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Terminated Income
Terminated income is income received from a source that has ended or is ending. It can be either from an earned (i.e. wages) or unearned (i.e. unemployment) source. It is very important that terminated income and other income sources are explored, especially during the application or recertification interview.
Furthermore, if the terminated income is related to a job that has ended there are additional considerations that must be explored. For more information see Job Ended.
Terminated Income at Application
At application, a household’s eligibility is established based on the household’s circumstances for that initial month of application and then also for the remainder of the certification period. When a client states an income source has ended, you must explore with the client if there is any income from the terminated source received within that initial month of application. The month of application is based on the application date, the last digit of the grantee’s social security number (SSN) and the cyclical period.
The chart below is used to determine each household’s cyclical period. For the month of application, identify the:
- grantee’s last digit of their SSN or Systems Generated SSN,
- cyclical period based on the last digit of the SSN, and
- application date.
The month of application is the first cyclical period that includes the application date. The household will receive a prorated SNAP amount for the month of application as the month of application typically is not a full 30-day period.
| Last Digit of SSN | Cyclical Month Begins on This Date | Cyclical Month Ends on This Date in the Following Month |
|---|---|---|
|
0 |
1 |
* |
|
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
2 |
4 |
3 |
|
3 |
5 |
4 |
|
4 |
7 |
6 |
|
5 |
8 |
7 |
|
6 |
10 |
9 |
|
7 |
11 |
10 |
|
8 |
13 |
12 |
|
9 |
14 |
13 |
* Cyclical month for 0 is the calendar month
Example 1: Grantee applies on 4/1. Their Social Security Number ends in an 8. The cyclical period would be 3/13 – 4/12.
Example 2: Grantee applies on 6/13. Their Social Security Number ends in a 5. The cyclical period would be 6/8 – 7/7.
Example 3: Grantee applies on 1/4. Their Social Security Number ends in a 0. The cyclical period would be 1/1 – 1/31.
Example 4: Grantee applies on 10/31. Their Social Security Number ends in a 3. The cyclical period would be 10/5 – 11/4.
Terminated income must be counted for the month of application if the date of payment falls within the client’s cyclical month of application.
Important: Terminated income is always entered as monthly. You must add all terminated income received within the grantee’s cyclical month of application and enter the sum as monthly in BEACON.
If terminated income is due to the loss of a job, you must consider all SNAP eligibility rules related to that job ending. For more information see Job Ended.
You must follow up once initial month of application benefits are released (typically, this is the day after you authorize the case and BEACON releases changes overnight, also known as “Day-2,” to remove the terminated income from being counted for the remainder of the certification period.
Proof of terminated income can be verified through available databases (such as the Work Number or EMT for unemployment), by paystubs, a letter from the employer, other documentation, or through collateral contact.
Important: For expedited processing, if the client has terminated income and is determined eligible for expedited SNAP benefits, the grantee may verbally self-declare the income amount for the calculation of expedited benefits, however verification that the income did end must be obtained to approve the case for ongoing benefits.
If the household is not eligible for expedited processing, documentary evidence is required for both the terminated income amount and proof that the income has ended.
In both instances, if the income is available in a database (i.e. the Work Number or EMT for unemployment), the income from the database must be used in calculating terminated income. In some instances, the database may also verify that the income has ended.
Inquiring about Additional Income at Application
When an income source has ended, especially when a job ends, there may additional income such as, but not limited to, Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL), Unemployment Compensation (UC), or through another job. During the interview, you must ask follow-up questions to determine if there are other sources of income. If the client indicates they have income, you must obtain proof of this income through existing data sources or send a mandatory VC-1 for the appropriate income type. All income is required to be reported and verified at application.
If there is no other income, you must apply SLAM procedures accordingly.
Terminated Income at Recertification
During Recertification, if a client reports an income source has ended, it must be ended and verified prior to approving the Recertification.
