If you pay for child care or for care of a disabled adult, you may be able to get more SNAP/Food Stamps!
Do you pay for child care? Do you pay someone to care for a disabled adult in your household?
If you do, tell your DTA worker.
You can count these expenses as "deductions" from your income for SNAP/Food Stamps. This means that you can get more SNAP/Food Stamps.
Do I have to be working to count these expenses?
You can count the money you pay for child care, or for someone to care for a disabled adult, while you do any of the following things:
- work or look for a job (including travel time);
- go to school;
- go to training that will help you get or keep a job; or
- do volunteer work or another activity required by the SNAP/Food Stamps Employment/Training Program.
What kinds of expenses count?
For children the following expenses count:
Child care |
Everything you pay for child care, that isn't paid back to you, including co-payments; |
Before- and
|
The cost of an adult-supervised activity before and after school, and during school vacations; |
Public Transportation Costs |
If you or your child takes a bus, subway or train to or from the care provider, or activity; |
Mileage
|
If you drive your child to or from the care provider, or activity. |
How much can I count?
The rules changed October 1, 2008.
Now you can count all of your child care expenses. There is no limit.
How much will my SNAP/Food Stamps go up?
Every $3 you spend on childcare may increase your SNAP/Food Stamps by $1 – up to the maximum SNAP/Food Stamps amount.
Example:
A mother earns $1800/month and pays $600 rent plus heat. She pays $300/month in childcare for her two children ($150 each). If DTA doesn't know about her childcare expenses, she gets $305/month in SNAP/Food Stamps for 3 people. With this deduction, her SNAP/Food Stamps go up to $440/month for 3 people.
Make sure to tell your DTA worker about your child care expenses!
Produced by Defne Ozgediz and Patricia Baker, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated November 2009
