Tennessee Food Assistance
Food Stamps * Food Banks * Food Pantries * Soup Kitchens * WIC
School Meals * Special Milk * Summer Food * Senior Nutrition
In the State of Tennessee, there are many sources for help with food. The Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens are all helping residents in need to cope with hunger and food insecurity.
ON THIS PAGE
Learn more about
SNAP benefits a.k.a. Food Stamps.
Who is eligible for SNAP benefits (Food Stamps) in Tennessee?
How to apply for Tennessee Food Assistance?
How does Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) determine eligibility?
Approved! When and how do I get the Food Stamps benefits?
How much Food Stamps benefits do participants receive per month?
How and where to use Food Stamps benefits?
Food Stamp (SNAP benefits) in Tennessee
Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the Food Stamps Program as it is known by the public, is a federal program that provides grants to the States for purpose of reducing hunger and malnutrition in all eligible households across the nation. SNAP helps provide healthy food to qualifying low-income families with children, elderly or disabled in each State of the USA, including Tennessee. Learn more about SNAP.
It is important to know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal entitlement program funded by U.S. Government grants. Any U.S. Citizen, even some legal alien residents, will get free food assistance as long as they meet the SNAP eligibility guidelines. In other words, there is enough Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for every American that qualifies.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has many rules and they can vary from state to state and year to year. Under the SNAP federal guidelines, each state operates its own version of the food assistance program.
In Tennessee, the SNAP is known as Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) and is administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS). The Federal Government pays 100% of Tennessee SNAP Benefits with federal grants appropriated for SNAP. The SNAP federal grants also pay a share of the Tennessee SNAP administrative cost.
According to Tennessee Department of Human Services “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) provides nutritional assistance benefits to children and families, the elderly, the disabled, unemployed and working families.”
%
Approx. of the total Tennessee population received Food Stamp Benefits in 2018
Recipients in June, 2018 of Food Stamps (SNAP) Benefits in Tennessee
Recipients in June, 2017 of Food Stamp (SNAP) Benefits in Tennessee
Who is Eligible for SNAP (Food Stamps) in Tennessee?
The eligibility rules and benefit amounts in Tennessee, like in other States, are based on a limited income, limited liquid resources, household size, and other requirements, some of them specific to each State. Most eligibility rules are determined by regulations issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service.
It is important to know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal entitlement program funded by U.S. Government grants. Any U.S. Citizen, even some legal alien residents, will get free food assistance as long as they meet the SNAP eligibility guidelines. In other words, there is enough Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for every American that qualifies.
The federal law allows States some flexibility when implementing SNAP on a State level. State agencies can adapt some of the food assistance program rules in order to meet the needs of the eligible, low‐income local population.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is designed for individuals and families with limited income resources, who compose a household, and purchase and prepare their meals together for home consumption.
For the purpose of the SNAP, certain people must be included in one household account even if they purchase and prepare meals separately. Husbands and wives of any household member, their children under age 22 when living together, plus children younger than 18 who are dependents of an adult household member are all considered as a part of one household formation.
In Tennessee anyone with limited income and resources may apply for food stamps but, in general, to qualify for Tennessee SNAP (Food Stamp) Benefits you must meet the following basic eligibility requirements:
- Tennessee Resident – must be a U.S. Citizen or a legal resident with SNAP eligible non-citizen status;
- Work Requirement – unless exempted, each able-bodied household member who is 16 to 60 year old must be registered to work, and accept a suitable employment offer;
- Limited Resources – households must have countable household assets limited to $2,250 or less ($3,250 or less for households containing a member who is disabled or 60 years of age or older);
- Income Limits – Income limits eligibility depends on household size and composition. Households with no elderly or disabled individuals must meet both standard gross (130% of the federal poverty level – FPL) and net income (100% of FPL) limits. Households with elderly or disabled individuals must meet only the net income limits. Gross monthly income eligibility standards for households where the elderly, disabled are a separate household is 165% of FPL – see the table below. Gross income includes wages, salaries, commissions, dividends, child support, self-employment income, unemployment compensation, social security benefits, and other listed income sources.
Quick Eligibility Check
Use this Pre-Screening Tool to find out if you may be eligible to get Tennessee SNAP benefits (Food Stamps).