If a client indicates that a job has ended, they must provide proof that the job ended. DTA can often use available databases (i.e. EMT for proof of unemployment or the Work Number) to verify a job has ended. If DTA cannot verify this through a database and the client did not provide proof at the time of submitting the Recertification, then a mandatory VC-1 must be sent for documentary evidence. For more information see Job Ended.
At Recertification, terminated income is not applicable. Once a client has verified that an income source has ended, that record must then be ended in BEACON.
Inquiring about Additional Income at Recertification
When an income source has ended, especially when a job ends, there may additional income such as, such as, but not limited to, Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL), Unemployment Compensation (UC), or through another job. During the interview, you must ask follow-up questions to determine if there are other sources of income. If the client indicates they have income, you must obtain proof of this income through existing data sources or send a mandatory VC-1 for the appropriate income type, as this income is required to be reported at Recertification.
If there is no other income, you must apply SLAM procedures accordingly. Additionally, if the household’s net income reduces to $0 due to no additional income, you must determine if a related benefit is owed by following procedures outlined in Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action.
Terminated Income at Interim Report (IR)
At IR if a client reports an income source has ended, it must be ended and verified prior to approving the IR.
If a client indicates that a job has ended, they must provide proof that the job ended. DTA can often use available databases (i.e. EMT for proof of unemployment or the Work Number) to verify a job has ended. If DTA cannot verify this through a database and the client did not provide proof at the time of submitting the Recertification or Interim Report, then a mandatory VC-1 must be sent for documentary evidence. For more information see Job Ended.
At IR, terminated income is not applicable. Once a client has verified that an income source has ended, that record must then be ended in BEACON.
Inquiring about Additional Income at Interim Report
The IR form asks about existing income known to DTA and if there is any income not known to DTA. Therefore you only need to follow up with the household if the IR is incomplete, questionable or contradictory. For more information, see Establishing Contact at IR When Information is Incomplete, Questionable, or Contradictory.
If you are speaking with the client and they report an income source has ended, especially when a job ends, there may additional income such as, but not limited to, Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL), Unemployment Compensation (UC), or through another job. You must ask follow-up questions to determine if there are other sources of income. If the client indicates they have income, you must obtain proof of this income through existing data sources or send a mandatory VC-1 for the appropriate income type as required to be reported at Interim Report.
If there is no other income, you must apply SLAM procedures accordingly. Additionally, if the household’s net income reduces to $0 due to no additional income, you must determine if a related benefit is owed by following procedures outlined in Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action.
Terminated Income at Case Maintenance
During case maintenance, clients must verify that the income has ended before their SNAP benefits are recalculated. Once verified, SNAP benefits must be recalculated, excluding that income. If the client fails to verify the terminated income source, the income must remain in the case until the client’s next reporting period, when they will be required to provide documentary evidence of the terminated income source.
To verify the terminated income source at case maintenance, you must:
- Create an additional User-Entered verification as optional under the applicable client and write Proof of Terminated Income Source in the Details field.
- Annotate the Document(s) of Evidence section with,
- If the terminated income source is due to a job that ended, you must enter, “You told us that your income source has ended. Provide a letter from [EMPLOYER NAME] stating the employer’s name, their contact information, your last day worked, your last day paid, and the reason your job ended. If you are having a hard time getting this letter, call the DTA Assistance Line so we can help you with getting this information.”
- If the terminated income source is not a due to a job ended, you must enter, “You told us that [INCOME SOURCE] has ended. Provide a termination letter from the agency or organization indicating the income source has ended and the date it ended. If you are having a hard time getting this letter, call the DTA Assistance Line so we can help you with getting this information.”
Inquiring about Additional Income at Case Maintenance
If a client voluntarily reports that an income source has ended at case maintenance, you must cold call the grantee, if not already on the phone or in-person, to inquire if there is any additional income such as, but not limited to, Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL), Unemployment Compensation (UC), or through another job.
If the client indicates they have income, you must obtain proof of this income only if the income will put the household over the gross income limit due to Simplified Reporting rules.
