Maryland SNAP Eligibility: Income Limits, Deductions, and Benefits

To qualify for Maryland SNAP eligibility in the 2026 federal fiscal year, most households need gross monthly income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level — about $2,660 for one person and $5,500 for a family of four — plus net income at or below 100% of the poverty level after deductions. You also have to meet rules about who counts as your household, your citizenship status, and, for working-age adults, work participation. The Maryland Department of Human Services runs the program through local Department of Social Services offices.

Income Limits for the 2026 Fiscal Year

Maryland uses Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, which raises the gross income cutoff for most households from the standard federal 130% of poverty to 200%.¹ Gross income means everything your household earns before anything is taken out. From October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, the monthly gross income limits are:

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 adds roughly $947 per month.²

Passing the gross income test is only half the picture. Your household also has to pass a net income test at 100% of the federal poverty level after allowable deductions are subtracted.³ That works out to $1,330 per month for one person and $2,750 for a family of four. Two groups get special treatment: households where every member receives Supplemental Security Income or Temporary Cash Assistance are automatically income-eligible, and households with an elderly or disabled member only need to pass the net income test.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

If your gross income is close to or above the limit, the deductions below are what can still get you qualified. Your caseworker subtracts them from gross income to arrive at net income:

A standard deduction of $209 per month for households of one to three, with higher amounts for larger households.³
An automatic 20% deduction from earned income. On $2,000 of wages, $400 comes off the top.
Out-of-pocket dependent care costs paid so a household member can work or train.
Out-of-pocket medical expenses above $35 per month for any household member who is 60 or older or has a disability.
Excess shelter costs — rent or mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utilities above half your income after other deductions. Capped at $768 per month in the 2026 fiscal year for households without an elderly or disabled member; no cap for households that include one.⁴
Legally obligated child support you pay out.

Caseworkers can only deduct what you document, so bring proof of every eligible expense when you apply.

Assets and Resources

Thanks to Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, most Maryland households face no asset limit. Savings, car value, and other resources do not count against you.¹ You do not have to drain your bank account to qualify.

The one exception: if a household member has been disqualified for an intentional program violation, the standard federal resource limits apply — $3,000 in countable resources, or $4,500 if the household includes someone 60 or older or disabled.³ Your home and most retirement accounts stay excluded.

Who Counts as Your Household

Your SNAP household is the group of people who live together and buy and prepare food together. Roommates with entirely separate groceries and cooking can file as separate households, so each person’s eligibility rests on their own income alone.

Some people must always be on the same application whether or not they share meals:

Spouses who live together
Children under 22 who live with a parent

A narrow exception exists for seniors. A person aged 60 or older who cannot buy and prepare their own meals because of a permanent disability may file as a separate household even when living with others, provided the other members’ income does not exceed 165% of the federal poverty level.⁵ Getting household composition right matters: pulling a high-earning roommate onto your application when you did not have to can push you over the income limit for no reason.

Citizenship and Non-Citizen Rules

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 sharply narrowed non-citizen eligibility. The groups who can now receive SNAP are:

U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals
Lawful permanent residents after a five-year waiting period, with exceptions for children under 18, people with 40 qualifying work quarters, individuals who are blind or disabled, those who were lawfully residing in the U.S. and 65 or older on August 22, 1996, people with a U.S. military connection, and Amerasian immigrants
Cuban and Haitian entrants, with no waiting period
Compact of Free Association citizens, with no waiting period

Refugees, people granted asylum, and parolees were previously eligible and are no longer eligible under the new federal rules.⁶ In mixed households, ineligible members’ income is partially counted and only eligible members receive benefits.

Work Requirements

Most recipients aged 16 through 59 must register for work and accept suitable job offers. The Maryland SNAP Employment and Training program offers free 12- to 16-week training in healthcare, construction, welding, and manufacturing, along with job placement.⁷ Not complying with work registration can suspend your benefits until you re-engage.

Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents

If you are an able-bodied adult without dependents, the time limit is stricter. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 raised the upper age for this category from 54 to 64, so it now covers adults 18 through 64.⁸ You can receive benefits for only three months in any three-year period unless you work or participate in a qualifying work program for at least 80 hours per month.⁹

Exemptions apply if you are pregnant, physically or mentally unable to work, or caring for an incapacitated household member. Waivers based on insufficient jobs are now limited to areas with a persistent unemployment rate above 10%.

College Students

Students enrolled at least half-time in college or other higher education are generally ineligible unless they meet one of these exemptions:

Working at least 20 hours per week in paid employment
Taking part in a federal or state work-study program
Caring for a child under 6, or a child aged 6 to 11 when childcare is not available
Being a single parent enrolled full-time and caring for a child under 12
Receiving Temporary Cash Assistance
Being placed in college through SNAP Employment and Training or a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program

Students under 18 or over 50 are not subject to the student restriction at all.¹⁰ Qualifying for an exemption only clears the student hurdle; you still have to meet the income and household rules.

How Much You’d Receive

The maximum monthly benefit depends on household size. For the 2026 fiscal year, the maximums are:

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 member adds $218.¹¹ You receive the maximum only if your net income is zero. For every dollar of net income, your benefit drops by about 30 cents, so most households receive less than the ceiling.

How to Apply

You can file online at MarylandBenefits.gov, or download Form DHS/FIA 9701 and mail, fax, or deliver it to your local Department of Social Services office.¹² After the department has your signed application, you’ll be scheduled for an eligibility interview by phone or in person. The state has 30 calendar days from the filing date to issue a decision.¹³

Some households can receive benefits within seven days under expedited processing. You qualify if any of these apply:

Your gross monthly income is below $150 and your liquid resources (cash, checking, savings) are below $100.
You are a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker with liquid resources below $100.
Your combined monthly gross income and liquid resources are less than your monthly rent or mortgage plus utilities.

That third criterion catches many applicants who are not close to zero income but spend nearly everything on housing.¹⁴ Tell the caseworker up front that you need immediate help so your case is flagged for expedited review.

1
Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE)
2
HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
4
Maryland Department of Human Services. SNAP Mass Changes for October 2025
5
Quest. Household Composition
6
USDA. OBBB Implementation Memo SNAP Eligibility
7
Maryland Department of Human Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training
8
NAWDP. USDA Updates SNAP ABAWD Rules Under One Big Beautiful Bill
9
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
10
Food and Nutrition Service. Students
11
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
12
Maryland Department of Human Services. Applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
13
Maryland Department of Human Services. SNAP Manual Normal Processing Standards Section 406
14
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2