Virginia SNAP Income Limits: Gross, Net, and Deductions

To qualify for SNAP in Virginia, most households must have gross monthly income at or below 165 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and net income (after deductions) at or below 100 percent. For fiscal year 2026, which runs October 2025 through September 2026, that means a single person can earn up to $2,152 per month in gross income, and a family of four can earn up to $4,421. The Virginia SNAP income limits scale up with household size, and a stricter set of numbers applies to households that include a member disqualified for a program violation.¹

Gross Income Limits for Most Households

Virginia uses a policy called Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) to raise the gross income ceiling to 165 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. This is the limit that applies to the large majority of applicants. The BBCE gross monthly income limits for fiscal year 2026 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
7 people: $6,690
8 people: $7,446
Each additional member: add $757

These figures are total income before any taxes or payroll withholdings are taken out. If your household earns at or below the amount for your size, you clear the first eligibility hurdle. You still have to pass the net income test described below.¹

Net Income Limits After Deductions

Every Virginia SNAP household must also fall below the net income ceiling, which is set at 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Net income is what remains after allowable deductions are subtracted from your gross income. The fiscal year 2026 net income limits are:

1 person: $1,305
2 people: $1,763
3 people: $2,221
4 people: $2,680
5 people: $3,138
6 people: $3,596
7 people: $4,055
8 people: $4,513
Each additional member: add $459

The net income test is universal. Even households that qualify under the expanded BBCE gross limit must still land below the net figure for their size.¹

If Someone in Your Home Has a Program Violation

Households that include a member disqualified for an intentional program violation cannot use the BBCE gross limit. These households face the standard federal gross ceiling of 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which for fiscal year 2026 works out to:

1 person: $1,696
2 people: $2,292
3 people: $2,888
4 people: $3,483
5 people: $4,079
6 people: $4,675
7 people: $5,271
8 people: $5,867
Each additional member: add $596

The net income limits for these households are the same as those listed above.

Households With an Elderly or Disabled Member

If anyone in the household is age 60 or older or has a disability, the household does not have to meet the gross income test at all. Only the net income limit applies.² That exception matters because it opens the door to applicants whose Social Security, pension, or wage income would otherwise push them over the gross threshold.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

The gap between gross and net income is where deductions do their work, and they often decide whether a household qualifies. Virginia applies the standard federal SNAP deductions:

A standard deduction of $209 per month for households of one to three members, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more.
An earned income deduction of 20 percent of all wages, salary, and net self-employment earnings.
Out-of-pocket dependent care costs that a household member needs in order to work, look for work, or attend training.
Any legally required child support a household member pays out.
Out-of-pocket medical expenses above $35 per month for elderly or disabled household members.
Excess shelter costs: rent or mortgage plus utilities that exceed half of the household’s income after all other deductions, capped at $744 per month. The cap does not apply when someone in the home is elderly or disabled, which often produces a much larger deduction for those households.³

Here is how the math runs for a single person earning $1,800 per month from a job. Subtract the $209 standard deduction, then subtract 20 percent of earnings ($360). Net income lands at $1,231. That falls under the $1,305 net income limit for a one-person household, so the applicant passes the net income test even though $1,800 would clear the standard 130 percent gross threshold. Shelter and dependent care costs could lower that number further.

What Counts as Income

Earned income includes gross wages, salaries, commissions, and net earnings from self-employment, all measured before tax and payroll withholding. Unearned income counts too: Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, pensions, and child support you receive are all added in.

Some money is excluded. Federal student financial aid, payments from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and most lump-sum reimbursements for expenses already paid do not count toward monthly income. A household that looks over the limit on paper may actually qualify once excluded income is set aside.²

How Virginia Defines Your Household

The income limit you have to meet depends on household size, and SNAP has its own definition of “household.” A SNAP household is generally the people who live together and buy and prepare food together. People who share an address but keep entirely separate food budgets and cooking routines can sometimes apply as separate units.

One rule overrides that. Spouses, and children under age 22 who live with a parent, are always counted as part of the same SNAP household, even if they shop and cook separately.⁴ That prevents families from splitting into smaller units to stay under the income caps.

Assets Usually Don’t Matter

Most Virginia applicants do not face an asset test, because BBCE eliminates the resource limit for households that qualify under it. The resource limit only applies to households that include a member disqualified for an intentional program violation. For those households, the limits are $3,000 in countable resources, or $4,500 if at least one member is age 60 or older or has a disability.⁴

Countable resources include cash, bank account balances, and certain investments. Your home and most vehicles are not counted, so applying does not force families to liquidate basic assets to get food help.

Putting the Two Tests Together

Working out whether you qualify comes down to three checks. First, if no one in your household is elderly, disabled, or under a program disqualification, your gross monthly income needs to be at or below the BBCE figure for your household size. Second, your net income after deductions needs to fall under the 100 percent poverty line figure for your size. Third, in the narrow case where someone in the household has a program violation, you also have to meet the lower 130 percent gross limit and the resource cap. Households with an elderly or disabled member can skip the gross test entirely and need only clear the net limit.

1
Virginia Department of Social Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
2
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
4
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility