Low-income families and individuals in New York may qualify for food stamp benefits. Food stamps supplement regular food purchases by offering state-funded money exclusively for the purchase of food. Most pre-made foods are ineligible for food stamp use, and recipients must use food stamps in the supermarket rather than in restaurants. The amount of food stamps a New York household may receive depends on the number of people present and the federal poverty guidelines.
Household Size
New York bases eligibility for food stamps on whether the entire household's income is below the federal poverty limits. Thus, as the household size goes up, the maximum benefit the family is entitled to goes up based on the federal poverty guideline for that household size. The allowance is not necessarily double that of a family of the next smaller size. For example, as of 2011, a single person in New York is entitled to a maximum of $200 per month, while a family of two is entitled to up to $367 per month.
Household Definition
New York does not require members of a household to be related to each other to qualify for food stamps. If all adults in a household, including roommates, friends and unmarried significant others, purchase and prepare meals together, they may all be counted toward the household size when determining eligibility for food stamps. The larger the household size, the higher the maximum income the household may earn while still qualifying for food stamps.
Savings
In most cases, money in savings or in retirement accounts don't affect your food stamp allowance, although you may still need to list these assets when applying for food stamps. However, if anyone in the household is disqualified from receiving food stamps due to not following program rules, the family is limited to $2,000 in countable resources like savings accounts.
Additional Income
You cannot increase your per-person allowance past the maximum for a family of that size. However, if your family includes a disabled or elderly person, or you are caring for dependent children, you may still qualify for food stamps in New York despite a slightly higher income. For example, normally a single person must make less than $1,174 per month or $14,088 per year, but if that person has a dependent child, or cares for an elderly or disabled family member, that person may make up to $1,805 per month, or $21,660 per year.
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