Apply for Food Stamps in Memphis, TN: Eligibility and Documents

To apply for food stamps in Memphis, TN, file a SNAP application with the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) one of three ways: online through the One DHS Customer Portal at onedhs.tn.gov, by mailing Form HS-0169 to a Shelby County office, or in person at one of the two local TDHS locations.¹ SNAP is federally funded through the USDA and run by TDHS; once you’re approved, benefits arrive each month on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card you use at approved grocery retailers.

Where to File in Memphis

Three options, same application:

Online at onedhs.tn.gov. Create an account, complete the application, and upload your documents through the portal.²
By mail. Download Form HS-0169 from the TDHS website, fill it out, and mail it with copies of your supporting documents to the Shelby County TDHS office.
In person at either Shelby County office: 6941 Winchester Road, Memphis, TN 38115, or 4885 Stage Road, Memphis, TN 38128.³

Your application is considered filed the day TDHS receives a signed form with at least your name and address on it. The 30-day processing clock starts that day, not when you turn in the last document. File first, finish gathering paperwork second.⁴

Documents to Gather

Having these ready at the time of filing or the interview keeps your case moving:

Photo ID for the head of household (driver’s license, state ID, or other government-issued ID).
Social Security cards for every person on the application.
Proof of income: recent pay stubs, an employer letter, or documentation of Social Security, unemployment, or other benefits.
Proof of Shelby County residency: a current lease, mortgage statement, or utility bill with your Memphis address.
Shelter costs: rent or mortgage payment, property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance where applicable.
Utility bills for heating, cooling, electric, water, or phone. Tennessee uses a Standard Utility Allowance that varies by household size, so even one bill can unlock the full deduction.
Medical expenses if someone in the household is elderly or disabled. Only out-of-pocket costs above $35 per month that insurance doesn’t cover count toward this deduction.⁵

Every documented expense lowers your net income, and lower net income means a larger benefit. Skipping shelter or medical records is one of the most common ways applicants leave money on the table.

Do You Qualify?

Eligibility turns mostly on household size and income. TDHS looks at gross income (everything you earn before deductions) and net income (what’s left after allowable expenses).⁶ Households without an elderly (60+) or disabled member must meet both limits. Households with an elderly or disabled member only need to meet the net limit.

Monthly income limits in effect from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026:⁷

1 person: $1,696 gross / $1,305 net
2 people: $2,292 gross / $1,763 net
3 people: $2,888 gross / $2,221 net
4 people: $3,483 gross / $2,680 net
5 people: $4,079 gross / $3,138 net
6 people: $4,675 gross / $3,596 net
7 people: $5,271 gross / $4,055 net
8 people: $5,867 gross / $4,513 net
Each additional person: add $596 gross / $459 net

There’s also an asset test: $3,000 in countable resources for most households, $4,500 if someone in the household is disabled or 60 or older.⁸ Countable resources include cash, bank accounts, and savings certificates. Your home and most retirement accounts don’t count.

Who Counts as Your Household

SNAP treats everyone who lives together and regularly shares meals as one household.⁹ Roommates who buy and cook separately can apply as separate households. Two exceptions override that: married couples living together are always one household, and any child under 22 living with a parent is included in the parent’s household regardless of how groceries work.

Every person on the application needs a Social Security number or proof of having applied for one.¹⁰

How Much You’d Receive

Your monthly benefit is the maximum allotment for your household size minus 30 percent of your net income. The federal fiscal year 2026 maximums:¹¹

1 person: $298
2 people: $546
3 people: $785
4 people: $994
5 people: $1,183
6 people: $1,421
7 people: $1,571
8 people: $1,789
Each additional person: add $218

A household of four with zero net income would get the full $994. The same family with $1,000 in net monthly income would get $994 minus $300, or $694. Deductions that lower your net income (and raise your benefit) include a standard deduction, 20 percent of earned wages, dependent-care costs, and shelter expenses above half your adjusted income.

