Getting SNAP Benefits

The Benefit Amount

If you qualify for benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) calculates how much you get in benefits each month by looking at the maximum benefit for a household of your size, your household’s net income, and other factors. Read Who Can Get SNAP to understand how SNAP looks at your household, and who is included.

If your household has no monthly net income, SNAP may give you the maximum benefit amount for a household of your size.

Try this tool to see the maximum amount of monthly SNAP benefits a household of your size could get:

SNAP Income and Benefits Guidelines

Number of people in your household:	12345678
SNAP guidelines for your household:
	$15,650
	$5,500
	$298
	$546
	$785
	$994
	$1,183
	$1,421
	$1,571
	$1,789
Gross income limit per month (130% FPG)
Net income limit per month (100% FPG)
Maximum monthly benefit

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The Nevada Division of Social Services SNAP webpage also has a chart of the maximum monthly SNAP amount for each household size.

If you do have net income, SNAP expects you to spend 30% of it on food. This means that for every $100 in net income, SNAP expects you to spend $30 on food.

For your monthly benefit, SNAP gives you the maximum monthly benefit for your size of household minus the amount that they expect you to spend on food (30% of your net income).

Formula for Monthly Benefit Amount:

Maximum amount from the guidelines

Minus your net income x 0.3

= Your SNAP benefit amount

Tim lives alone and gets income from Social Security benefits and work. After deductions, including his medical expenses and his allowable shelter expenses, his net income is $500. His benefits amount is calculated like this:

Tim's SNAP benefit calculation:

Maximum benefit amount from the guidelines	$298
Earned income	500.00
Minus (0.3 x $500)	-
Tim's Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) food benefit

Applying for SNAP

You can apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

Getting Your Benefits

When you get SNAP, you get a Nevada Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which is a plastic card that looks and works like a debit card. Nevada puts money on the EBT card each month and you use the card to pay for food. Learn more about how to use your SNAP benefits on your EBT Card.

Reporting Changes

You must tell SNAP when your income, resources, or living situation changes. Always report these changes within 10 days after the change happens, so that you don’t run into problems with your SNAP benefits. If your income changes, report it within 10 days of getting your first paycheck at the new income amount.

You can report changes:

• At your local Division of Social Services (DSS) office.
• Online at Access Nevada.
• By filling out the DSS Change Report Form and mailing it or bringing it in person to your local Division of Social Services (DSS) office.