• Find out if you are eligible for food stamps, now referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.grocery cart image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  The eligibility requirements to obtain food stamps are based entirely on the income for the entire household. As household size increases, so does the income cap for food stamp eligibility. In most cases, to determine eligibility the officials at the food stamp office will look at both the gross and net income of the household. Special circumstances exist for elderly, disabled and immigrants to determine eligibility. Food stamps are available on a temporary basis and income requirements must be renewed every six months or more frequently to ensure benefits are being awarded only to those in need of the assistance. In certain cases a household member is eligible when another household member is not.
  
  

Income

• To recieve food stamps you must fit into an income bracket that varies according to household size.money, money, money image by easaab from Fotolia.com
  
  Income brackets change according to the size of a household and include the household's gross and net incomes. The gross income is total earnings before all taxes and other deductions, while the net income is the household's income after taxes and other deductions are taken out. For a single person household, the income cap is at $1,174 gross monthly and $903 net. A two person family cannot gross more than $1,579 and still receive benefits, a three-person family must make below $1,984 gross each month; this amount rises by $406 for each family member and the net income guidelines rise by $312 for each family member.
  
  

Resources

• Certain owned resources are also considered in determining the eligibility of receiving food stamps.yellow car, a honda japanese sport car model image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
  
  Another factor used to determine food stamp eligibility is the total of countable resources owned by the household. This amount does not include the cost of a home and lot or resources owned by persons receiving retirement and pension plans, SSI or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Vehicles are counted as resources if they are not used to produce income, needed for long-distance work travel, used as a home, used to transport elderly or disabled or if the vehicle has a low equity.
  
  

Immigrant Eligibility

• Legal immigrants are eligible for food stamps if they meet a different set of requirements. A 2002 Farm Bill set requirements for immigrants to have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of five years, were previously receiving benefits or were children regardless of entry date into the program. Temporary non-residents are not eligible for food stamps, such as students or those visiting the U.S. for an extended amount of time that has not received citizenship. State programs are available to help immigrants needing food assistance that do not meet food stamp eligibility requirements.