Do food stamps count as income?

[NewPage]

We are on the verge of getting approved for food benefits, and my husband was wondering if they count as income in a BK?

Thanks

[MSbklawyer]

We are on the verge of getting approved for food benefits, and my husband was wondering if they count as income in a BK?

Thanks

Yes, they do.

[bk2009]

Of course, it bears to mention that if you're poor enough for food stamps, it's not like you make a ton of money. It will only bring you to the 130% of the FPL.

[scorpion35]

Of course, it bears to mention that if you're poor enough for food stamps, it's not like you make a ton of money. It will only bring you to the 130% of the FPL.

how poor do u have to be?
cause i have seen people use food stamps and then drive away in a mercedes

[IBroke]

how poor do u have to be?
cause i have seen people use food stamps and then drive away in a mercedes

Not everybody driving an expensive car owns an expensive car - and I'm speaking from experience here. Let's say they made a huge down-payment and have a lower monthly payment on that car (maybe it's a lease as well). In that case, you can even "drive" such a car with a very low income without having a lot of equity in it or any equity at all (lease).

[bk2009]

Or you could have already had the mercedes and suddenly find yourself unemployed and under the 130% of the FPL (about 28k for a family of four, btw).

[tcreegan]

Hi all,

Food stamps are a SSA benefit, not counted in the means test at least. Agree w/ all, if you qualify for food stamps income is not going to be a problem in the BK

As to those who abuse govt charity, no one does it better than the State of NM, southern Lousiana, and the City of Chicago.....

Tom in Colo

[HHM]

I concur, in the big picture, it really doesn't matter because if you legitimately qualify for food stamps, you are not over the median income and will pass the means test.

[NewPage]

I concur, in the big picture, it really doesn't matter because if you legitimately qualify for food stamps, you are not over the median income and will pass the means test.

That's what I was thinking. Thanks all.

We do legitimately qualify, with our family of six and the income that is less than half of last year's. But because my husband is self-employed, you would not believe the hoops I am having to jump through to prove his income.

We got approved initially based on last year's taxes. Dumb. I took those in because they are required, but also took in this year's earnings to date info. Yeah, they approved us for a whopping $142/month! Um....sorry, not gonna cut it. (Interesting to know that we could have qualified last year with the excellent gross income DH had then. But like I told the DHS worker: "If we were making this much now, I WOULDN'T BE HERE!!") We *should* qualify for around 600-800 I believe, based on information I have found. So I am currently waiting for them to pull their heads out and realize that the full year of bank statements I provided a week ago show the true picture of this year.

Meanwhile, I do see career welfare moms in there who seem to get approved no problem....

My husband was very reluctant to let me do this, but I know it will really help us. We are just benefiting from the thousands of dollars we have paid in over the years, and continue to pay in. It's a temporary situation.

[tay666]

There was a place in the paperwork for our lawyer to state our monthly food stamps.
I think it was basically one of those things that needed to be documented, but doesn't really count for anything.
Probably added in to the total income, then backed back out again somewhere along the way.

[debtprison]

how poor do u have to be?
cause i have seen people use food stamps and then drive away in a mercedes

This is an older post but I thought I'd help clear it up. Food stamps actually have a means test which is almost as strict as Bankruptcy. An interview with a caseworker is usually required as well and they do have the rarely used option of visiting the applicant's home should they choose to.

Despite this states have some leeway in various areas with how the program is administered. In some states (such as Florida) your homestead property does not count against you nor does your vehicle. This means that in theory a person could live in a $3 million dollar mansion and own a BMW while still qualifying for food stamps. However more often than not these exemptions end up being more helpful to the middle class who have fallen on hard times. After all who would want to sell the family car in order to qualify for food stamps so that you can feed your kids when you still need the car to take them to school and do things like buy groceries?

[enuffznuff]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks all.


Meanwhile, I do see career welfare moms in there who seem to get approved no problem....

Yes, well hopefully your hard times won't last as long as theirs have. Like, for example, hopefully your husband, the main income earner, does not leave you and your children and refuse to pay support, leaving you trying to support 4 children on a low wage job. Because you might find a new perspective on 'welfare moms' were that the case.

Some people work the system, but your own experience in qualifying for food stamps should have caused you to review your perspective on how 'easy' it is to support a family on government benefits.
I wonder if anyone who saw you sitting in the room waiting for your own appointment ASSUMED you are a career welfare mom who has never paid in a dime and just takes, takes takes? Since you don't have a sign on your forehead saying "I paid taxes before so *I* am entitled", how would anyone know?

I'm sorry, this was just a really offensive statement.

[willdufauve]

Yes, well hopefully your hard times won't last as long as theirs have. Like, for example, hopefully your husband, the main income earner, does not leave you and your children and refuse to pay support, leaving you trying to support 4 children on a low wage job. Because you might find a new perspective on 'welfare moms' were that the case.

Some people work the system, but your own experience in qualifying for food stamps should have caused you to review your perspective on how 'easy' it is to support a family on government benefits.
I wonder if anyone who saw you sitting in the room waiting for your own appointment ASSUMED you are a career welfare mom who has never paid in a dime and just takes, takes takes? Since you don't have a sign on your forehead saying "I paid taxes before so *I* am entitled", how would anyone know?

I'm sorry, this was just a really offensive statement.

+1

Doesn't anyone care to remember that Ronald Regan created the false myth of the Cadillac driving welfare queen when he kicked off his presidential campaign, speaking to members of the Ku Klux Klan (CCC) in the town of Philadelphia, Mississippi? The New York Times searched for the Cadillac driving welfare queen about whom Reagan spoke for 6 months...no such person existed; it was a total lie.

[HHM]

Okay, this thread has lost all value, close time.