SNAP resource limit: what counts

The short answer, and the fiscal year it applies to

The limit has two layers. The regulation at 7 CFR 273.8(b) sets a base of $2,000 for most households and $3,000 for households with an elderly or disabled member, and then says those base amounts are adjusted for inflation every October 1 and rounded down to the nearest $250, using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the twelve months ending the previous June. Because of that yearly adjustment, the regulation text alone does not tell you today’s number. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service eligibility page, updated October 1, 2026, gives the current figures: $3,000 in countable resources, or $4,750 if at least one household member is 60 or older or has a disability. Those figures apply to applications from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. They will change again next October, so check the date before relying on them.

What counts as a resource

Section 273.8(c) splits resources into two groups. Liquid resources are cash on hand, money in checking and savings accounts, savings certificates, stocks and bonds, and certain lump-sum payments. Nonliquid resources include personal property, licensed and unlicensed vehicles, buildings, land, recreational property and any other property that is not specifically excluded. For nonliquid property other than licensed vehicles, the value counted is equity value, meaning fair market value less what is owed on it. A second house or a parcel of land with a mortgage therefore counts only for the equity above the debt, and only if no exclusion covers it.

What is excluded

The list in 273.8(e) opens with the words “only the following shall be excluded,” so anything not on it counts. The main exclusions are the home and the surrounding lot; household goods and personal effects; the cash value of life insurance; one burial plot and one funeral agreement per household member; the cash value of pension plans; and retirement accounts under the Internal Revenue Code sections the rule lists, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) annuities, traditional and Roth IRAs and 457(b) plans, as well as the Thrift Savings Plan. Qualified ABLE accounts under section 529A are excluded, as are 529 college savings plans and Coverdell education accounts. Property that produces income consistent with its value is excluded, which the rule says includes rental homes and vacation homes. Tools and equipment essential to a household member’s job, farmland, resources a household cannot reach (irrevocable trusts that meet the listed conditions, security deposits, property in probate, real property being sold in good faith) and resources of anyone who receives SSI or public assistance are also excluded. Federal and state earned income tax credits are excluded for set periods after receipt.

How vehicles are valued

Vehicles are where the rule gets technical. Under 273.8(e)(3), a licensed vehicle is fully excluded if it is used for income-producing purposes, needed for long-distance work travel, used as a home, needed to transport a physically disabled household member, needed to carry fuel or water for home use, or if selling it would raise no more than $1,500. Any other licensed vehicle is valued under 273.8(f). The state counts in full the part of its fair market value above $4,650, regardless of what is owed on it, and also looks at its equity value, and counts the greater of the two amounts. That $4,650 threshold dates from October 1, 1996 and is written into the regulation. One licensed vehicle per adult household member is exempt from the equity test, as is a vehicle driven by a member under 18 to get to work or school. For those vehicles only the value over $4,650 counts. States can also substitute the vehicle rules of their TANF program when that gives a lower result.

Worked example

A household with no older or disabled member has $1,400 in checking, $900 in savings and one car with a fair market value of $7,000 on which $5,500 is owed. The car is not an excluded type, and it is the only licensed vehicle for the one adult. As the sole vehicle of an adult, it is exempt from the equity test, so only the part of its fair market value over $4,650 counts, which is $2,350. Total countable resources are $1,400 plus $900 plus $2,350, or $4,650. That is above $3,000, so under the federal rule alone this household fails the resource test. If the car were instead a work vehicle that is excluded, the total would drop to $2,300 and the household would pass. The calculator on this page does that arithmetic for one vehicle.

Categorical eligibility often removes the test

Section 273.8(a) says households that are categorically eligible under 273.2(j)(2) or (j)(4) do not have to meet the resource limits or definitions in this section. The FNS page adds that most state agencies have adopted broad-based categorical eligibility, which allows them to align income and resource limits with their TANF-funded programs. A household that qualifies this way can still fail other tests, such as the income limits, so see the SNAP income limits page for the FY2027 table. Because SNAP is state-administered, your state agency decides which option applies, so check its rules before assuming either limit.

Moving money around

Excluded money that sits in a separate account keeps its exclusion indefinitely, but under 273.8(g) excluded funds mixed with non-excluded funds keep the exclusion for only six months before the whole account counts. Transfers are also checked: under 273.8(h) a household that knowingly transfers resources to qualify for SNAP can be disqualified for up to a year, and the length depends on how far the transferred amount pushes the household over the limit, from one month for under $250 over to twelve months for $5,000 or more. Transfers at fair market value, between household members, or for reasons other than qualifying do not trigger this.

Next steps

If you are over the federal limit, ask your state agency whether it applies a higher limit or none, and whether any of your resources fall under an exclusion. After the resource test, benefit size depends on income and deductions, covered in the SNAP benefit calculator and the maximum allotment chart. For when your case is reviewed, see SNAP recertification rules.

Sources

• 7 CFR 273.8, Resource eligibility standards (eCFR, issue date October 29, 2026). Read November 2, 2026.
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP eligibility (page updated October 1, 2026). Read November 2, 2026.

Regulation text: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Part 273, current to the October 29, 2026 issue date (7 CFR 273.8, Resource eligibility standards). SNAP is run by state agencies under federal rules, so state options, forms and deadlines vary, and the regulation text can lag recent changes to federal law. Dollar limits change each October 1; this page states the fiscal year wherever a dollar figure appears. Marked for human review.