The screening allows interested in getting Tennessee food stamps to provide some basic information and find out if they are potentially eligible for benefits.
If you use this Pre-Screening Tool you will be notified immediately on the screen if you qualify after completing the questionnaire.
This is pre-screening information, and you still have to make an application at your local Tennessee DHS office.
The Department of Human Services is the agency in Tennessee that can make the final determination regarding your SNAP application in this State and grant you benefits.
To figure out, before applying, if you'd qualify for food stamps benefits in your state you have to consider the following:
- Your Household size: How many people you live and buy food with? Count:
- anyone you live with and buy and make food with
- children under 22 years old and,
- elderly 60+ and disabled that you make food for.
- Your Income: How much money does your household make? This includes both:
- earned income - the money you make from jobs and
- unearned income - cash assistance, Social Security, unemployment insurance, child support, etc.
Who counts as a member of the household for SNAP eligibility?
In general, anyone who lives with you and you buy food with counts a member of your household.
Your children under 22 of age count as household members, even if they buy and make their own food.
But your tenant, for example, or your adult children that are over 22 of age do not count. They are not counted in the household number for the purpose of food stamp benefits qualification.
The elderly age of 60+ and disabled people count as household members if you buy and make food for them, or you buy and make food together. If they live with you, but they buy and make food separately, they do not count as household members.
See the updated table below for this fiscal year's income limits and monthly benefits (allotments).
What is the gross and net income limit that qualifies you for food stamps?
SNAP Max Income for Food Stamps
Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020
| Household Size | Gross Monthly Income Limits (130% of poverty) | Net Monthly Income Limits (100% of poverty) | Max Food Assistance Benefit Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,580 | $1,215 | $291 |
| 2 | $2,137 | $1,644 | $535 |
| 3 | $2,694 | $2,072 | $766 |
| 4 | $3,250 | $2,500 | $973 |
| 5 | $3,807 | $2,929 | $1,155 |
| 6 | $4,364 | $3,357 | $1,386 |
| 7 | $4,921 | $3,785 | $1,532 |
| 8 | $5,478 | $4,214 | $1,751 |
| Each additional member | +$557 | +$429 | +$219 |
Source: USDA, SNAP Income Eligibility Standards
What are Maximum Tennessee SNAP (Food Stamps) Benefits?
If approved, the Tennessee SNAP benefit amounts depend on the household size and the amount of their net income. USDA has maximum SNAP benefit limits per month per household size. Check below what are the maximum food stamp monetary amounts a household can get. The dollar amounts of the food stamp benefits are called allotments.
How to Apply for SNAP Benefits (Food Stamps) in Tennessee?
To apply for SNAP benefits in Tennessee download and print the “Family Assistance Application” form offered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services website.
Applicants for SNAP in the State of Tennessee can file an application in person, through an authorized representative, by fax, by mail, or online. The SNAP application may be submitted to any Tennessee local DHS Office.
If you are to file a paper form – just fill out all required information on the SNAP Application and mail or turn it in any local DHS Office.
If you do not have all the information that is needed to complete the SNAP application, provide as much as you can – but you must include your name, address, social security number, and your signature for the DHS office to accept it. All required information and its verification can be provided later at the interview or upon request.
If you are eligible, your SNAP Benefits will start from the date the DHS receives your application. However, if you provide more information, it will help DHS determine your eligibility more quickly.
The application process includes a SNAP eligibility interview and information verification. After you have submitted your application, the DHS office will contact you to set up an interview and verify the information on your application. If you are elderly, disabled individual, or unable to go to the office due to a hardship, call the DHS to request your SNAP eligibility interview conducted over the phone.
At the interview, you will meet with a DHS caseworker who will go over the information on your application and verify the required supporting documentation and proofs. You will also receive information from the worker or other staff about job requirements/opportunities and your responsibilities.
Within 30 days of the interview, if eligible, you will receive a notice stating how much food assistance benefit and for how long your household is eligible for before a review of the case is due, along with reporting requirements.
The SNAP benefit amount depends on the household size and its net income – that is all countable income minus all allowable deductions.
