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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 | Waivers SNAP - Other Waivers

FNS will not allow states to adjust adverse action requirements. States would have been allowed to suspend termination of cases and/or reducing benefit levels when cases should have been terminated or benefits reduced.

05/05/2021
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 | 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
Resource | Fact Sheets Modernizing the State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances

In October 2019, FNS published a proposed rule entitled “Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances.” This action modernizes the standard utility allowances used in calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in order to enhance program integrity and ensure equity among program participants.

10/01/2019
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2019-0079 Clarifying Requirements for Compliance with Prisoner Verification System and Deceased Matching System Regulations

The purpose of this memo is to reiterate the importance of state compliance with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program regulations, Prisoner Verification System and Deceased Matching System.

09/24/2019
Basic page Adverse Action

Deadline for Issuing a Notice of Adverse Action

Guide to Improving Notices of Adverse Action (NOAAs)

Comparable Disqualifications

Clarification of Comparable Disqualifications

04/09/2019
Resource | Research | Assessing/Improving Operations Methods to Standardize State Standard Utility Allowances

This study develops standard methodologies that might be used to construct standard utility allowances, which are used by States as part of the SNAP eligibility and benefit determination.

08/04/2017
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance | FNS-GD-2014-0067 Guide to Improving Notices of Adverse Action

The guide allows you to evaluate NOAAs to see how well they work for clients; and improve them using proven plain language and information design techniques. In addition, the guide contains models for general notices—providing you with some basic language and formatting examples that can be adapted to notices.

09/18/2014
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2014-0046 Best Practices in Developing Effective SNAP Client Notices

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide regional offices and state agencies with information that can help them examine and revise client notices of denial and termination to improve SNAP customer service and program access.

06/02/2014
Page updated: October 14, 2021