What Is the Income Limit for Food Stamps in Missouri?

The income limit for food stamps in Missouri is 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in gross monthly income. For the period running October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, that works out to $1,696 a month for a single person and $3,483 a month for a household of four.¹ Missouri calls the program SNAP, and the Family Support Division within the Department of Social Services decides who qualifies.² Most households have to pass two income tests: a gross income test before deductions, and a net income test after them.

Gross Monthly Income Limits by Household Size

Gross income is everything your household brings in before taxes or any other withholdings. Wages, Social Security, child support received, unemployment, pensions, and self-employment earnings all count. The caps for October 2025 through September 2026 are:¹

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 person: add $596

Missouri’s published annual figures match the federal numbers exactly. A single-person household is capped at $20,352 a year; a four-person household at $41,796.³

One important exception: if your household includes someone who is 60 or older or has a disability, you skip the gross income test entirely. You only have to pass the net income test described next.¹

Net Income Limits After Deductions

Once you clear the gross number, your net income has to fall below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Net income is gross income minus a set of allowable deductions. The net monthly limits for the same period are:¹

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 person: add $459

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

The deductions below can bring a household under the net cap even when the raw numbers look too high.¹

A 20 percent earned income deduction applied automatically to wages and self-employment income.
A standard deduction of $209 a month for households of one to three people, $223 for a four-person household, and higher amounts for larger households.
Dependent care costs you pay so a household member can work, look for work, or attend training.
Medical expenses above $35 a month for a household member who is 60 or older or disabled, when insurance or another party doesn’t cover them.
Excess shelter costs — rent or mortgage, property taxes, utilities, and insurance that exceed half of your income after the other deductions.
Legally owed child support payments you make.

Income That Doesn’t Count

Not every dollar that comes into your home counts toward either limit. When you estimate your eligibility, leave out:⁴

In-kind benefits such as meals, clothing, or produce from a garden.
Energy assistance payments, including LIHEAP.
Third-party vendor payments made directly to your creditors through a public program (for example, medical, child care, or housing assistance paid straight to the provider).
Most student financial aid, scholarships, and grants used for tuition and fees.

How the Income Limit Translates Into a Benefit Amount

Clearing the limits isn’t the whole story — the amount you receive depends on how much net income you have. SNAP assumes a household can put about 30 percent of its own net income toward food, so the monthly benefit is the maximum allotment for your household size minus 30 percent of your net income.¹ A household with zero net income receives the full maximum.

Maximum monthly allotments for October 2025 through September 2026:⁵

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

So a three-person household with $1,200 in net monthly income would have $360 (30 percent) subtracted from the $785 maximum, leaving a $425 benefit on their EBT card each month.

What About Savings and Assets?

Missouri uses broad-based categorical eligibility, so most households face no separate asset test. The Family Support Division does not count or verify bank accounts or savings for these households.⁶

The exception is a household that includes someone disqualified from SNAP for a program violation. Those households are held to the standard federal limits: $3,000 in countable assets, or $4,500 if a member is 60 or older or has a disability.⁷ Most retirement accounts, your home, and personal belongings don’t count toward those limits.⁸

Other Rules That Can Disqualify You Even If You’re Under the Limit

Income isn’t the only screen. A few other categories can keep you out of SNAP even when the dollar figures line up.

Work Requirements

Most recipients between 16 and 59 who are able to work have to register for work, accept a suitable job offer, and avoid quitting or cutting hours below 30 a week without good cause.⁹¹⁰¹¹

College Students

Students enrolled at least half-time in college generally don’t qualify for SNAP, even if their income is low, unless they fit a specific exemption such as working 20 hours a week, participating in work-study, caring for a young child, or receiving TANF.¹²

Non-Citizens

Under the 2025 law, non-citizen eligibility is now limited to lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Compact of Free Association citizens, and non-citizen U.S. nationals. Lawful permanent residents usually wait five years before qualifying, with exceptions for those under 18, those who are blind or disabled, those with 40 qualifying work quarters, and those with a U.S. military connection.¹³

1
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
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Missouri Department of Social Services. My SNAP Benefit
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Missouri Department of Social Services. Benefit Program Income Limits
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustments
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Missouri Department of Social Services. 1135.035.05.10 Categorical Eligibility
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Special Rules for the Elderly or Disabled
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.8 – Resource Eligibility Standards
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eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
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Food and Nutrition Service. Students
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Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 – Alien SNAP Eligibility