If you pay for child care or for care of a disabled adult, you may be able to get more food stamps!
Do you pay for child care? Do you pay someone to care for a disabled adult in your household?
If you do, tell your DTA worker.
You can count these expenses as "deductions" from your income for Food Stamps. This means that you can get more Food Stamps.
Do I have to be working to count these expenses?
You can count the money you pay for child care, or for someone to care for a disabled adult, while you do any of the following things:
- work or look for a job (including travel time);
- go to school;
- go to training that will help you get or keep a job; or
- do volunteer work or another activity required by the Food Stamp Employment/Training Program.
What kinds of expenses count?
For children the following expenses count:
Child care |
Everything you pay for child care, that isn't paid back to you, including co-payments; |
Before- and
|
The cost of an adult-supervised activity before and after school, and during school vacations; |
Public Transportation Costs |
If you or your child takes a bus, subway or train to or from the care provider, or activity; |
Mileage
|
If you drive your child to or from the care provider, or activity. |
How much can I count?
The rules changed October 1, 2008.
Now you can count all of your child care expenses. There is no limit.
How much will my Food Stamps go up?
Every $3 you spend on childcare may increase your Food Stamps by $1 – up to the maximum food stamp amount.
Example:
A mother earns $1800/month and pays $600 rent plus heat. She pays $300/month in childcare for her two children ($150 each). If DTA doesn't know about her childcare expenses, she gets $208/month in Food Stamps. With this deduction, her Food Stamps go up to $298/month.
Make sure to tell your DTA worker about your child care expenses!
Produced by Defne Ozgediz and Patricia Baker, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated May 23, 2007