If the client confirms there is no other income, you must narrate that the SLAM circumstance must be addressed at the client’s next reporting period, if applicable. Additionally, if the household’s net income reduces to $0 due to no additional income, you must determine if a related benefit is owed by following procedures outlined in Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action.
However, if the cold calls are not successful, you must send an optional VC-1 by following procedures outlined in Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action and narrate that cold calls were not successful. In addition, since DTA cannot determine if the household’s net income reduced to $0, a related benefit must not be issued at this time.
Paid Time Off (PTO) and Severance Pay
There are times when a client may be terminated from their employer and receive their remaining PTO such as vacation time or personal time that was accrued. In addition, some employers may give a severance package in instances of a layoff. There are several ways the employer can pay the PTO or severance pay out:
- One-time Pay Out
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer issues a paystub for the client’s remaining unused PTO. The paystub does not specify that this payment covers a specific period.
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer provides a one-time, lump sum severance payment.
For these scenarios outlined in 1a and 1b, this is considered a non-recurring lump sum payment, which is considered noncountable income for SNAP.
- PTO or Severance Pay Issued to Client at Normal Pay Frequency
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer continues to pay out the client’s remaining unused PTO at the client’s regular pay frequency. For example, the client was receiving weekly pay before separation. The employer keeps the client on payroll for another month and issues the PTO weekly to cover the one month’s PTO owed to the client.
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer continues to pay the client their regular wages for a specific period of time on payroll (example: 3 months’ severance).
Although this is income coming from a terminated employer, this severance pay or PTO is considered countable, ongoing income, and must be entered into BEACON based on pay frequency, like any other wages.
You must self-assign this case and remove the income at the end of the pay period as outlined by the verification the client provided.
- PTO or Severance Pay Issued One-Time for a Specific Time Period
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer provides a one-time payment of the client’s remaining unused PTO and indicates the specific period (example: 3 months of remaining PTO).
- The client is separated from the job, and the employer provides a one-time payment of the client’s wages covering a specific time period (example: 3 months’ severance).
Although this is income coming from a terminated employer, the income is not considered a lump sum payment as the income is the salary amount attributed to a specific timeframe. Therefore, the client is still on payroll until the end of that period, and the income must be counted as ongoing. You must enter the income based on the previous payroll frequency (weekly, biweekly, etc.).
In this scenario, you must self-assign this case and remove the income once the severance period has passed as outlined by the verification the client provided.
Important: If there are unique situations pertaining to how severance pay or PTO is paid out to a client, and you are unable to determine how to best ensure accurate benefit calculations related to these situations, please have your manager or SIS send the case to the Procedural Issues Mailbox.
Furloughed Employees
A furloughed employee is someone placed on temporary, unpaid leave or given reduced hours due to non-disciplinary reasons like budget cuts or lack of work, while still retaining their job, benefits, and seniority. Unlike layoffs, furloughs are intended to be temporary, allowing workers to return to their positions and apply for unemployment.
Furloughed employees must have their terminated income counted (if any) in the month of application.
Please see SNAP Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours for how to enter a furloughed employees’ work hours to ensure these clients are not erroneously subject to the SNAP Work Rules.
Anticipating Job Termination
Additionally, there are times during an interview where clients will state that they will be getting laid off or will need to terminate their employment in the near future. However, for the purposes of terminated income, anticipating job termination does not follow terminated income procedures. The income the client is currently receiving is considered countable, ongoing income and must be entered into BEACON based on the current pay frequency, like any other wages. Staff must advise the client that they can notify the Department once their job has been terminated and advise the client of the necessary verifications needed to recalculate their case.
