Income Limits for Food Stamps in New York City

New York is one of the states that participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Because of this, requirements to receive benefits in New York City are the same as those in other cities across the state, and in many other states around the nation. The primary qualifications for receiving assistance from the SNAP program are your income level and the number of members in your household.

Homes With No Dependents

• You do not need to be supporting children or other dependents to receive assistance with purchasing food in New York City. As of 2008, to be eligible for food stamps in a home without dependent care expenses, your combined household income cannot exceed $1,174 monthly ($14,088 annually) for a single-member household, for two members it's $1,579 ($18,948 annually), $1984 ($23,808 annually) for a three-member household, and a four-member household's monthly income cannot exceed $2,389 ($28,668 annually). For households larger than that, income restrictions rise by $406 monthly per person.

Homes With Dependent Children

• If you must support dependents, your cost of living is slightly higher and SNAP guidelines take this into account. To qualify for food stamps, if you're in a two-member household, you may not earn more than $2,428 monthly ($29,136 annually), three-member households may not earn more than $3,052 monthly ($36,624 annually), and four-member households income must be below $3,675 ($44,100). Qualifying income thresholds increase by $623 monthly for each additional household member.

Homes With Elderly or Disabled Dependents

• Families who support elderly or disabled members also carry an additional financial burden. The income-level restrictions for these families is the same as for homes with dependents with child care. There is no additional provision for families with dependent children and elderly or disabled members.

Resource Tests

• Unless a member of your household was previously disqualified from receiving food stamps or was sanctioned for misuse of the program, you won't need to pass resource tests to receive SNAP aid in New York City. Families who are required to pass a resource test must not have financial holdings, including savings, the value of a vehicle and stock holdings, that exceed $2,000.

Maximum Benefits

• Although your food stamp budget varies depending on your financial situation and needs, the program limits the amount families may receive in aid each month. A single-person household may not receive more than $200 in aid, a two-member household's benefits are held to $367, $526 for three-person households, $668 for four members, $793 for five members, $952 for six members, $1,052 for seven members and $1,202 for eight family members. The monthly benefits limit increases by $150 for each family member beyond the eighth.