The Virginia SNAP interim report is a mid-certification form that households on a 12-month certification must return by the end of month six to keep their food benefits active. It confirms that your income, household size, and living costs still qualify you for assistance. Miss the deadline and your case closes automatically, so your EBT card will not reload the next month.
When the Report Is Due
Your deadline depends on how long your certification lasts. Most Virginia SNAP households are certified for 12 months and must file the interim report by the sixth month of that cycle. Households where every member is age 60 or older, or every member has a disability and no one earns income, can be certified for up to 24 months and file their interim report by the twelfth month.1Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia SNAP Manual – Certification Periods and Recertification
The form is mailed to the address your local Department of Social Services has on file. If you moved and did not update your address, you may never receive it. Keep your contact information current with DSS.
What You Need to Report
The form is a snapshot of your household’s current financial and living situation. Four categories do most of the work.
Income
List exact gross monthly earnings for every household member who works, meaning the amount before taxes and deductions. Have recent pay stubs on hand so the numbers are precise. If anyone in your household started or lost a job since your last certification, show that change on the form.
Your household’s total gross income cannot exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level for your household size.2Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information For October 2025 through September 2026, the gross monthly limit is $1,696 for one person, $2,292 for two, $2,888 for three, and $3,483 for four, with $596 added for each additional person.
If your gross income is now over the limit, the agency will check whether deductions for shelter, childcare, or medical expenses for elderly or disabled members bring your net income below the threshold.3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
Household Composition
The number of people in your home drives both your income limit and your maximum benefit. If someone moved in or out since your last certification, add or remove them on the form. For new members, expect to provide a name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
Shelter and Utility Costs
Report any change of address, a higher rent or mortgage payment, and updated utility costs. Virginia uses a Standard Utility Allowance when calculating your shelter deduction, so accurate housing numbers protect your benefit amount.
Dependent Care
If you pay for childcare or care for a disabled household member so you can work, look for work, or attend training, those costs are deductible with no dollar cap under federal SNAP rules. Qualifying expenses include the care itself, transportation to and from the provider, and co-payments for subsidized care. Keep receipts or billing statements, since the agency may ask for verification.
How to Submit the Form
Virginia gives you several ways to return the report. The faster the method, the lower the risk of a missed deadline.
- Online through CommonHelp at commonhelp.virginia.gov. You can upload scanned or photographed copies of the signed form and get electronic confirmation that it went through.4Virginia CommonHelp. Welcome to CommonHelp
- By mail, using the pre-addressed return envelope that arrives with the form. Allow enough time for it to reach your local DSS before the deadline.
- In person or in the drop box outside your local DSS office. Many offices keep a drop box available after hours.
Once your report is received, the agency reviews it for completeness. If anything is missing or unclear, DSS is required to send a request for the additional information.5Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia SNAP Manual – Handling Changes You can check status by logging into CommonHelp or calling the Enterprise Call Center at 855-635-4370.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
If you do not return a completed report by the end of month six (or month twelve for 24-month certifications), your case closes. The agency must send adequate written notice before closure takes effect, but once the case closes, your EBT card will not reload on its next scheduled date.5Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia SNAP Manual – Handling Changes
If the report has not come in, DSS also sends a separate Request for Action notice by the 15th of the month the report is due, with another copy of the form. Treat that notice as a final warning.
Getting Benefits Back After a Missed Report
A missed report does not force you to start over, if you act quickly. Virginia allows reinstatement without a new application when you submit the completed report during the month immediately after closure, which is month seven for a 12-month case or month thirteen for a 24-month case. The agency must evaluate the late report and, if you are still eligible, reopen the case.5Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia SNAP Manual – Handling Changes
How much you receive for that month depends on who caused the delay. If the agency contributed to it, such as having an incorrect address on file, you receive the full month’s benefits. If the delay was on your end, benefits for that month are prorated from the date you actually submitted the completed report. Miss that one-month window and you will need to file a new application, which typically means weeks without assistance while it is processed.
Who Does Not Have to File
Some households are exempt from the interim report entirely. Under federal rules, a household certified for 12 months or fewer where every adult member is elderly or has a disability with no earned income does not have to file an interim report.6eCFR. 7 CFR 273.12 – Reporting Requirements Participants in Virginia’s Elderly Simplified Application Project can receive certification periods longer than 24 months and face even fewer reporting requirements.1Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia SNAP Manual – Certification Periods and Recertification If you fall into one of these categories and received a form anyway, call your local DSS before assuming it does not apply to you.
Appealing a Reduction or Termination
If DSS reduces or ends your benefits after reviewing the interim report and you think the decision is wrong, you have 90 days from the date on the notice to request a fair hearing.7Virginia Department of Social Services. How to Appeal That window is longer than the 30-day deadline that applies to most other Virginia public assistance programs, so do not assume the shorter timeline covers SNAP.
To keep benefits at their current level while the appeal is pending, timing matters. File the appeal before the agency’s negative action takes effect on your case. If the action has already taken effect, you have 10 days from the date the decision was mailed to request that benefits continue during the appeal. File after that and your benefits will reflect the agency’s decision until the hearing resolves the dispute.7Virginia Department of Social Services. How to Appeal