Work Requirements

Most recipients ages 16 to 59 who can work must register for work, accept a suitable job if offered, and not quit a 30-hour-plus job without good cause. Breaking those rules can cost you benefits for at least a month.¹²

If you’re 18 to 54, able to work, and have no dependents, the ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents) time limit applies: three months of SNAP in a three-year period unless you work or participate in a qualifying training program for at least 80 hours a month. Paid employment, volunteer work, and approved workforce training all count.¹³

You’re exempt from these work rules if you are physically or mentally unable to work, pregnant, caring for a child under six, already meeting work requirements through another program, receiving unemployment, or in drug or alcohol treatment. Your caseworker reviews exemptions at the eligibility interview.

College Students

Students enrolled at least half-time generally don’t qualify for SNAP unless they meet an exemption. The ones that come up most often in Memphis:¹⁴

Working a paid job averaging 20 or more hours a week.
Participating in a federal or state work-study program.
Caring for a household member under age 6, or under age 12 if you are a single parent enrolled full-time.
Receiving Families First (Tennessee’s TANF program).
Being 17 or younger, or 50 or older.

GED, adult basic education, and English-as-a-second-language classes don’t make you a “student” under this rule, so no exemption is needed. The student exemption runs from the start of the term through the end-of-term month and doesn’t carry over during breaks longer than one month.

A Note on Non-Citizen Eligibility

Only U.S. citizens and certain lawfully present non-citizens qualify. Historically eligible categories have included refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and lawful permanent residents who have been in the U.S. at least five years, with some lawfully present non-citizens subject to a five-year waiting period.⁸¹⁰ The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 narrowed non-citizen eligibility, and USDA guidance is being updated.⁷ If you’re not a U.S. citizen, check with the Shelby County TDHS office or the USDA SNAP page for current rules. Children who are U.S. citizens or lawfully present can qualify even when a parent does not.

After You Apply

TDHS has 30 calendar days from your filing date to give you an opportunity to receive benefits.⁴ Within that window, a caseworker will schedule an eligibility interview. Tennessee allows this interview by phone. The caseworker walks through household composition, income, and expenses to verify what you reported. If you forgot to list a deductible expense, raise it during the interview.

If you’re approved, an EBT card arrives in the mail. It works like a debit card at authorized grocery retailers, and your monthly benefit loads on a set day each month based on your case number.

Expedited Benefits in an Emergency

If you’re in a financial emergency, you may qualify for expedited processing (seven calendar days instead of thirty). You’re entitled to expedited service if any of these apply:⁴

Your household’s gross monthly income is below $150 and liquid resources are $100 or less.
You’re a migrant or seasonal farmworker who is destitute with liquid resources of $100 or less.
Your combined monthly gross income and liquid resources are less than your rent or mortgage plus utilities.

Tell the office when you apply that you need expedited help. Caseworkers are supposed to screen for it automatically, but saying so protects you.

What SNAP Pays For

SNAP covers food for your household: fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereal, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages, and seeds or plants that produce food.¹⁵ It doesn’t cover alcohol, cigarettes or tobacco, vitamins or supplements, hot ready-to-eat food, pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products, hygiene items, or anything containing cannabis or CBD. A quick test for borderline items: if the package has a Supplement Facts panel instead of a Nutrition Facts panel, SNAP won’t pay for it.

Penalties for False Information

Providing false information or hiding household members on a SNAP application has real consequences. Tennessee’s administrative penalties for intentional program violations escalate: a one-year disqualification for a first violation, two years for a second, and permanent disqualification for a third.¹⁶ Trafficking $500 or more in benefits brings permanent disqualification on the first offense, and fraudulent identity or residency claims to collect multiple benefits bring a ten-year disqualification. These are administrative only; the state or federal government can also pursue criminal charges separately. Disqualification applies to the individual who committed the violation, not the whole household, so other eligible members can keep receiving benefits.

1
Tennessee Department of Human Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
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Tennessee Department of Human Services. Forms and Applications
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Tennessee Department of Human Services. Office Locator – Family Assistance
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2 – Office Operations and Application Processing
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Tennessee Department of Human Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Excess Medical Expenses Deduction
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
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Tennessee Department of Human Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP Eligibility Information
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.1 – Household Concept
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Social Security Administration. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.5 – Students
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Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
16
Tennessee Secretary of State. Tennessee Rules 1240-05-14 – Intentional Program Violations