Who Qualifies for SNAP in Michigan: Income, Work, and Deductions

To qualify for SNAP in Michigan, your household generally needs gross monthly income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, legal presence in the United States under one of a narrow set of categories, and compliance with work requirements if they apply to you. For a family of four in 2026, the income ceiling is $5,360 per month. The program is called Food Assistance locally and is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which issues benefits on a Bridge Card.

Income Limits by Household Size

Michigan uses categorical eligibility, so most households qualify as long as gross monthly income (earnings before taxes and deductions) stays at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.¹ The limits in effect from October 1, 2025 are:²

1 person: $2,610
2 people: $3,526
3 people: $4,442
4 people: $5,360
5 people: $6,276
6 people: $7,192
7 people: $8,110
8 people: $9,026
Each additional person: add $918

A household for SNAP purposes is the people who live together and buy and prepare food together. If you share a roof with someone but shop and cook separately, you may be a household of one for this program.

Being slightly over the gross income limit does not always end the inquiry. One- and two-person categorically eligible households that exceed the gross and net limits but stay under 200% FPL automatically get the minimum monthly benefit. Larger households in the same position may receive a benefit as low as $1.¹

Residency and Immigration Status

You must live in Michigan when you apply. U.S. citizens satisfy the nationality rule automatically. For non-citizens, the rules tightened sharply on July 4, 2025, when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect and narrowed SNAP eligibility to three groups:³

Lawful permanent residents (green card holders), who generally face a five-year waiting period, with exceptions for people under 18, those with 40 qualifying work quarters, and individuals who are blind or disabled.
Cuban and Haitian entrants.
Citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, or Palau under the Compact of Free Association.

Refugees, people granted asylum, parolees, battered immigrants, and several other categories that previously qualified are no longer eligible for SNAP on the basis of those statuses alone. If a person in one of those groups has since become a lawful permanent resident, the LPR rules apply.⁴

Every household member applying for benefits needs a Social Security number or proof of a pending application for one.⁵

Assets Usually Don’t Matter

Michigan eliminated the asset limit for most Food Assistance households on March 1, 2024. The old $15,000 cap no longer applies to the vast majority of applicants.⁶

One narrow exception remains. Households that include someone age 60 or older or a person with a disability, and whose gross income exceeds the standard limit, are evaluated under federal rules that impose a $4,500 asset limit.⁷ Even then, your home does not count regardless of value, and retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are excluded.⁸

One asset-adjacent rule still binds everyone: a single lottery or gambling win of $4,500 or more disqualifies the household and must be reported.⁶

Work Requirements

Most adults on Food Assistance must register for work and accept a suitable job if offered. You are exempt if you are already employed, physically or mentally unable to work, caring for a child under six, or in a drug or alcohol treatment program.

A stricter set of rules, called Time-Limited Food Assistance (TLFA), targets able-bodied adults without dependents. Federal changes Michigan began implementing on December 1, 2025 apply TLFA to adults ages 18 through 64 with no children under 14. The previous upper age limit was 54, so this is a significant expansion.⁹

If TLFA applies to you, you can only receive three months of benefits in any 36-month period unless you meet the requirement each month by doing one of the following:

Working at least 80 hours per month (an average of 20 hours per week), including self-employment, volunteer work, or in-kind work.
Participating in an employment and training program through Michigan Works! for at least 80 hours per month, available in select counties only.
Performing community service for a nonprofit, with hours calculated by dividing your monthly benefit by the state minimum wage.

Some areas are exempt from TLFA because of high unemployment or limited job availability. The exempt counties are Alcona, Alger, Arenac, Cheboygan, Iosco, Iron, Luce, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oceana, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Presque Isle, Roscommon, and Schoolcraft. Exempt cities are Bay City, Detroit, Eastpointe, Flint, Jackson, and Saginaw.⁹

College Students Face Extra Rules

If you are enrolled at least half-time in a college, university, or trade school, low income alone does not qualify you. You need to meet one of the student exemptions:¹⁰

Working at least 20 hours per week in paid employment.
Participating in a federal or state work-study program.
Being a single parent of a child under 12 and enrolled full-time.
Caring for a child under 6.
Receiving TANF (the Family Independence Program in Michigan).
Being under 18 or age 50 or older.
Being placed in college through a SNAP Employment and Training program or a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program.

Meeting one of these only unlocks the door. You still have to pass the income and other eligibility tests.

Elderly and Disabled Households

Households that include a member who is 60 or older or who has a disability get special treatment in two directions. On the one hand, if the gross income exceeds 200% FPL, categorical eligibility is lost and the household must meet a tighter net income test: net income at or below 100% of the poverty level after allowable deductions.¹ On the other hand, these households get larger deductions, so the net income number can land well below the gross number.

A prior drug felony conviction is not a bar in Michigan. The state lifted its ban on SNAP eligibility for people with felony drug convictions in 2020.

How Deductions Can Pull You Under the Limit

If your gross income is close to the ceiling or you are in an elderly or disabled household that needs to meet the net income test, deductions decide whether you qualify. MDHHS subtracts these from your gross income:

A standard deduction applies to every household. For FY 2026, it is $209 per month for one to three people, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more.¹¹

If anyone in the household works, 20% of gross earnings is automatically excluded.

Shelter costs that exceed half of adjusted income count as the excess shelter deduction, capped at $744 per month for most households in FY 2026. Households with an elderly or disabled member face no cap.¹¹

Out-of-pocket childcare or care for a disabled household member is deductible when the care lets someone work, look for work, or attend training.

Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability can deduct medical expenses above $35 per month. The $35 is a single household threshold, not a per-person figure. Insurance premiums, prescription copays, transportation to medical appointments, and similar out-of-pocket costs count.¹²

If after running your numbers you look eligible, applications go through the MIBridges portal at michigan.gov/mibridges, by mail, or in person at a local MDHHS office using form MDHHS-1171.¹³ Most decisions come within 30 days,¹⁴ and benefits run retroactive to your filing date if you are approved.¹⁵

1
Department of Health & Human Services. Bridges Eligibility Manual – Categorical Eligibility
2
Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. RFT 250 – FAP Income Limits
3
Food and Nutrition Service. OBBB Implementation Memo – Alien SNAP Eligibility
4
Food and Nutrition Service. Alien SNAP Eligibility – Question and Answer 1
5
Social Security Administration. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts
6
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Food Assistance Programs – Asset Limit Changes
7
Department of Health & Human Services. Eligibility
8
Food and Nutrition Service. Clarification on Exclusion of Retirement Accounts from Resources
9
Department of Health & Human Services. Work Requirements for Food Assistance
10
Food and Nutrition Service. Students
11
USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Maximum Allotments and Deductions
12
Food and Nutrition Service. A Guide to the Treatment of Medical Expenses for Elderly or Disabled Household Members
13
Department of Health & Human Services. Assistance Application (MDHHS-1171)
14
State of Michigan. How Long Does It Take to Process an Application
15
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2 – Office Operations and Application Processing