If you live in Denton County and need help paying for groceries, you can apply for SNAP benefits in Denton through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A single person earning up to $2,152 per month can qualify, and a family of four can earn up to $4,421. Approved households get a Lone Star Card loaded each month that works like a debit card at any store accepting SNAP.
Who Qualifies in Denton County
Texas sets the gross monthly income ceiling at 165 percent of the Federal Poverty Level for most households. As of October 1, 2025, the limits are:
- 1 person: $2,152
- 2 people: $2,909
- 3 people: $3,665
- 4 people: $4,421
- 5 people: $5,177
- 6 people: $5,934
Add $757 for each additional household member beyond six.1Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Food Benefits If anyone in your household already receives Medicaid or TANF, the household may meet the income test automatically through categorical eligibility.2Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
There is also a resource cap: countable assets like cash and bank balances cannot exceed $5,000 per household. Your home does not count. One vehicle is excluded up to $22,000 in value, and anything above that gets added to your countable resources.3Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook A-1220 – Limits
Extra Rules for Adults Without Dependents
Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) face an added work requirement. In Texas, this covers SNAP recipients ages 18 to 64 who can work and have no dependents under 14. If that’s you, you can only receive SNAP for three months in any three-year window unless you meet the work requirement.4Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules
You can satisfy it by working at least 80 hours per month (paid, unpaid, or volunteer), by participating in a SNAP Employment and Training program or another qualifying federal, state, or local work program for at least 80 hours per month, or by combining the two to reach 80 hours. If you lose benefits for not meeting the requirement, you need a full 30-day period of qualifying work or program participation to regain eligibility before the three-year window resets.5Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
Rules for College Students
Students enrolled at least half-time at a college, university, or vocational school have to meet one additional federal exemption on top of the income and resource tests. Common exemptions include:
- Working 20 or more hours a week at paid employment
- Participating in federal or state work-study during the school year
- Caring for a child under 6, or a child 6 to 11 when adequate childcare isn’t available
- Receiving TANF
- Having a physical or mental condition that limits your ability to work
- Enrollment through SNAP Employment and Training, a Trade Act program, or a similar government workforce program
Single parents enrolled full-time with a child under 12 also qualify.6eCFR. 7 CFR 273.5 – Students One trap for freshmen: students who get the majority of their meals from a campus meal plan are not eligible, no matter which exemption they meet. Check your meal plan status before applying.
Documents to Gather Before You Apply
Having your paperwork ready saves the most time. Pull together:
- Photo ID, such as a current Texas driver’s license or DPS-issued ID card
- Proof of citizenship or immigration status for non-citizen household members (resident card I-551, arrival/departure form I-94)
- Social Security numbers for every household member applying
- Proof of income: the last two or three pay stubs, an employer statement, or self-employment records
- Housing costs: a recent rent receipt, mortgage statement, or landlord letter with name, address, and phone
- Recent utility bills for electricity, water, gas, or phone
Also bring documentation of childcare costs and medical expenses for any household member who is elderly or has a disability. Those count as deductions and can raise your monthly benefit.7Texas Health and Human Services. Benefits Application Next Steps Every member applying must provide a Social Security number or show they’ve applied for one.8Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook – A-410 General Policy
How to Apply
Denton County residents submit the Texas Works Application for Assistance (Form H1010) through any of these channels:9Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1010 – Texas Works Application for Assistance
- Online at YourTexasBenefits.com, with or without creating an account; you can upload scanned documents
- By mail to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, P.O. Box 149024, Austin, TX 78714-9024
- By fax to 1-877-447-2839
- In person at a local HHSC office in Denton County
Keep proof of filing: a web confirmation, a fax transmission log, or a copy of what you mailed. Your application is officially filed the day HHSC receives a signed form carrying your name and address, and the 30-day processing clock starts that day.1Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Food Benefits
What Happens After You Apply
A caseworker schedules a mandatory interview once your application is received. Most interviews happen by phone, though you can ask for one in person. Notification comes by mail or through your YourTexasBenefits account.
Federal regulations require HHSC to make an eligibility decision within 30 calendar days of your filing date.10eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2 – Office Operations and Application Processing Approved applicants get a Lone Star Card, which works as an EBT debit card, from the local HHSC office or by mail.11Texas Health and Human Services. Lone Star Card
Expedited Benefits for Emergencies
If your household has very little or no income and minimal resources, you may qualify for expedited processing. Under Texas rules, HHSC must decide eligibility for expedited applicants no later than the next business day after filing.12Cornell Law Institute. 1 Texas Admin Code 372.956 – Expedited SNAP Application Process Mention your emergency food situation when you file so the office can flag your case.
When Benefits Hit Your Card Each Month
Once approved, benefits are loaded onto your Lone Star Card on a specific day each month, set by the last two digits of your case (EDG) number. Deposit dates run from the 1st through the 28th. EDG numbers ending in 00 through 03 get benefits on the 1st; numbers ending in 96 through 99 get them on the 28th.13Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook B-250 – EBT Benefit Issuance Your approval letter lists your EDG number.
How Much You Could Get
Your actual benefit depends on household size, income, and allowable deductions. Maximum monthly allotments for the current period 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 person adds $218.14Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility Most households get less than the maximum because the formula subtracts 30 percent of net income after deductions. Reporting every deductible expense (rent, utilities, childcare, medical costs for elderly or disabled members) is what pushes your benefit closer to the ceiling.
What You Can and Cannot Buy
SNAP covers most grocery items: fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereals, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages, and seeds and plants that produce food for your household.15Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
You cannot use SNAP to buy:
- Alcohol, cigarettes, or tobacco
- Vitamins, medicines, or supplements (anything carrying a “Supplement Facts” label)
- Hot foods sold ready to eat
- Pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products, or personal care items
- Live animals, except shellfish and fish already removed from water
- Food or drinks containing controlled substances like cannabis or CBD
Starting April 1, 2026, Texas is adding sweetened drinks and candy to the list of ineligible items under a USDA-approved food restriction waiver.16Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers Those items will still be purchasable with cash or a debit card; they just won’t scan as SNAP-eligible.
Keeping Your Benefits
Once you’re receiving benefits, you must report changes in income, household size, or address within 10 days of learning about the change. Report through YourTexasBenefits.com, by calling 2-1-1, or at a local HHSC office.17Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook B-620 – Reporting Requirements
Failing to report changes, or deliberately providing false information, can trigger an Intentional Program Violation. Disqualification periods escalate: 12 months for a first offense, 24 months for a second, and permanent disqualification for a third. The Office of Inspector General can also establish an overpayment claim to recover benefits obtained through fraud.18Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook B-910 – General Policy
Appealing a Denial or Reduction
If your application is denied or your benefits are cut, the Notice of Case Action explains the reason. You have 90 days from the date of that notice to request a fair hearing. File the appeal in writing, by calling 2-1-1, or at a local HHSC office.19Texas Health and Human Services. Fair and Fraud Hearings Miss the 90 days and HHSC will review whether you had good cause before deciding whether to hold a hearing. If you request the hearing before a reduction takes effect, your benefits usually continue at the current level until the hearing is resolved.