- Income limits in Tennessee vary based on the number of people living in a household. So, for example, if a person lives by himself, he can make a maximum of $1,174 per month and retain eligibility, as of 2010. A person in a four-person household can make a maximum of $2,389.
- In addition, people applying for food stamps are allowed to have no more than $2,000 in assets in their entire household -- $3,000 if the household contains a person with disability or who is over 60 years of age. However, a large number of items do not count as assets, including the property in which a person lives, the car that she drives, personal property, all income-producing property and all retirement plans and insurance policies.
- It is important for applicants to keep in mind what the state does and does not consider income. The state of Tennessee does not consider any scholarships, grants and loans used to pay for school or any money earned by children 17 and younger as income. However, it does consider all wages earned by adults, public assistance benefits, unemployment insurance, disability benefits, worker's compensation benefits, retirement benefits and child support payments as income.
- Once an individual has signed up for food stamps, he must also fulfill a number of additional requirements to continue receiving them. For example, all men between 16 and 59 years old who are not currently enrolled in school must register for work, accept all offered jobs and participate in state-mandated job training. Men between 18 and 59 can receive only 5 months of benefits within a period of three years, unless they work more than 80 hours each month.
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