Indiana SNAP Eligibility: Income Limits, Benefits, and Applying

To qualify for Indiana SNAP, your household’s gross monthly income generally has to fall below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, your countable resources must stay under set limits, and you have to meet residency, citizenship, and work requirements. For October 2025 through September 2026, the gross income ceiling is $1,696 per month for one person and $3,483 for a family of four. Applications go through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and its Division of Family Resources.¹

Income Limits for October 2025 Through September 2026

Two federal tests apply. Gross income (everything the household earns before deductions) must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty line. Net income (what remains after allowed deductions) must be at or below 100 percent.² Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability only have to pass the net income test.

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

If your gross income is over the limit, deductions can still bring you under the net figure. Indiana allows deductions for housing costs, court-ordered child support, childcare or dependent care payments, certain self-employment expenses, and monthly medical costs over $35 for elderly or disabled household members.⁴ A standard deduction is applied automatically based on household size. When shelter costs (rent or mortgage, property taxes, and utilities) exceed half of your adjusted income, an extra shelter deduction kicks in.

One practical note when you’re doing the math: if you’re paid weekly, multiply by 4.3, not 4, to convert to a monthly figure. That’s the number Indiana uses.⁵

Resource Limits

Your household’s countable resources (cash, checking and savings balances) must stay under $3,000, or $4,500 if any member is 60 or older or has a disability.³ Indiana has used a federal option called broad-based categorical eligibility to raise its asset limits above those baseline figures, though federal regulators have signaled this policy could tighten.

Your home and the land it sits on don’t count. Retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs are generally excluded as well.

Who Counts as Your Household

You have to live in Indiana. Your SNAP household is everyone in your home who buys and prepares meals together. Even if a spouse or a child under 22 cooks separately from the rest of the family, Indiana counts them in the same household for eligibility.

U.S. citizens who meet the income and work rules can qualify. Some lawful permanent residents and other qualified noncitizens can too, though the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 narrowed the categories of lawfully present immigrants who can receive SNAP.⁶ If your status is uncertain, check with your local Division of Family Resources office. Eligibility here turns on immigration status, length of U.S. residency, and other individual factors.

Work Requirements

Most non-elderly, non-disabled adults must register for work and accept a suitable job if one is offered. Indiana’s IMPACT (Indiana Manpower Placement and Comprehensive Training) program provides job search help, training, and skill-building activities that count toward the requirement.¹ Quitting a job without good cause or refusing suitable work leads to disqualification: one month for a first violation, longer for repeats.

ABAWD Time Limits

Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) face a stricter rule. They can only receive SNAP for three months in a three-year period unless they work or take part in a qualifying program for at least 80 hours per month.⁷ Paid work, unpaid work, volunteering, and work-training programs all count.

The 2025 law changed this rule in two ways that matter to a lot of Indiana households. The ABAWD age range expanded from 18–54 to 18–65, so many older adults now fall under the time limit. And the exemption for households with dependents only covers households caring for a child under 14, down from under 18. If you’re caring for a teenager 14 through 17, you now have to meet the 80-hour work requirement or benefits stop after three months.⁶

If you lose benefits under this rule, you can regain them by working the required 80 hours in a single month. Otherwise, you wait three years for another three-month window. Pregnant individuals and people with documented physical or mental health conditions that keep them from working are generally exempt.

College Students

Full-time students between 18 and 49 have to meet at least one exemption on top of the regular rules. The common ones: working at least 20 hours per week for pay, taking part in a state or federally funded work-study program, caring for a child under six, or being a single parent with a child under 12.⁸ Students receiving TANF or participating in a workforce training program funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act also qualify.¹

How Much You Would Receive

Benefit amounts depend on household size and net income. SNAP starts with the maximum allotment for your household size and subtracts 30 percent of your net income, on the assumption that you’ll spend roughly 30 percent of your own resources on food. Maximum monthly allotments for October 2025 through September 2026:

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

Only a household with zero net income receives the full maximum. Most approved households get less. Benefits are loaded onto a Hoosier Works EBT card each month.¹

How to Apply

The fastest route is the FSSA Benefits Portal at fssabenefits.in.gov, which gives you a confirmation number as soon as you file. You can also pick up a paper application at your local Division of Family Resources office or mail or fax a completed form to the FSSA Document Center.

Gather the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of everyone in your household. You’ll need to verify each member’s income and document any court-ordered child support payments and shelter costs, including rent or mortgage and utilities.⁵

After you file, you’ll complete an eligibility interview, usually by phone. The caseworker reviews your paperwork and may ask about your expenses. The state has to send a written decision within 30 days.³ If approved, your EBT card comes by mail and works like a debit card at participating grocers.

Expedited Benefits

Some households qualify for expedited processing and receive benefits within seven days. You generally qualify if your household has less than $150 in monthly gross income and $100 or less in liquid resources, or if your combined rent and utilities exceed your income plus resources. You still have to complete the interview first, so respond quickly when the office reaches out.

Keeping Benefits: Recertification and Reporting

SNAP benefits run on a certification period, and you have to recertify before it ends. Under Indiana’s simplified requirements, certification can run up to 36 months. You must submit a change-reporting form at least once every 12 months during that period and tell the Division of Family Resources if your income goes up.⁹ Miss a recertification deadline and benefits stop, even if you would still qualify. The dates are on your approval notice.

If You Are Denied

You have the right to a fair hearing if your application is denied or your benefits are reduced or ended. File the appeal within 90 days of the date on the notice. At the hearing you can present evidence and explain why the decision was wrong. If the Division of Family Resources is simply taking too long to act on your case, there is no time limit on filing that kind of appeal. Requesting a hearing before your current benefits are scheduled to end can let you keep receiving them while the appeal is pending.

1
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. SNAP (Food Assistance)
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2014 Eligible Households
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
4
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Income
5
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Frequently Asked Questions
6
Congress.gov. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) A Primer
7
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
8
Food and Nutrition Service. Students
9
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-14-30-8 – Simplified Requirements for SNAP