Are you applying for food stamps in Texas and want to know how much you can expect to receive in benefits each month? If so, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will walk you through the step-by-step instructions on how to use the Food Stamp Calculator in Texas. This will help you find out exactly how much food stamps you will get in Texas.
Your monthly Texas food stamp benefit amount is primarily based on your household size and income. The Texas Food Stamp Calculator will help determine if food assistance will make a significant difference for your household.
In addition, this article will cover:
- Texas SNAP Benefits Overview
- Food Stamp Calculator in Texas for 2022
- Texas Food Stamp Eligibility
- Your Texas Benefits Pre-Screener Tool
- How to Apply for Texas Food Stamps
To find out how much you can expect to receive in Texas food stamp benefits each month, continue reading below.
Texas Food Stamp Benefits
If your household is struggling to afford food, then applying for Texas food stamp benefits could provide you with some much-needed relief.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps provides monthly cash benefits to eligible Texas households.
Monthly SNAP benefits can be used to purchase eligible food items at grocery stores, markets, gas stations, bakeries, and more.
Benefits are accessed by using an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card, also known as the Texas Lone Star Card.
In the state of Texas, the program is administered by the TX Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Your Texas Benefits online portal.
When applying for Texas food stamp benefits, one of the first questions applicants want to know is how the food stamp calculator in Texas works.
The Texas Food Stamp Calculator tells you exactly how much you will receive in monthly benefits.
This is important because it allows you to determine if food assistance will make a difference for your household.
With that said, let’s get started on how to calculate your Texas food stamp benefits.
How much Food Stamps will I get in Texas?
The amount of food stamps you receive comes down to a few major factors – your household income, household size, and the number of allowable deductions.
Other factors such as assets and resources (i.e. cash, bank accounts, etc.) play a role in how much you can expect to receive in monthly food benefits.
Additionally, your monthly household income includes money earned from work, as well as payments from Social Security, Unemployment, and SSI.
Food Stamp Calculator in Texas for 2022
Use the Texas Food Stamp Calculator provided below to find out how much you will receive in food assistance benefits.
To begin, we first have to look at the maximum benefit a household could get.
This amount is set each year by the United States Department of Agriculture. For fiscal year 2022, here are the maximum monthly benefits for your household size.
|
Maximum SNAP Benefit Amount by Household Size for Texas |
|
|
Effective October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022 |
|
|
Household Size |
Maximum SNAP Benefit Allotment |
| 1 | $250 |
| 2 | $459 |
| 3 | $658 |
| 4 | $835 |
| 5 | $992 |
| 6 | $1,190 |
| 7 | $1,316 |
| 8 | $1,504 |
| Each Additional Household Member: | +$188 |
The table below from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) shows you the maximum benefit amount and estimated average benefit amount for the household size.
As you can see, for a household of one, the maximum food stamps benefit per month is $250. However, the average is $175, which translates to $5.83 a day on average.
For a family of four, the maximum benefits that can be received is $835. However, the average benefit amount for a family of four is $638 per month. This averages $21.26 a day to purchase food for a family of four.
Texas Food Stamp Calculator – Example
To calculate how much you can receive in food stamp benefits, we have provided an example below.
This example from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) will show you how much a family of three is expected to receive. The family shown includes one full-time, minimum-wage worker, two children, dependent care costs of $67 a month, and shelter costs of $927 per month.
We hope the example provided below will help you calculate your own benefit amount.
To find out if your household is eligible to receive monthly food stamps in Texas, use the eligibility guidelines highlighted below.
Texas Food Stamp Eligibility Guidelines
To be eligible for the Texas Food Stamp Program, you have to meet the eligibility requirements established by the USDA.
In order to apply for the Texas food stamps, you must first meet a certain criteria.
To qualify for Texas SNAP EBT Card benefits, you must:
- Be a U.S. Citizen or Legal Non-Citizen
- Live in the state of Texas
- Meet the TX SNAP Income Limit
In addition to the eligibility requirements listed above, your household must also meet the three income and resources tests.
Income is the most important requirement when it comes to qualifying for Texas food stamps.
The three tests include your household’s gross monthly income, net income, and assets.
To make calculating your SNAP eligibility easy, the Texas Health and Human Services created an online pre-screening tool to help find out if you are eligible for food stamp benefits.
The pre-screening tool is available on the Your Texas Benefits online portal.
To find out how to use the Your Texas Benefits online tool to determine your Texas food stamps eligibility, then continue reading below.
Your Texas Benefits Pre-Screening Tool
If you think you are eligible for Texas Food Stamp benefits, you can use the pre-screening tool on the Your Texas Benefits website to determine if you qualify for Texas food stamp benefits.
Please note, the Your Texas Benefits Pre-Screening Tool is an application to determine eligibility for several benefit programs. The prescreening tool covers most of the Texas food stamps rules.
However, to fully determine your eligibility for benefits, you need to submit a Texas SNAP Application.
YourTexasBenefits Pre-Screening is used to determine eligibility for:
- Food Assistance (SNAP)
- Cash Assistance (TANF)
- Low or no cost healthcare (Medicaid)
- Help to pay Medicare premiums
To find out how to use the Texas Benefits Pre-Screening Tool, follow the step-by-step instructions provided below:
Step 1 – Visit the Your Texas Benefits website
The first thing you need to do is visit the Your Texas Benefits website.
