Texas Food Stamps: Eligibility, Lone Star Card, and How to Apply

Texas food stamps, officially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and give qualifying households a monthly food budget loaded onto a Lone Star Card. A family of four can receive up to $994 a month, and most Texas households qualify if their gross monthly income is at or below 165 percent of the federal poverty level.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility

Who Qualifies in Texas

Texas uses broad-based categorical eligibility, which raises the gross income cutoff to 165 percent of the federal poverty level instead of the stricter 130 percent some states use.2Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility For October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, the maximum gross monthly income is:3Texas Health and Human Services. C-120, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

  • 1 person: $2,152
  • 2 people: $2,909
  • 3 people: $3,665
  • 4 people: $4,421
  • 5 people: $5,177
  • 6 people: $5,934
  • 7 people: $6,690
  • 8 people: $7,446
  • Each additional person: add $757

Households with a member who is age 60 or older or has a disability can still qualify when they exceed 165 percent. They skip the gross income test but must have net income at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level and no more than $4,500 in countable resources.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility

For everyone else, Texas caps countable resources (cash and bank balances) at $5,000.2Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility Vehicles get generous treatment: the highest-valued vehicle in the household is exempt up to $22,500 in fair market value, and each additional vehicle up to $8,700. Only value above those lines counts toward the $5,000 cap.4Texas Health and Human Services. A-1210, General Policy

Your household includes everyone who lives with you and buys and prepares meals together. Spouses and children under 22 have to be on the same application even if they cook separately.5Justia. Texas Administrative Code 1-372.152 – Required SNAP Household Members

How Much You Can Receive

Maximum monthly allotments for fiscal year 2026 are:1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility

  • 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

Most households get less than the maximum. The formula takes your net monthly income (gross income after deductions), multiplies it by 0.30, and subtracts that from the maximum for your household size. The program assumes you’ll spend roughly 30 percent of your own income on food, and SNAP fills the rest.

Deductions That Raise Your Benefit

Deductions reduce your countable income, which pushes your benefit up. Documenting them carefully is where many applicants miss out.

  • Standard deduction, applied automatically: $209 per month for households of one to three, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more in 2026.6Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
  • Earned income deduction: 20 percent of all earned income is excluded. Earn $2,000 a month and $400 comes off before income is counted.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
  • Shelter deduction: housing costs (rent or mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities) above half your income after other deductions, capped at $744 per month. No cap if someone in the household is elderly or has a disability.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
  • Dependent care: out-of-pocket costs for childcare or care of a disabled household member that let someone work or train.
  • Medical expenses: for elderly or disabled household members, unreimbursed medical costs above $35 a month.

Instead of adding up utility bills, Texas uses a standard utility allowance of $445 when calculating the shelter deduction. For most households that flat figure is higher than what they actually pay.

How to Apply

You apply using Form H1010, the Texas Works Application for Assistance.7Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1010, Texas Works Application for Assistance There are three ways to submit it:

  • Online at YourTexasBenefits.com or through the Your Texas Benefits mobile app, which also lets you upload supporting documents.
  • In person at your local HHSC office, where staff can help you fill it out.
  • By mail or fax using the address or fax number on the application instructions.

Have ready Social Security numbers for every household member seeking benefits, a Texas ID or driver’s license, and proof of income such as recent pay stubs or an employer’s written statement. To get full credit for deductions, bring documentation of rent or mortgage, utilities, childcare, and any medical bills for elderly or disabled household members.

How Fast You’ll Get Benefits

HHSC has 30 days from the application date to either approve you and provide access to benefits or deny the application.8Texas Health and Human Services. B-160, SNAP Timeliness Charts for Applications and All Redeterminations A caseworker will interview you during that window, usually by phone, to verify your income, expenses, and household.

If you have an emergency food shortage, you can qualify for expedited processing. Federal rules require benefits no later than seven calendar days after you apply.9eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2 – Office Operations and Application Processing Texas policy goes further: eligible applicants should receive benefits the same day they apply, or by the next business day.10Texas Health and Human Services. A-140, Expedited Service You can check status anytime through the Your Texas Benefits portal.

Work Requirements

Texas enforces work rules that go beyond the federal baseline. Recipients ages 18 to 64 who are able to work and have no dependents under 14 can get only three months of SNAP in any three-year period unless they meet the work requirement.11Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules To stay on past three months, each month you must do one of the following:

  • Work at least 80 hours in paid employment, volunteer work, or work for goods and services.
  • Participate in a qualifying work program for at least 80 hours, such as SNAP Employment and Training.
  • Combine work and program hours totaling 80.

If you lose benefits for failing to meet the requirement, you can get them back by working or participating in a qualifying program for 30 consecutive days, or by waiting until the end of your three-year period for another three months.12Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements You’re exempt if you are physically or mentally unable to work, pregnant, caring for a child or incapacitated household member, or in a substance abuse treatment program.

College Students

Students ages 18 to 49 enrolled at least half-time face an extra hurdle: they must meet one of the following on top of the normal SNAP rules.13Food and Nutrition Service. Students

  • Working at least 20 hours a week in paid employment.
  • Participating in a federal or state work-study program.
  • Caring for a child under age 6.
  • Receiving TANF cash assistance.
  • Enrolled through a SNAP Employment and Training program or a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program.

Students who get most of their meals through a mandatory or optional campus meal plan are ineligible no matter their income.

Your Lone Star Card and What It Buys

Approved households receive a Lone Star Card that works like a debit card. You can manage your PIN, check your balance, freeze or unfreeze the card, and request a replacement through the Your Texas Benefits app or by calling the Lone Star Help Desk at 800-777-7328.14Texas Health and Human Services. Lone Star Card Benefits are deposited on a staggered schedule between the 1st and 28th of each month based on the last two digits of your SNAP case number.15Texas Health and Human Services. B-250, EBT Benefit Issuance

SNAP covers most food meant for home preparation: fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereal, snack foods, and non-alcoholic drinks. You can also buy seeds and plants that produce food. The card works at grocery stores, supermarkets, and other EBT retailers. The prohibited list sometimes surprises people:16Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy

  • Alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis products, including CBD-infused food and drinks.
  • Hot foods sold ready to eat at the point of sale.
  • Vitamins, medicines, and supplements that carry a Supplement Facts label.
  • Non-food household items like cleaning supplies, paper products, pet food, and hygiene products.
  • Live animals, except shellfish, fish taken from water, and animals slaughtered before pickup.

Texas does not participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, so SNAP can’t be used at restaurants even if you are elderly, disabled, or homeless.17Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program

Keeping Your Benefits

Once you’re receiving SNAP, you have 10 days to report changes in income, household size, or address after you become aware of the change.18Texas Health and Human Services. B-620, Reporting Requirements Missing that deadline can create overpayments the state will collect back. You can report through the Your Texas Benefits portal, by calling 2-1-1, or at a local office.

Benefits don’t continue automatically. Before your certification period ends, HHSC mails Form H1010-R, a pre-populated renewal form, during the month before your last month of benefits.19Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1010-R, Your Texas Works Benefits Renewal Form Return it by fax (877-477-2839) or by mail to avoid a gap. If you miss the recertification deadline, benefits stop and you have to apply from scratch.

If You’re Denied

If HHSC denies your application, reduces your benefits, or cuts them off, you can request a fair hearing within 90 days of the date on the Notice of Case Action.20Texas Health and Human Services. Fair and Fraud Hearings File in writing, by calling 2-1-1, or at a local HHSC office. Requests after 90 days are reviewed for good cause with no guarantee of a hearing, so filing quickly protects your access to benefits while the dispute plays out.