Texas SNAP Eligibility: Income Limits, Deductions, and Work Rules

You qualify for Texas SNAP if your household’s gross monthly income is at or below 165% of the federal poverty level, you live in Texas, you are a U.S. citizen or qualifying legal noncitizen, and you meet the program’s work rules. Most Texas applicants are measured against that 165% ceiling under broad-based categorical eligibility, which also waives the asset test for households that fall beneath it.¹ Benefits arrive each month on a Lone Star Card.²

Income Limits

Income is the first thing the state checks. Texas uses broad-based categorical eligibility, so most applicants are measured against a gross monthly income limit of 165% of the federal poverty level rather than the 130% standard used in states without that policy.³ Households that qualify under this higher threshold are also exempt from the standard net income test and the resource limit.

Households that don’t meet the 165% test but include someone age 60 or older, or someone with a disability, may still qualify under regular SNAP rules. Those households need to pass a net income test at 100% of the federal poverty level, and a separate resource limit applies.⁴

For October 2025 through September 2026, the standard gross and net income limits at 130% and 100% of the federal poverty level are:⁵

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

Because Texas applies the 165% threshold to most households, you can earn somewhat more than the figures above and still qualify. The 130% column matters mainly for households that are not categorically eligible, and the net income column governs elderly or disabled households tested under regular SNAP rules.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

If your household has to pass a net income test, or if you want to know what your benefit will actually be, the state subtracts several deductions from gross earnings before doing the math.

Every household receives a standard deduction based on size. For the current fiscal year:⁶

1–3 people: $209
4 people: $223
5 people: $261
6 or more: $299

You can also subtract 20% of earned income (wages, salary, self-employment), dependent care costs paid so a household member can work or attend training, and legally owed child support payments. Medical expenses above $35 per month for elderly or disabled household members reduce countable income too.

Shelter costs that exceed half of your income after other deductions trigger an excess shelter deduction, capped at $744 per month for most households. Households with an elderly or disabled member face no cap on that shelter deduction.⁷ Shelter costs include rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and a utility allowance.

Resource and Vehicle Rules

For most Texas households, the resource test is a non-issue. If your gross income falls at or below 165% of the federal poverty level, you are categorically eligible and the asset limit does not apply.³

Households that are not categorically eligible face a $5,000 resource limit. Resources include cash, checking and savings account balances, and certain investments.⁸ Your home, burial plots, most retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and personal belongings are not counted.

Vehicles are treated generously. For the first vehicle in the household, only fair market value above $22,500 counts. Additional vehicles count only above $8,700 each, and income-producing vehicles are excluded entirely.

Residency, Citizenship, and Social Security Numbers

You must live in Texas and intend to stay. A driver’s license, utility bill, or lease agreement can establish residency, and you need a physical address rather than a temporary location like a vacation rental. You also need to be a U.S. citizen or a qualifying legal noncitizen, a category that includes lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees, among others. Each household member applying for benefits must provide a Social Security number and proof of identity.

Work Requirements

SNAP comes with work rules. Most recipients between 16 and 59 must register for work, accept a suitable job if one is offered, and not voluntarily quit a job or cut hours below 30 per week without good cause. Participation in the SNAP Employment and Training program may also be required.⁹

Breaking the general work rules carries escalating penalties: at least one month of disqualification for a first violation, three months for a second, and six months for a third or subsequent offense.

The ABAWD Time Limit

A stricter time limit applies to adults without dependents. Recipients ages 18 to 64 who are able to work and have no dependents under 14 can only receive SNAP for three months in a three-year period unless they meet the ABAWD work requirement.¹⁰ To keep benefits past those three months, you must work or participate in a qualifying work program for an average of at least 80 hours a month.

You are exempt from the ABAWD time limit if you are pregnant, living with a household member under 18, physically or mentally unable to work, a veteran, or homeless. Former foster youth age 24 or younger are also exempt.¹¹

College Student Rule

Students enrolled at least half-time at a college, university, or vocational school face an extra hurdle: they must meet at least one exemption to qualify at all. Common exemptions include working at least 20 hours per week in paid employment, participating in a federal or state work-study program, caring for a child under six, or receiving TANF. Students under 18, over 50, or with a documented physical or mental disability also qualify. Without an exemption, you are ineligible while enrolled, regardless of income.

How Much You’ll Receive

If you qualify, the state calculates your benefit by starting with the maximum allotment for your household size and subtracting 30% of your net income. A household with zero net income receives the full maximum. For October 2025 through September 2026:⁷

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

A household of four with $1,500 in monthly net income, for example, would see $450 subtracted from the $994 maximum, yielding roughly $544 per month.

How to Apply

The application is Form H1010, the Texas Works Application for Assistance.¹² You can submit it online through YourTexasBenefits.com, mail it to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, or hand-deliver it to a local benefits office. The Your Texas Benefits mobile app lets you upload documents and track your status.

Gather these documents before you start:

Identity and residency: driver’s license or state ID, lease agreement or utility bill
Income: recent pay stubs for everyone in the household, self-employment records, Social Security or disability award letters
Expenses: rent or mortgage statement, utility bills, child care receipts, medical bills for elderly or disabled members
Other: Social Security numbers for all household members, proof of child support paid or received

After the state receives your application, a caseworker will schedule a phone interview to verify your household details. Missing the interview can delay or derail your application, so answer calls from unfamiliar numbers during the processing window. Federal law requires the state to decide standard applications within 30 days, and households in immediate need may qualify for expedited processing within seven days if liquid resources are $100 or less and gross monthly income is under $150, or if resources plus income fall below rent and utility costs.¹³ Flag the expedited request when you file.

1
Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
2
Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Food Benefits
3
Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook B-470 – Categorically Eligible Households
4
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
5
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Fiscal Year 2026 Income Eligibility Standards
6
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
7
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Fiscal Year 2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
8
Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook A-1220 – Limits
9
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
10
Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Work Rules
11
Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook A-1940 – ABAWD Work Requirement
12
Texas Health and Human Services. Form H1010, Texas Works Application for Assistance – Your Texas Benefits
13
Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook A-140 – Expedited Service