You can visit the website at www.yourtexasbenefits.com.
Once on the website, scroll to the bottom to locate the Pre-Screening Tool on the bottom-left of the page.
After that, click the “Start Tool” link.
For reference, please see the screenshot below.
Step 2 – Enter the Eligibility Pre-Screening Tool
Once you start the Pre-Screening Tool, you will be taken to a new page.
Read the text, then click the “Next” button located at the bottom of the page.
For reference, your webpage should look like the one shown below.
Step 3 – Select your Benefits
Now you will begin the Your Texas Benefits Eligibility Tool.
In addition to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps), you can also be screened for health care (Medicaid and CHIP) and cash assistance benefits (TANF).
You can also determine your eligibility other services such as:
- Food pantries
- Child care
- After-school programs
- Help filling out taxes
- Help paying rent or utilities
- Help finding housing
- Help with getting rides (transportation)
- Help paying for medicines ordered by a doctor
Please select which benefit programs you would like to be screened for from the list, then click the “Next” button.
Step 3 – Provide Household Member Information
Next, you will be asked to provide basic information pertaining to each member of your household. This includes their name, age, sex, and relationship to you.
You will also be asked to select any household members that are claimed as a dependent.
Step 4 – Provide Personal and Income Information
After that, you will have to provide additional details regarding each household member. This includes your monthly income from any job(s), as well as, any disability or retirement benefits, nursing home assistance, medicare benefits.
In addition, you will also be asked to provide the total monthly amount for any other income from Social Security, Child Support, Cash/Gifts, Unemployment payments, and more.
Step 5 – Provide Housing and Medical Expenses
Next, you may or may not be asked to provide information related to your household expenses. This includes monthly mortgage or rent, heating costs, and cooling costs.
Additionally, you will be asked to provide a monthly amount for any adult care or medical expenses you incur.
Step 6 – Provide your Total Assets
Lastly, you may be asked to provide an estimate for your total household assets. This can include:
- Savings and checking accounts
- Individual Retirement Accounts(IRAs)
- 401ks and annuities
- Other resources (vehicles, investments or property other than your home)
- Stocks, bonds or certificates of deposit (CDs)
- Cash on hand and not in a bank
After that, the pre-screening tool will tell you if and what benefits you may be eligible for in Texas based on the information provided. If you are eligible for benefits, Your Texas Benefits will let you proceed by completing an online application for Texas food stamps.
For more help determining if your household is eligible to receive food stamp benefits in Texas, check out our complete Texas SNAP Eligibility Guide.
How to Apply for Texas Food Stamps
Once you completed the Texas Food Stamps Calculator and have determined that you are eligible for benefits, you can complete a Texas SNAP Application.
There are four ways you can apply for food stamps in Texas – online, in-person, by phone or mail.
For instructions on how to apply for Texas food stamps, follow the step-by-step guide below.
Option 1: Online via Your Texas Benefits
The first option is to apply online using the Your Texas Benefits online portal. You can access the Your Texas Benefits website by visiting www.yourtexasbenefits.com.
If this is your first time using YourTexasBenefits, you will first have to create an online account.
Creating a YourTexasBenefits account is quick, easy, and should only take a few minutes.
Once you have created your account, you can apply for food stamp benefits online by submitting your TX SNAP Application.
Option 2: In-Person at TX HHS Office
The next way to apply for food stamps in Texas is in-person at your local county Health and Human Services (HHS) office.
Click here for a full list of Texas HHS Office locations.
Option 3: By Phone
If you do not have access to a computer or transportation, you can also submit your TX SNAP Application by phone.
To apply for Texas food stamps by phone, please call 877-541-7905 or dial 2-1-1 in your phone and select “Option 2” from the menu.
You will be walked through the steps on how to apply for benefits by phone.
Option 4: Mail or Fax
The last option for completing your Texas SNAP Application is by mail. In order to complete your application by mail, you must download the TX SNAP Application online.
To apply for Texas food stamps by mail, click here to download the Texas SNAP Application.
Once completed, mail the application to your local county Health and Human Services (HHS) Office.
To get the mailing address for the TX HHS Office near you, use the Texas SNAP Office Location finder.
You can also mail your completed application to:
HHSC
PO Box 149024
Austin, TX 78714-9968
Texas Food Stamps Customer Service Phone Number
For more help with your Texas food stamps eligibility or application, contact your local county assistance office (TX HHS).
You can also call the Texas SNAP Customer Service Center at 1-877-541-7905.
Customer Service representatives are available to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm Central Time.
If you are hearing impaired or deaf, please contact TDD Services by calling TX Relay Services at 211.
TX Food Stamps Calculator Questions
We hope you found this article on the Food Stamp Calculator in Texas was helpful to you!
If you have any additional questions about how to calculate your Texas food stamp benefits or need help determining your eligibility, please let us know in the comments section below.
If the meantime, check out our other articles on Texas Food Stamps:
Texas Food Stamp Income Limits for 2022
How much will a family of 4 get in Texas SNAP Benefits?
Texas SNAP Eligibility Guidelines for 2022
How to get more Food Stamps in Texas
Get 50% OFF Amazon Prime with Texas EBT
Texas Food Stamps FAQs
