• Food stamps allow needy people to buy groceries.picking bananas image by michael langley from Fotolia.com
  
  Food stamps are one way the government helps needy families and individuals put food on the table. According to the California Department of Social Services website, the average food stamp benefit per household is $200 a month, as of March 2010. Food stamps can be used to buy almost any type of food, as well as seeds and plants to grow vegetables and fruit. They cannot be used to purchase medicines, vitamins, pet food, alcohol or tobacco, cleaning supplies or any non-food items. The amount of food stamps a household receives varies with the size of the household and the ages of the members of the household.
  
  

Citizenship

• The first requirement for food stamp eligibility in California is United States citizenship.Exceptions include legal immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years. If legal immigrants have lived in the United States less than five years, they may still be eligible for food stamps if they are under 18 or if they are receiving disability benefits.
  
  

Gross Income

• In order to receive food stamps in California, a household's gross income--meaning all income from all sources, whether earned or unearned--cannot exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). The United States Government establishes the FPL each year and is based on family size, so a family with three members has a different FPL than a family with 10 members. If the household includes an elderly or disabled adult, then the gross income to qualify for food stamps rises to 165 percent of the FPL.
  
  

Net Income

• If the household meets the gross income requirements, then the state considers net income. First, the California government deducts 20 percent from any earned income (wages and salaries). The remaining 80 percent is the net income. From this, the state deducts a housing allowance, which is based on the number of persons in the household. If the amount a person is paying for rent or housing is more than 50 percent of what they earn each month, they're allowed an excess housing deduction for the amount above 50 percent. The state also sets a standard utility allowance that can be deducted per household. Homeless people have a different set of figures they can deduct from gross income to represent their hypothetical housing expenses.
  
  Households are also allowed to deduct the cost of child care or other dependent care from their gross income for the purposes of figuring food stamp eligibility. Other deductions may be allowed for certain medical expenses.
  
  Certain income is exempt and is also deducted when computing net income. This includes grants and scholarships, education loans, and money from charities, as long as that money doesn't exceed certain levels.
  
  The money left over after all these deductions is the household's net income. In order to receive food stamp benefits in California, net income can't be more than 100 percent of the FPL.
  
  

Resources

• A person's home, vehicle and personal property such as clothing and furniture, aren't considered when computing eligibility for food stamps in California. But any other potential sources of money are taken into account. If the person owns property other than their home, or savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks and bonds, or any other assets, the value of these assets cannot exceed $2,000 for most households, and $3,000 for the disabled or those are 60 years or older
  
  

Employment

• All non-disabled adults between the ages of 18 and 49 must work at least 20 hours a week or spend 20 hours a week participating in an approved activity in order to be eligible for food stamp aid in California. A person not meeting these requirements may still receive food stamps, but only for three months out of a three-year period.
  
  

Other Requirements

• In California, all adults in the household receiving food stamp benefits will be fingerprinted and photographed, with the information kept on file.