DSHS Food Stamps Income Limits by Household Size

Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services sets the gross income limit for Basic Food (the state’s name for SNAP) at 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and the DSHS food stamp income limits by household size for 2026 run from $2,660 a month for a single person up to $5,500 for a family of four, with roughly $947 added for each additional member. If your household’s total pre-tax income falls at or below the figure for your size, you meet the income test. Thanks to a policy called broad-based categorical eligibility, most applicants don’t face a separate net income test or asset limit on top of that.¹

2026 Monthly Gross Income Limits

These are the monthly gross income cutoffs (200 percent of the federal poverty level) that Washington uses for Basic Food in 2026:²

1 person: $2,660
2 people: $3,607
3 people: $4,553
4 people: $5,500
5 people: $6,447
6 people: $7,393
7 people: $8,340
8 people: $9,287
Each additional person: add $947

Gross income means everything the household brings in before taxes and deductions, including wages, self-employment income, Social Security, unemployment, child support received, and most other cash sources. Earn more than the number for your household size and you’re generally disqualified at this stage, with one important exception described below.

Who Counts in Your Household

The income limit depends on how many people belong to your “assistance unit,” which is the group that buys and prepares food together. If you live with others and regularly share meals or groceries, DSHS counts you all as one household.³

Some relatives are grouped together no matter how they handle meals. Spouses in the same home are always one assistance unit. Parents and their children under age 22 are always one unit as well, even if the children are married or claim to buy and cook separately.³ These rules keep families from splitting into smaller units to slip under a lower income threshold.

The Exception for Elderly and Disabled Households

Households that include at least one person age 60 or older, or a person with a disability, are not held to the 200 percent gross income limit. If your household falls in that category and your gross income is above the figure in the table, you can still qualify by meeting a net income test instead.⁴

When a Net Income Limit Applies

For most Washington households that qualify under categorical eligibility, there is no separate net income test for eligibility. The gross income number is the one that decides whether you’re in.¹

A net income test only comes in for households that cannot be categorically eligible. That includes elderly or disabled households whose gross income is over 200 percent of the poverty level, and households with a member disqualified for an intentional program violation. For those households, net income must sit at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level:⁵

1 person: $1,305
2 people: $1,763
3 people: $2,221
4 people: $2,680
5 people: $3,138
6 people: $3,596
7 people: $4,055
8 people: $4,513
Each additional person: add $459

Net income still matters for everyone else, but as the figure DSHS uses to calculate the monthly benefit amount, not as a cutoff for qualifying.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

If you’re close to a limit, the deductions DSHS applies to arrive at net income can decide whether you qualify (for households that face the net test) and how large your benefit is (for everyone else). Washington follows the standard SNAP deductions:⁶

A standard deduction every household receives. For one- to three-person households in 2026, the amount is $209, and it increases for larger households.⁵
An earned income deduction of 20 percent of gross wages, applied automatically.
Dependent care costs for child care or care for a disabled adult, when needed to work, train, or attend school.
Legally obligated child support paid to someone outside the household.
Excess shelter costs, meaning rent or mortgage plus utilities that exceed half of your income after the other deductions. This deduction is capped at $744 per month for households without an elderly or disabled member, and uncapped for households that include one.⁵
Out-of-pocket medical expenses above $35 per month, available only to households with an elderly or disabled member.⁶

The earned income deduction alone can shift the picture noticeably. On $2,000 a month in wages, it removes $400 before anything else is subtracted. Households paying high rent relative to income often find the shelter deduction brings net income down enough to raise the benefit meaningfully.

Assets and Savings

Under categorical eligibility, most Washington households face no asset test. Your savings, car, and personal property don’t factor into whether you qualify.¹ Resource limits apply only to the narrow group that loses categorical eligibility, such as households with an intentional program violation or a substantial lottery or gambling win; for them, countable resources must stay below $3,000 if the household includes an elderly or disabled member, or $2,000 otherwise.⁷

How to Apply

If your household size and income line up with the table above, you can apply for Basic Food through any of four channels:⁸

Online at washingtonconnection.org, the state’s benefits portal.
By phone at 877-501-2233.
In person at your local DSHS Community Services Office.
By mail to DSHS Customer Service Center, P.O. Box 11699, Tacoma, WA 98411-6699.

DSHS will schedule an interview, usually by phone, and may ask for documents verifying your income, rent or mortgage, utilities, and the people in your household. Standard decisions come within 30 days of the application date. Households with very low income or resources can qualify for expedited processing and a decision within 7 days.

1
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Categorical Eligibility for Basic Food
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
3
Washington State Legislature. Washington Administrative Code 388-408-0035
4
Washington State Legislature. Washington Administrative Code 388-478-0060
5
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
6
Washington State Legislature. Washington Administrative Code 388-450-0185
7
Washington State Legislature. Washington Administrative Code 388-470-0005
8
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Basic Food