Requesting Proof of Terminated Income
When Household is Eligible for Expedited
If an applicant for SNAP has separated from a job in the last 30 days or ended an income source such as unemployment compensation within the last 30 days, the household may be eligible for expedited benefits. Staff can accept a verbal self-declaration of the terminated income amount for the month of application. However, documentary evidence that the income did end must be obtained to approve the case for ongoing benefits. In instances when terminated income is available in a database (i.e. the Work Number or EMT for unemployment), the income from the database must be used when calculating the terminated income amount. In some instances, the database may also verify that the income has ended.
When Household is Not Eligible for Expedited Benefits
If the household is not eligible for expedited, you must follow the procedures below when dispositioning and requesting verification of terminated income, as documentary evidence is required for terminated income.
Currently, when an earned or unearned income record that is known to BEACON is ended, staff must enter a date in the “Actual End” date field. If the “Actual End” date is dated within 60 days, the Earnings from a Job that Ended or Unearned Income that has Ended (terminated income) verification appears in the Verification tab. However, these verifications do not accurately capture the specific income that the client needs to provide based on their cyclical month and application date. You must disposition these pre-populated verifications and follow the procedures below when requesting proof of terminated income.
Important: Please see Job Ended for more information regarding how to request proof of job termination.
If the income record is currently in BEACON and the Actual End Date is Entered within 60 days:
Disposition either the pre-filled Earnings from a Job that Ended or Unearned Income that has Ended verification as “Other” and write, “Mandatory Verification of Terminated income Requested.”
To verify Terminated Income, you must:
- Create an additional User-Entered verification as mandatory under the applicable client and write Proof of Terminated Income in the Details field.
- Annotate the Document(s) of Evidence section with,
“You told us you have terminated income. Please provide all income from [EMPLOYER NAME/UNEARNED INCOME TYPE] with pay dates between [mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy].”
For [EMPLOYER NAME/UNEARNED INCOME TYPE] you enter either the name of the employer or the source of the income.
For [mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy] you enter the cyclical month of application. To determine the cyclical month of application, see Terminated Income at Application above.
Important: Please note that some earned/unearned income sources can be verified using databases available to the Department, such as Work Number, EMT, SSA, and DUA. You must obtain proof of terminated income using these databases without requesting verification from the client if the income is available, unless questionable.
How to Follow Up to Remove Terminated Income
In order to make sure terminated income is removed timely and does not get erroneously calculated in the case for ongoing benefits, staff must self-assign this case for the following business day once the first month’s benefits are released to remove the income. Please see Entering, Changing, and Ending Earned Income in BEACON and Entering, Changing, and Ending Other (Unearned) Income Data for steps on how to remove earned and unearned income in BEACON.
When the household’s terminated income denies the case for the initial month of application:
- Allow the denial to go through so the household receives the required denial notice for the initial month of application.
- Create a follow-up Action for Day 2.
- On Day 2, after the denial releases overnight you will use the original application to:
- Create an RFA using the date the RFA is being created.
- Remove the terminated income.
- Ensure all other income is reflective of income anticipated for the remainder of the certification period.
- At wrap-up, change the benefit effective date out to the client’s next cyclical month.
- This ensures that the client does not get SNAP benefits for the period of which they are not eligible.
Example: Zoey (she/her) applies for SNAP on July 12. Her SSN ends in a 1. Zoey has terminated income that will put her over her gross income limit for her July cyclical (7/2-8/1). However, since the terminated income will not be applicable for the subsequent (or the first full months of benefits), her August cyclical, you can use Zoey’s original application to establish the case with a benefit effective date of August 2. Zoey does not need to submit a new application.
Client is Terminated from Job, and Will Get Paid for the Entire Month of Application and for One or Two Subsequent Months After
There are times when a client is separated from their job and continues to receive their full pay for one, two or three months after separation. This can be attributed to how the client’s pay period falls relative to the initial month of application, the employer paying them the balance of their PTO, or the employer paying them severance.
Please see the examples below for how these scenarios would apply to the client, and the procedures for entering the income.
