Household Composition - SNAP

A SNAP household is defined as:

• a person who lives alone
• a person who lives with others but purchases food and prepares meals separately; or
• a group of people living together who purchase food and prepare meals together

Note: In BEACON, a household includes everyone who lives in the home.  The BEACON terminology for those who receive benefits together is Assistance Unit.  

The following people or groups must be considered to be purchasing food and preparing meals together even if they do not do so, unless an exception applies (see 106 CMR 361.200 for complete information):

• Spouse: Spouses who live together cannot be granted separate SNAP household status.  A spouse is defined as: two people who are legally married or live together and present themselves to the community as husband and wife.

  • Note: For couples in a same-sex marriage, spouses must be included in one SNAP household.

• Parental Control Rule: Children under 18 (with the exception of foster children) living with an adult household member who is not the child’s parent but has parental control (provides financial support and/or supervision) must be in the same SNAP household.
• Parent/Child Rule: Children under the age of 22 who live with their natural, adoptive or stepparent must be included in the same SNAP household.

The following people or groups must be considered to be purchasing food and preparing meals separately, even if they do not do so, unless an exception applies:

• a person, with or without children, living in a drug or alcohol treatment center
• a blind or disabled resident of a group living arrangement who applies through the use of the facility’s authorized representative
• a woman, with or without children, living in a shelter for battered women, (if she has a child, she and her child are one household); and
• a person who is both elderly (age 60 or over) and disabled living with others who purchase food and prepare meals for the person, if certain conditions are met (for more on household composition rules for Elderly and Disabled, see Separate Household Status – Elderly and/or Disabled)
• a person who is considered too disabled to purchase his/her own food, but has arranged to have food purchased and prepared separately on their behalf, if certain conditions are met (for more on household composition rules severely disabled, see Separate Household Status – Elderly and/or Disabled)

Special Situation

Families that include foster care children or foster care adults may choose either to include the foster care children or foster care adults in the SNAP household or to exclude them.

If the family chooses to include the foster care children or foster care adults, any foster care payments received by the household are countable in the SNAP eligibility determination; if the family chooses to exclude the foster care children or foster care adults, any foster care payments are not countable in the SNAP eligibility determination.

Foster care children and foster care adults are ineligible to participate in the SNAP program as a separate SNAP household from the foster care household.

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Ineligible Clients

• residents of commercial boarding houses
• residents of institutions that provide more than 50% of meals as part of their regular services (see 106 CMR 361.240 for exceptions to this rule)
• college students on meal plans (if the plan provides more than 50% of meals, the student is not eligible)
• strikers

  • Note: In very limited situations, strikers are eligible. (See: 106 CMR 361.240)

• boarders who are not residents of commercial boarding houses.  See 106 CMR 361.240 for specific requirements