The CAO must not count the income and resources of persons living with the household who are not household members.
The following are not household members:
Roomer—A person who pays the household for lodging but not meals.
Live-in attendant—A person who lives with the household to give personal service, such as medical care, housekeeping, or childcare.
Boarder—A person or group of persons who live with the household and make a reasonable payment for meals and lodging. Foster children and foster adults are boarders.
Ineligible students—See Chapter 514.
Others—Persons who live with the household but do not usually buy food or prepare meals with the household.
An elderly person (and their spouse) who is eating with others because the elderly person cannot prepare meals may be a separate household only if both of the following conditions are met:
The countable income of the persons the elderly person lives with cannot be higher than 165% of the poverty level found in Chapter 568, Appendix A.
NOTE: The CAO must not count the elderly person and spouse or their income when counting household size or comparing income with the poverty level. The elderly person (or their AR) must give proof of income.
The elderly person must be unable to buy food and prepare meals because of a permanent disability.
The disability requirements here are different from the requirements in Section 510.21. The permanent disability may be any physical or mental disability, regardless of whether the person receives disability benefits.
Unless the disability and its effects are obvious, the person must provide a statement from a physician or a licensed or certified psychologist that verifies the disability and verifies that the disability makes the person unable to buy and prepare meals.
Examples:
Cameron, age 62, lives with their child Jordan, and Jordan's family. A stroke left Cameron partially paralyzed. Jordan prepares Cameron's meals, because Cameron is unable to buy food and prepare their own meals. The income of Jordan and Jordan's is less than 165% of the poverty level. Cameron can be a separate SNAP household.
Joey is elderly and unable to buy meals because of a permanent disability. The income of those with whom they live is less than 165% of the poverty level. Joey is a separate, one-person household. If Joey had a spouse, the spouse would be included in their household, whether or not the spouse could prepare meals.
A roomer or a live-in attendant is not included as a member of the SNAP household with whom they live.
A roomer or live-in attendant applying as a separate household must have eligibility determined as for any other household.
NOTE: A mandatory household member must never be considered a roomer or live-in attendant, no matter what the actual living arrangements are.
A boarder is not eligible as a separate household. However, a boarder who is included as a member of the household providing board may be eligible for SNAP benefits.
A mandatory household member must never be considered a boarder, no matter what the actual living arrangements are.
A person or group of persons may not be considered boarders unless they are making a reasonable payment for meals and lodging. A reasonable payment is:
The amount of the maximum SNAP benefit for the number of persons making a payment if the payment is for at least three meals per day; or
Two-thirds of the maximum SNAP benefit if the payment is for fewer than three meals per day.
If one payment is made for both room and board, the CAO must consider only the amount paid for meals to decide whether the payment is a reasonable amount.
If the amount paid for meals cannot be separated from room rent, the CAO must consider the full amount of the payment to decide whether the payment is a reasonable amount.
A boarder making a reasonable payment must not be included when deciding on eligibility and must not be considered a household member unless the household chooses to include the boarder.
If the household chooses not to include the boarder in the household, then the CAO:
Must not count the boarder’s income and resources.
Must not include the boarder in the SNAP benefit.
Must count the boarder’s payment to the household as self-employment income.
If the household chooses to include the boarder as a household member, then the CAO:
Must count the boarder’s income and resources.
Must include the boarder when deciding on the benefit and the gross and net income eligibility limits.
Must not count the boarder’s payment as income, because it is money transferred between household members.
Individuals paying less than a reasonable amount for board must be included as members of the household providing board.
The CAO must not include ineligible students when deciding on the benefit level, the resource limit, or the gross and net income eligibility limits.
An ineligible student cannot get SNAP benefits as a separate household.
The CAO must not count income and resources of an ineligible student when deciding whether a household is eligible.
When earned income of the ineligible student and a household member is combined into one payment, the CAO must count only the household member's share. If the household member's share cannot be identified, the CAO must do the following:
Divide the income by the number of household members who earned the income plus the student to figure out each person's share.
Count the shares of the household members, not including the student’s share.
When deductible expenses are shared by the household and an ineligible student or disqualified individual, the CAO must count only the household's share.
Example: An ineligible student and a household member each pay half of the $300 monthly apartment rent. The amount of rent counted as a shelter expense for the household is $150.
If the household's share cannot be identified, the CAO must do the following:
Divide the deductible expense by the total number of household members plus the student to figure out each person’s share.
Count the shares of the household members, not including the student’s share.
Updated March 12, 2026, replacing March 1, 2012