Scenario A: Client will Receive Full Month’s Pay for Month of Application and Partial Month’s Pay for the Subsequent Month
Mary Ann (she/her) applied for SNAP on May 5. Her SSN ends in 0. She reported that she was laid off from her job but will be getting paid for the entire month of May and a partial month’s pay for the month of June due to her employer paying out her remaining PTO. This means she will remain on payroll at her regular pay frequency for May and June. The worker must:
- Enter the income at the client’s normal pay frequency for May (i.e. weekly, biweekly)
- Create a follow-up action to change the income in BEACON once May’s benefits have been released.
- Once May’s benefits are released, you must change the income frequency to monthly for June, entering only the income the client will receive in their June cyclical period.
- Create a follow-up action to remove the income in BEACON once June’s benefits are released.
- Enter a detailed narrative stating the steps taken on this case to account for all income.
Scenario B: Client will Receive Full Month’s Pay for Month of Application and Full Month’s Pay for the Subsequent Month
Mary Ann (she/her) applied for SNAP on May 5. Her SSN ends in 0. She reported that she was laid off from her job but will be getting paid for the entire month of May and the entire month of June due to her employer paying out her remaining PTO. This means, she will remain on payroll at her regular pay frequency. The worker must:
- Enter the income at the client’s normal pay frequency (i.e. weekly, biweekly)
- Create a follow-up action to remove the income based on when the payment will end
- Remove the income after June’s benefits are released
- Enter a detailed narrative stating the steps taken on this case to account for all income.
In this example, if Mary Ann had reported that she was also going to receive pay for July, the procedures would be the same. Which is, to create a follow-up action to remove the income once the last benefits applicable to the income have been released.
When BEACON Issues SNAP Benefits for a Partial Month of Application and the First Full Month of Benefits
When an application date is close to the end of the client’s cyclical period or the application is wrapped late in the cyclical period, BEACON will issue the first (usually a partial month) and second-month’s benefits together. This also applies when special expedited benefits are issued. For these cases, the system is unable to filter the terminated income and to appropriately enter the income applicable to each of those first two months. A related benefit will likely be owed in this scenario. You must follow the procedures below to process these cases.
Example 3: Mary Ann (she/her) applied for SNAP on May 5. Her SSN ends in 0. Mary Ann provided her wages and her termination letter indicating she was laid off from her job. She received two pay checks in her May cyclical month, totaling $1,020. She pays $500 for a room and has a cell phone. Mary Ann is not eligible for expedited benefits. The worker processes and wraps the case on May 27, due to waiting for all verifications. Since the case was wrapped late in Mary Ann’s initial month of application (May), SNAP benefits were issued for May and June’s cyclical months.
To ensure that the case is made whole because of the terminated income inaccurately being counted for June, the worker must:
- Process the case using the terminated income the client reports for May.
- For this example, the case will open, and BEACON will issue benefits for both May and June
- Record what the full monthly SNAP benefit is once wrapped.
- Create a follow-up Action for Day 2.
- On Day 2, after the benefits are released:
- Remove the terminated income.
- Ensure all other income that remains on file, if any, is income the client will receive for the remainder of the certification period.
- For this example, there is no other income to be counted.
- Observe what the new SNAP benefit amount is once the terminated income is removed.
- Subtract the SNAP benefit amount from number 2 above from the SNAP benefit amount in number 5 (terminated income being removed).
- Wrap and authorize the case and write a detailed narrative indicating that a follow-up has been created to issue a related benefit once BEACON allows it, since a related benefit cannot be issued for future dates.
- For this example, the follow-up action must be created for June 1.
- Follow up and issue a related benefit for the second month by using the result of number 6
- For this example, the related benefit will be for June 1 – June 30.
- Wrap and authorize the case and write a detailed narrative indicating the reason for the related benefit.
When Terminated Income Denies the Household for the Month of Application and the First Full Month of Benefits
When the terminated income denies the household for both the month of application and the first full month of benefits, a new application must be submitted by the client. You must inform the client that they can reapply at the start of their cyclical month in which they are eligible. You must inform the client that they can either call the DTA Assistance Line the day they are eligible to reapply to complete a telephonic SNAP application, complete it online via DTA Connect, or go into their local TAO.
