How to Get Food Stamps or SNAP Benefits When Self-Employed

Updated on October 9, 2019
Food stamps for the self employed or contractors
Food stamps for the self employed or contractors

Self Employed People that Often Apply for Food Stamps:

  • Flea market/online sellers
  • Writers
  • Commissioned/affiliate salespeople
  • Lawn care professionals/seasonal workers
  • Farm stand owners/agricultural workers
  • Artists/Craftspeople
  • Anyone who gets a 1099 form

Working for yourself is not only a test of wits and skills but often just plain survival. Many self-employed people do not earn consistent wages, but earn per project. This means that if they do not have a contract or a project to work on, they do not get paid, and can go hungry.

Luckily, the USDA food stamp program, also known as SNAP, allows the self-employed to get food benefits as well. People within 100% of the poverty guidelines can get a monthly food stamp benefit maximum of approximately $175 per person. Income guidelines are also more relaxed if you happen to have a disabled family member or a person over 60 years of age in your home. Here's how to get your SNAP benefits.

In addition, once you get approved for food stamps, you'll generally be eligible for Medicaid national healthcare. In the past it was very difficult for self-employed people to get these two benefits, but the U.S. and state governments have made it easier in the past few years.

Very Important!

The rules allowing people to get food stamps without work are expiring or have expired across most of the country. If you live in a county or state that requires you to work to get food stamps (often referred to as workfare) and you are between the ages of 18 to 49, your self-employment will generally fill this requirement if:

  • You make 30 times hourly federal minimum wage per week (gross income you would get if you worked 30 hours a week at minimum wage) before expenses

If you do not fulfill this requirement or have a different exemption you could be forced to apply for jobs after three months on SNAP benefits if you are an able bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) aged 18 to 49.

The Closer You Are to the Poverty Guidelines the More Likely You Are to Get the Maximum Monthly SNAP Benefit

How to Apply for Food Stamps When Self Employed

  1. First, check the Federal Poverty Guidelines above to see if you qualify. The closer you are to 100% poverty, the more likely you are to get the maximum monthly benefit. To find out your income as it relates to the above chart, subtract your business expenses from your total gross business income. This gives you your final income calculation, which is pre-tax.

  2. Find your state's SNAP benefit application. These days you usually do not need to go in-person to apply. You can often apply online or by mail. Mail is usually better because you will need to provide a small paper trail. In most cases people do meet with a counselor at some point during the process, but phone interviews are becoming more common in lieu of these meetings.

  3. You will fill out the food stamp application with your pre-tax/post-expense income listed on a few simple lines. At this point you send your application back and wait for a response. If you qualify, within a few weeks you will be asked to send in the required paperwork or make an appointment for the local office to bring it in.

  4. Required paperwork for proof of income: If you have not filed taxes yet, what you will need to do is fill out a self-employment ledger. South Dakota has its own ledger. You can use it as an example to come up with your own simple chart table in MS Word. On the self-employment ledger, you basically need to have date, income, hours worked, expense amount, and expense description columns. This is especially useful if you are in your first year of self-employment and do not have to pay your first quarterly taxes or first tax bill until the following year. If you filed taxes as a self-employed person already, your caseworker will usually use your Schedule C form from the previous year.

  5. To back the self-employment ledger up, it is ideal if you also have payment statements from the people that hired you or you sold goods to, such as an invoice or receipt. Keep whatever expense receipts you receive as well. Save these items for your own reference.

  6. After you have sent all your paperwork in, you will receive another letter within a few weeks stating whether you qualify or need more follow-up.

  7. If you receive a letter stating that you qualify, the whole process from the beginning of the application to receiving a loaded EBT (food stamp) card takes about a month. However, if you qualify you can also get emergency food stamps in as little as 7 days.

Proof You Need to Apply for Food Stamps

Typical proof requirements for food stamp recipients
Typical proof requirements for food stamp recipients

Calculating Your Food Stamp Allotment

Depending upon how your specific state SNAP office calculates self-employment income for food benefits, you will generally have two options:

  • They will deduct 50% off of your pre-expense/pre-tax income, or
  • They will allow you to deduct all of your expenses if they exceed 50% of your pre-expense/pre-tax income

You must provide proof of the following besides income:

  • SSN
  • Citizenship
  • Any childcare costs
  • Utility bills
  • Rent or mortgage/property tax/home insurance costs

This information is furnished during the same round you send in your business ledgers/proof of income.

Stretch Your Food Dollars!

