Income Eligibility

• To be eligible for food stamps, Connecticut households must be living at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. That means that for a household with four people, your gross monthly income cannot exceed $3,400. If you have someone who is 60 or older living with you, the allowable gross income is slightly higher, but your net income, after allowable deductions for essential living expenses, cannot be more than $1,838 a month.
  
  

Asset Limits

• If your income is higher than 185 percent of the poverty level, you can still apply for food stamps if your assets---the things you own---amount to less than $3,000 in total worth. You can exclude your home, vehicles and retirement accounts when calculating your assets.
  
  

Benefit Amounts

• The amount of benefits you receive will depend on the needs of your household, as determined by your case officer at Connecticut's Department of Social Services. The state does set maximum benefit levels per month, no matter your circumstances. For a single person, that maximum is $200 each month. For a family of four it is $668 per month.
  
  

Pre-Screener

• If you're not sure if you would be eligible for Connecticut's SNAP program, you can use an online pre-screening tool, available from the nonprofit End Hunger Connecticut (see Resources). This online tool will ask you for basic information about your household and will calculate if you are eligible and what your benefit level might be. It takes about 10 minutes to use the pre-screening tool, and the information you give is completely confidential.
  
  

Applying

• You should apply for Connecticut's food stamps program through the state's Department of Social Services. You can print out an initial application online and then mail it in, but you will need to be prepared for a lengthy follow-up interview with an intake officer at your nearest DSS office. If you would rather initiate your application in person, you can also do this at your DSS office. You should be prepared with paperwork to verify your identity, your income, your assets and your expenses.
  
  

Using the Benefits

• If you are eligible for food stamps you will be issued with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Your benefits will be automatically placed on the card each month and you can then use it at the grocery store in the same way you would use a debit card to buy food and beverages, as well as plants and seeds if you have a garden. You cannot buy pet food, toiletries or other non-food items with the card, and your card also cannot be used to buy tobacco or alcohol.