If Tennessee DHS finds you eligible for SNAP benefits, you will be entitled to receive food stamps from the date your signed application was received.
Tennessee SNAP applicants also have the option to apply for SNAP benefits online using the Tennessee DHS Online Application System that enables users to apply and manage their benefits online.
Tennessee SNAP Benefits Approval, Rules, Proofs Required
The DHS has to verify the provided information and interview you before determining if the household is eligible for SNAP Benefits.
Here is a DHS list of what needs to be verified when a household applies for SNAP benefits:
- Identity
- Residency
- Household Size
- Alien Status
- Social Security Number
- Income
- Liquid Resources
- Dependent Care Expenses
- Medical Expenses
- Shelter Costs
- Actual Utility Costs
- Entitlement to the Utility Standard
- Questionable Information
- Loans
Additional information and proof may be required depending upon your situation. In case you are not able to provide all the information during the SNAP application interview, you will be given time to provide the required proof.
Applicants for SNAP benefits in Tennessee should get a response within 30 days from the date they submitted their application to the local DHS office. When start getting food stamps benefits, households must report any changes of their situation in a set period of time in order to assure their participation in the Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Under the simplified reporting option, households are required to report changes in income between certification and scheduled reporting periods when total countable income rises above 130% of the poverty level or when work hours change for able‐bodied adults without dependents.
SNAP regulations require all non‐exempt household members to comply with work requirements. Work requirements include registering for work, not voluntarily quitting a job, and accepting a suitable employment offer. As per federal SNAP guidelines, individuals who fail to comply with SNAP work requirements without good cause are ineligible for program benefits and disqualified from SNAP for certain periods of time, depending on how many prior instances of non‐compliance there have been.
The law limits the SNAP benefits to 3 months in a 3-year period for all able-bodied adults between the ages of 18-49 without dependents, who are not working or participating in a work program for at least 20 hours each week.
As part of the SNAP federal grant assistance requirements, each State has to offer employment and training (E&T) program to its SNAP benefits recipients. Participants in such programs, where available, can get adult education, vocational training, job skills training for specific jobs, and work experience via short-term unpaid work assignments. Tennessee SNAP recipients may choose to participate in the Employment and Training Program if eligible.
The main goal of the work requirement is to help the food stamp recipients get jobs, reduce or eliminate their dependency on the government benefits.
Call 1-866-311-4287 to find more about the Tennessee E&T Program for SNAP recipients.
Approved! When and How Do I Get the SNAP Benefits?
Tennessee SNAP provides the benefits via the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system. The monetary benefits of the Tennessee SNAP benefits are transferred to the accounts of qualified beneficiaries and are accessible through a Tennessee Benefit Security Card, which is issued to anyone approved for SNAP benefits. The Tennessee SNAP Benefits are deposited into the recipients’ accounts each month following the Benefit Issuance Schedule.
Benefits are made available based on the last two digits of the head of the household’s Social Security Number (SSN). If the last 2 digits of SSN are:
00-04 = benefits available on the 1st of the month
05-09 = benefits available on the 2nd of the month
10-14 = benefits available on the 3rd of the month
15-19 = benefits available on the 4th of the month
20-24 = benefits available on the 5th of the month
25-29 = benefits available on the 6th of the month
30-34 = benefits available on the 7th of the month
35-39 = benefits available on the 8th of the month
40-44 = benefits available on the 9th of the month
45-49 = benefits available on the 10th of the month
50-54 = benefits available on the 11th of the month
55-59 = benefits available on the 12th of the month
60-64 = benefits available on the 13th of the month
65-69 = benefits available on the 14th of the month
70-74 = benefits available on the 15th of the month
75-79 = benefits available on the 16th of the month
80-84 = benefits available on the 17th of the month
85-89 = benefits available on the 18th of the month
90-94 = benefits available on the 19th of the month
95-99 = benefits available on the 20th of the month
If you have any question regarding your EBT Account or EBT Card call Tennessee EBT Customer Service: 1-888-997-9444
How and Where to Use the SNAP Benefits?