Employment and Unemployment Technicalities

  • You normally cannot be forced to apply for unemployment compensation if you have been unemployed more than 60 days. This saves you from having to apply for jobs where you work for someone else. It respects the aspect that you want to remain self-employed.
  • If you are pregnant, disabled on SSI, parent to a child under 6 years of age, or you are 60 years of age or older, you are exempt from any federal work requirements to get food stamps.

How Food Stamps Help Americans

Must-Know Tips for Getting Food Stamps/SNAP Benefits as a Self-Employed Person!


Why are you applying for food stamps?

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On Your Side:

  • Most states allow you to exempt your house, car, and retirement accounts from the asset calculations. You generally will not have to furnish bank account statements either when applying for food stamps only. You will, however, have to tell them how much cash you have available in checking or savings.

Where You Might Run Into Issues:

  • If your income changes drastically with the seasons, you will want to explain this. You might find you will have to go through more re-certifying paperwork.

Proactive Measures:

  • It is in your best interest to make sure your line totals from any invoices or payment statements match up to line items in your monthly business ledgers exactly. In other words, make it easy for the SNAP benefit processor/counselor to understand your proof of income paperwork. Don't make them search for or figure out your numbers. Since most food stamp applications come from people who work for wages in traditional jobs, the counselors are not used to receiving your type of paperwork as often.
  • Make your paperwork as succinct and in as few pieces as possible. Despite wanting to think SNAP counselors "should just do their jobs", it is much easier and beneficial for you if they can process your paperwork without having to throw their hands up in the air for having so much paperwork to deal with. Since food stamps are a matter of you and your family's survival, it behooves you to make it easy for the counselor.

Remaining Eligible for Food Stamps:

  • You will usually be required to re-certify your eligibility for food stamps/SNAP at least every six months. So pay attention to your income, keep your records up, and report any major income changes to the government. If you make too much in income for any amount of months without first reporting it, you will most likely owe any overpay on the food stamps back.

The USDA SNAP program is greatly beneficial for American citizens. It keeps food on the table and often helps prevent starvation. As a hard-working self-employed person who pays taxes, if you qualify, you should definitely use them.

If you find out you do not qualify for food stamps, find a food bank in your area for another chance to get food at no cost to you.

Information Sources:

  • United States Department of Agriculture
  • United States Department of Health & Human Services


Questions & Answers

  • I have a family of 3. It is just me and my 2 minor kids. I am a new Licensed Life Insurance agent. I am an independent agent and only get paid by commission. I'm already on food stamps. Would I still continue to qualify?

    If you are not required to have an income equivalent to 30x minimum wage per week then you should continue to qualify if you are within the income limits. The 30x minimum wage requirement is for self-employed people who do not have kids or who are disabled or medically unfit for work.

  • What if I’m remodeling a house for a place to live. Do I qualify for food stamps?

    I'm not sure what your overall situation is so I couldn't answer this. Remodeling a house alone would not qualify you for food stamps. You would need to provide your local SNAP office with the components outlined in the above article that detail your self-employment income. You could deduct the business portion of the home for expenses (including % of tools and materials based on % of home your business plans to occupy). Also, you would need to choose which address is your permanent home address when corresponding for the SNAP office. You might have to provide utility bills for your initial application as well.

  • I own an S Corp. How does this work with food stamps?

    Depending upon how your state handles this, if you have not filed a tax return yet, you might need to show your articles of incorporation. An S corporation's income is treated as self-employment income and averaged out on a yearly basis once you have filed a tax return.

  • My income is $1,155. Do I qualify for food stamps?

    If your net self-employment income after business expenses (but before taxes) is $1,155 and you live by yourself you might be able to get at least $101.00 in SNAP benefits per month. I made some assumptions to come up with this figure, such as your rent or mortgage payment is $400 and you also pay for heating/cooling of your dwelling. Depending upon the state you live in and how they calculate self-employment income, you could get more in SNAP benefits. Also, if your rent/mortgage is higher and/or you have more people in your home living off of this income, you would also get more.

© 2015 Stove And Home


Submit a Comment
  • Stove And Home profile imageAUTHOR

    Stove And Home 

    5 weeks ago

    I am sorry to hear you do not qualify for SNAP. Yes, depreciation is not an allowed expense under SNAP rules, no one explains why this is so to the public. From my research it is due to depreciation complicating for caseworkers the picture of actual current income and expenses ... money that goes in and out in any given month.

    I really hope you will at least be able to utilize food pantries to help feed your family.

  • profile image

    Nolan Hilbrands 

    5 weeks ago

    My caseworker told me I don't qualify for SNAP benefits for a family of 6. I'm a self employed farmer. I show a negative on my shedual, but was informed they do not recognize depreciation as an expense? Is this true and can you please explain why this is?


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