assets.
Anyone you live and buy/make food with counts a member of your household.
You may live with people who don’t count as household members, like tenants who are renting a room, or adult children (22+) who buy/make their own food.
Children (under 22) always count as household members, even if they buy/make their own food.
Elderly (60+) and disabled people count as household members if you buy/make food for them, or you buy/make food together. If they live with you but buy/make food separately, they do not count as household members.
The best way to determine whether you’re eligible is to start the application process.
Texas’s asset limit is $5,000. This doesn’t include your home but does include additional homes. This doesn’t include one household vehicle up to a $15,000 value, or a second vehicle up to a $4,650 value.
Yes, as long as you aren’t leaving a job or reducing your hours specifically so that you’ll qualify.
If you’re elderly (60+), disabled, live with a child under 18, or pregnant, you don’t have to have a job to get food stamps.
If you’re 18 - 49 years old and don’t have children or disabilities, you are what the government calls an ABAWD (an Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents).
Many unemployed ABAWDs can only get food stamps for 3 months every 3 years unless they work or train for at least 80 hours/month.
Parts of Texas do not have these ABAWD requirements at the moment.
Call your local office (scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Find an Office”) or the Texas SNAP hotline to find out about your county: 1-877-541-7905. Visit your local office or call the Texas SNAP hotline to learn more: 1-877-541-7905.
Yes. If you’re eligible for food stamps, Texas won’t disqualify you because of a drug felony.
If you violate your parole, Texas could disqualify you for 2 years. Or, if you commit another drug-related crime, Texas could ban you for life.
Non-citizens who have qualified alien immigration status are eligible for food stamps.
Qualified aliens include refugees, victims of trafficking, Cuban and Haitian immigrants, Iraqi and Afghan immigrants with special status, and more.
Yes. You do not need a mailing address or housing to apply for food stamps. If you’re currently living in a shelter that gives you free meals, you can still apply for food stamps.
Once your child is born, your household size will increase. More household members = more benefits.
While you are pregnant, you can’t get more food stamps, but you can apply for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits.
WIC provides food and resources for pregnant women, new parents, and children up to 5 years old.
Check out this benefit finder tool and find out.