For applicant households, for both the gross and net income tests, the county will budget income the household already received during the month of application, and if there are additional months in the quarter to which the applicant household will be assigned, any “reasonably anticipated” income for that same time period. (See the section about prospective (quarterly) budgeting for more information about anticipated income.)

Example: If a person applies in December and is assigned an October-December quarter, only the December actual income will be used by the county. If the household applies in November, however, the county will budget for the remainder of the calendar quarter using November’s actual income and the projected income for the two months remaining in the quarter. [MPP § 63-503.322(a); 7 C.F.R. § 273.10(a)]

For migrant and seasonal farm workers whose source of income has terminated, however, only the income for the month of application is considered. [MPP §§ 63-503.242(c) and .43; 7 C.F.R. § 273.10(e)(3).]  “Change-reporting” households (i.e., where the household contains seasonal and/or migrant farm workers, resides on an Indian reservation, is homeless, or where all members are elderly or disabled) also can be found eligible based on the income in the month of application, even if they are not entitled to benefits in the next month. Similarly, the change-reporting household can be ineligible in the month of application but granted based on anticipated changes in the subsequent month, without requiring a new application. [MPP § 63-503.14]

The county will deny the applications of quarterly reporting households whose anticipated quarterly averaged income makes the household ineligible, unless the household is categorically eligible based on receipt of cash assistance. [MPP § 63-503.327(b)]

A household’s benefit level for the initial month of certification is prorated from the date the county received the application. [MPP § 63-502.13; 7 C.F.R. § 273.10(a)(ii).]  If the county processed the application beyond the 30 days due to the household’s fault, the benefits are prorated from the date the household completed the required action. Migrant and seasonal farm worker households that have a break in participation of 30 days or less get benefits for the whole month, without proration. [MPP § 63-502.13]