Household Composition Guide
To determine who is included in a SNAP household, ask the following questions:
Are all of the people living in the same apartment/house?
Do you purchase and prepare food together?
You are a separate SNAP household
You are all one SNAP household
Are the other people in your home relatives?
Example: spouse, children, parents, and sisters/brothers
Relatives have to be part of your household for SNAP purposes if they are:
- Spouses living together
- Parents and children under age 22 who live together even if the child has their own minor child(ren) and/or spouse living with them.
- Children under age 18 living with and under the “parental control” of an adult other than their parent/stepparent. (For information on how “parental control” is determined, see 07-INF-14 Child-Only Questions and Answers pg 11, question 41, and SNAPSB Section 5: pp. 50 c. + note)
Relatives who may be separate SNAP households if they purchase/ prepare food separately:
- Adult brothers & sisters living together
- Adult children, 22 or older, living with parents
- Cousins, uncles/aunts, and other distant relatives
They are not part of your SNAP household.
They may apply for SNAP separately.
