Health & Benefits

A Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) unit is a group of people who need help with money to buy food. A unit is typically a family but does not have to be a family. A SNAP unit can be:

• A person of any age who lives alone,
• A person who lives with others, but buys and makes his or her own food, or
• A group of people who live together and buy and make their food together.

The size of the SNAP unit helps the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) determine how much money you should get. The following people must be included in your SNAP unit:

• Your spouse that lives with you,
• Any parent and their child under age 22, and
• Anyone under age 18 who is under the parental control of an adult SNAP unit member (meaning they are dependent on the non-parent adult SNAP unit member), even if they eat separately. 

You may choose to include or exclude any foster children in your SNAP unit.

In the case of parents who share joint custody of a child or children, the children can be included in a SNAP unit if they live at least 50% of the time with the parent who is applying for SNAP benefits. The children cannot also actively be part of a SNAP unit with the other parent.

It is possible to live in the same house and be considered a separate SNAP unit from your child, but only if you are living in totally separate living quarters with no shared living space. For example, if the child is living in a completely separate apartment in the basement of the parents’ home. The apartment must have its own kitchen, bathroom, etc. Then, the parent and child may be considered separate SNAP units. In some situations, college students living in a household may be excluded from the SNAP unit. Some qualifying members may be considered 2 separate SNAP units even though they purchase and make their food with the people they live with. Check with your local DHS office if you think this could apply to you.