Example: Peter (he/him) applied for SNAP on July 28. His SSN ends in a 0. Peter has terminated income that will put him over his gross income limit for both his initial month of application July (7/1-7/31) and the first full month (8/1-8/31). Because Peter was denied for both the month of application and the first full month, he must submit a new SNAP application. Assuming Peter meets all other eligibility requirements, he will not be eligible for SNAP until September 1, the start of his next cyclical period.
Table Summarizing Verification Procedures
|
Questions to ask during the interview to determine if a client ended their job or if an income source has ended |
When to Request Proof Job Ended and the Verification Needed |
When to Request Proof of Terminated Income |
When to Request Proof of Reason Job Ended |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Application |
Has anyone in your household left a job in the last 30 days or ended an income source such as unemployment compensation? If yes, when was the last day of pay? What was the reason the job ended? Is the household receiving any other income? |
Verification of job termination at application is mandatory if client ended their job 30 days or less from application date. Verification:
Note: If all attempts to obtain proof of job termination (including collateral contact) have been exhausted, a written self-declaration of the employer’s name, the client’s last day worked and last day paid will be accepted as a last resort. |
When terminated income (both earned and unearned) falls within the client’s cyclical month of application. If the household is eligible for expedited benefits, terminated income can be verbally self-declared, unless the income is available on external databases, such as the Work Number or EMT. If the household is not eligible for expedited benefits, the household must provide documentary evidence of terminated income, such as wages or a letter from the employer.
|
If client is subject to the General Work Rules. For more information, see SNAP Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours for requesting proof of Reason Job Ended. Clients can provide a telephonic or written self-declaration of the reason their job ended, unless questionable.
|
|
Interim Report |
No interview is required at Interim Report. |
Verification of job termination at Interim Report is mandatory if client indicates they ended a job. Verification:
Note: If all attempts to obtain proof of job termination (including collateral contact) have been exhausted, a written self-declaration of the employer’s name, the client’s last day worked and last day paid will be accepted as a last resort. |
Although terminated income is not required at Interim Report, clients must provide documentary evidence to prove that an income source has ended. |
If client is subject to the General Work Rules. For more information, see SNAP Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours for requesting proof of Reason Job Ended. Clients can provide a telephonic or written self-declaration of the reason their job ended, unless questionable. |
|
Recertification |
Has anyone in your household left a job? If yes, when was the last day of pay? What was the reason the job ended? Is the household receiving any other income? |
Verification of job termination at Recertification is mandatory if client indicates they ended a job.
Note: If all attempts to obtain proof of job termination (including collateral contact) have been exhausted, a written self-declaration of the employer’s name, the client’s last day worked and last day paid will be accepted as a last resort. |
Although terminated income is not required at Recertification, clients must provide documentary evidence to prove that an income source has ended. |
If client is subject to the General Work Rules. For more information, see SNAP Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours for requesting proof of Reason Job Ended. Clients can provide a telephonic or written self-declaration of the reason their job ended, unless questionable. |
|
Case Maintenance |
No interview is required at Case Maintenance. |
Verification of job termination at case maintenance is optional if client indicates they ended a job.
Note: If all attempts to obtain proof of job termination (including collateral contact) have been exhausted, a written self-declaration of the employer’s name, the client’s last day worked and last day paid will be accepted as a last resort. |
Although terminated income is not required at case maintenance, clients must provide documentary evidence to prove that an income source has ended in order to have the income removed. At case maintenance, documentary evidence of an ended income source is optional. |
If client is subject to the General Work Rules. For more information, see SNAP Voluntary Quit and Reduction of Work Hours for requesting proof of Reason Job Ended. Clients can provide a telephonic or written self-declaration of the reason their job ended, unless questionable. |
Last Update: July 13, 2026
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