Citizenship and Residency

• In general, you must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident to qualify for food stamps. All members of the household being counted for purposes of determining eligibility and benefit amounts must have a Social Security number or proof that they have applied for one. You generally must also show proof that you are in the country legally. If you are in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons, or you have a child of any age living in your household and you are not a U.S. citizen, you can still receive food stamps. In addition to showing proof of citizenship, you must also provide proof of residency in the state where you apply for benefits.
  
  

Income

• Because food stamp benefits are income-based, you must provide proof of your income. In general, this means presenting several weeks' worth of pay stubs or, in the case of the self-employed, tax information for the previous year. If you are receiving income from unemployment or disability benefits, you must provide copies of these pay stubs or other documents that support your income claims.
  
  

Expenses

• If your shelter costs are more than half your monthly income, you can deduct a certain amount of those expenses from your monthly income to determine benefits. Be prepared to provide proof of your housing costs, with either a copy of your lease or a cancelled check from your landlord or a payment receipt from your mortgage lender if you own your home. Have copies of your heating and utility bills available as well. If you have someone in your household who is disabled or over 60 and his medical bills are more than $35 a month, you can deduct the costs of his medical care from your income as well. Have copies of the medical bills available to prove that expense.
  
  

Assets

• The government allows food stamp recipients to have as much as $2,000 in countable assets, or $3,000 if someone in the household is elderly or disabled. Countable assets include checking and savings accounts and, in some cases, the value of a vehicle. Retirement or pension accounts, your home and vehicles used to transport disabled people are not considered assets. You may be asked to provide copies of bank statements and information about your vehicle to verify your assets when you apply for food stamps.