When approved, Tennessee SNAP beneficiaries will get Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards – Tennessee Benefit Security Cards. Tennessee EBT cardholders may use their Benefit Security Cards in authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stores in any of the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Check this list of Tennessee SNAP participating stores that are authorized to take EBT cards for purchasing of SNAP-eligible food items. Eligible food items are any food to be eaten at home by people, including baby food, non-alcoholic beverages, and seasonings. Seeds and plants to grow food for your own family’s consumption are also allowed to be purchased with food stamp benefits. You cannot buy non-grocery items with food stamp benefits, such as cleaning products, pet food, paper products, alcohol, or tobacco.
I Need Food Assistance Now. It is an Emergency!
Some households may get Expedited Services – that is getting Food Stamp Benefits within 7 calendar days if your household has less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid resources (cash, checking or savings accounts) of $100 or less; or your rent/mortgage and utilities are more than your household’s combined monthly income and liquid resources, or a member of your household is a migrant or seasonal farmworker. In order to get expedite assistance, if you qualify for it, provide all required information and proof as soon as possible. Call 1-866-311-4287 for more information on the Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Tennessee Food Assistance Program
Find more about Tennessee Food Assistance Program
Search for Food Assistance by County and Town
Food Banks in Tennessee
Tennessee food banks play an important role in the overall Tennessee food assistance effort to end hunger and food insecurity throughout the State of Tennessee.
Their main objective is to collect food from various sources like wholesale organizations, grocery stores, and farms who have food in excess and are willing to donate.
Food banks then, sort, store, and distribute donated food to local soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries.
The Food Bank Association of Tennessee is such a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger in Tennessee.
Tennessee Food Banks
Food Pantries in Tennessee
Food pantries offer food directly to people that need it and who have the means to cook it. They usually receive food from local food banks and in turn distribute it to low-income individuals and households at no cost.
Food pantries are typically located in facilities where received food can be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner.
Each food pantry serves a designated local area and most of them require prior registration and approval before food can be distributed to a particular individual or a family.
Soup Kitchens in Tennessee
Soup kitchens serve cooked meals on-site to needy people at no cost. Like food pantries, they normally receive their food from local food banks.
Soup kitchens take care mostly of homeless people and people who do not have the means to cook for themselves.
They require storage, cleaning, and cooking equipment as they have to do food preparation, serving, and cleaning after the meals.
Food pantries are typically located in facilities where received food can be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner.
Each food pantry serves a designated local area and most of them require prior registration and approval before food can be served to a particular individual or a family.
WIC Program in Tennessee
Tennessee Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides healthy foods, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, health care referrals to Tennessee pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children during times of important growth.
Tennessee Women, Infants, and Children Program
School Meals in Tennessee
School meals in Tennessee are offered mainly through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
The Tennessee school meals programs make nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals available to school children each school day in the year.
School meals nutritional standards are based on the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Government and teachers have reported that students perform better in class if they get regular meals.
Children getting school breakfast also had significantly reduced absence and tardiness rates, according to a Tufts University study.
Tennessee School Lunch Program | Tennessee School Breakfast Program
Special Milk Program in Tennessee
Tennessee Special Milk Program offers milk to children in schools, childcare institutions, and eligible camps. Any child in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program can get milk.
Schools may elect to offer free milk to low-income children. In order to qualify for Tennessee Special Milk, the child must be a resident of the State of Tennessee.
Tennessee Special Milk Program
Summer Food Program in Tennessee
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is another Tennessee food assistance program that provides free meals and snacks to help low-income Tennessee children get nutritious meals in the summertime.
The Summer Food Service Program is a federal program that provides grants to local sponsors who want to combine a food service with a summer activity program.
The funding provided by SFSP ensures that Tennessee children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast.
Tennessee Summer Food Service Program
Senior Nutrition in Tennessee
Tennessee Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with special checks to buy fresh, nutritious fruits, vegetables, and herbs from authorized farmers’ markets. To qualify for Tennessee senior nutrition special checks, the applicants must be 60 years of age or older and their gross household income must not exceed certain limits.
An application must be completed for each person in the household that wants to apply for the SFMNP benefits. Once approved, each beneficiary must reapply every year to continue participating in the Tennessee Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Learn more about how the senior nutrition program works.
Tennessee Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
Sources: State Agencies, FNS, USDA