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Resource | Policy Standard Utility Allowances

States annually update Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs) to reflect changes in utility costs. When determining a household’s eligibility, states consider a household’s total shelter costs, including the cost of utilities. Since actual utility costs are often hard to determine, states can use SUAs, which are standard amounts that represent low-income household utility costs in the state or local area. SUAs may be used in lieu of the household's actual costs when determining eligibility and benefit amount.

10/01/2023
Resource | Policy Memos TEFAP – State Plan Requests and Allocations for FY 24 Farm to Food Bank Projects

The purpose of this memo is to allocate funding for Farm to Food Bank Projects in FY 2024.

09/07/2023
Resource | Federal Register Documents Comment Request: SNAP SUA State Options

FNS will collect and approve information from state agencies on how the various state SNAP agencies develop, update, change and implement options will be determined for SUAs for household.

06/06/2023
Resource | Federal Register Documents SNAP: Non-Discretionary Quality Control Provisions of Title IV of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018

USDA is adopting the interim final rule on non-discretionary quality control provisions of Title IV of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, and its correction, as final.

04/18/2023
Resource | Policy Memos TEFAP State Plan Requests and Allocations for FY 2023 Farm to Food Bank Projects

The purpose of this memo is to allocate funding for Farm to Food Bank Projects in FY 2023. 

08/12/2022
Resource | Federal Register Documents Comment Request - SNAP-Ed National Program Evaluation and Reporting System

This is a new collection to consolidate and improve SNAP-Ed data collecting and reporting, as required in the 2018 Farm Bill.

06/10/2022
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2020-0166 TEFAP State Plan Requests and Allocations for FY 2021 Farm to Food Bank Projects

This memo is addressed to TEFAP state agencies and provides the initial allocations for FY 2021 Farm to Food Bank Projects. This memo includes details on information collections under OMB# 0584-0293 and OMB# 0584-0594.

10/07/2020
Resource | Comment Request Comment Request - SNAP State Agency Options for Standard Utility Allowances and Self-Employment Income

This information collection addresses the state agency reporting burden associated with the following state agency options under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Establishing and reviewing standard utility allowances (SUAs) and establishing methodology for offsetting cost of producing self-employment income.

10/25/2019
Resource | Final Rule Final Rule: TEFAP Implementation of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018

Through this rulemaking,  FNS is codifying new statutory requirements included in the 2018 Farm Bill.

10/04/2019
Resource | Proposed Rule Proposed Rule: SNAP Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances

The proposed rule would revise SNAP regulations to standardize the methodology for calculating standard utility allowances. 

10/03/2019
Page updated: October 14, 2021