As part of determining a client’s program eligibility and responsibilities,
when entering earned income in BEACON, hours worked must also be entered.
In most situations, the number of hours worked per pay period will be available
on a client’s wage stubs, pay envelopes, employer statement, or through
other acceptable earned income verification.
Determining Hours Worked When Not Available on Wage Stubs
When a client’s wage stubs or other earned income verification does
not include the number of hours worked, but includes the client’s hourly
rate:
divide the gross income listed on the earned income verification by the hourly rate
use
the result as the number of hours worked
Example: Jose submits the following weekly wage stubs:
7/28 – 8/3, listing $256.50 in gross income
8/4 – 8/10, listing $297.00 in gross income
8/11 – 8/17, listing $216.00 in gross income
8/18 – 8/24, listing $249.75 in gross income
Jose’s wage stubs list his hourly rate at $13.50 per hour but do not detail the hours worked per week. To determine the number of hours worked, the FAW handling Jose’s case performs the following calculations:
$256.50 gross income / $13.50 hourly = 19 hours
$297.00 gross income / $13.50 hourly = 22 hours
$216.00 gross income / $13.50 hourly = 16 hours
$249.75 gross income / $13.50 hourly = 18.5 hours
A
detailed narrative must be included in any case where hours worked are
determined in this manner.
If the client is experiencing difficulty obtaining verification of their
hours worked, case managers and FAWs must explore verification by
collateral
contact if
this option is feasible for the client. If attempts to verify the information
by collateral contact fail, the client may supply their hourly rate by
verbal statement for purposes of determining the client’s hours worked.
Important |
Clients claiming eligibility based on the number of hours worked, such as an ABAWD or a Student, may not supply their hourly rate by verbal statement. See Hours Pertinent to SNAP Eligibility below. |
Hours
Pertinent to SNAP Eligibility
In
addition to determining income eligibility for SNAP, hours worked may
also be required to determine other SNAP eligibility factors.
If the client is considered a:
Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) who, based on the interview, is:
claiming to be meeting the work requirement by working 20 hours per week, or
claiming to be employed 20 hours per week when averaged monthly (80 hours per month), or
claiming to be employed 30 hours per week averaged monthly or the federal minimum wage equivalent (30 x $7.25); or
Student who, based on the interview, is claiming that s/he is working at least 20 hours per week or is working 20 hours per week when averaged monthly
and
hours worked cannot be determined based on the Determining Hours Worked
procedure above, staff must explore verification by collateral
contact if
this option is feasible for the client. If verification cannot be obtained
in this manner, a
mandatory (VC-1) must be sent requesting the required information.
Important |
A
client claiming eligibility based on the number of hours worked,
such as an ABAWD or a Student, may do so if they meet the criteria
outlined above. When a client’s hours worked cannot
be determined based on available verifications, and the client's
eligibility is dependent on hours worked, a mandatory VC-1 must
be sent for the missing information. These clients may self-declare
their hours worked in writing if the employer is unable to supply
this information. |
For more, see Types of Earned Income, ABAWD Work Requirement Overview and Students.
Hours Pertinent to TAFDC Eligibility
In the TAFDC program, work program required clients need to meet a minimum
number of hours of participation through either engagement or work or
a combination of both to remain eligible for TAFDC benefits Work
Program Requirements Policy and Procedures. Some work program
required clients who are working are still engaged with their Employment
Services Program (ESP) provider. For these clients, if hours are not available
on the wage stub and cannot be determined using the method above you must
reach out to the ESP provider to determine the number of hours worked
by collateral contact. If the client is not enrolled with an ESP provider,
a VC-1 must be sent to the client under the appropriate program.
A detailed narrative must be included when the hours worked are determined in this manner.
For more, see Types of Income - TAFDC, Earned Income - TAFDC, and Meeting the Work Program Requirements
Determining
Hours Worked Examples
Example 1:
William, 24, is applying for SNAP, is a student attending Roxbury Community
College, and states that he works an average of 22 hours per week for
a local business. William supplies his wage stubs for the previous four
weeks:
10/27 – 11/2, listing $308.00 in gross income
11/3 – 11/9, listing $350.00 in gross income
11/10 – 11/16, listing $280.00 in gross income
11/17 – 11/23, listing $322.00 in gross income
William’s wage stubs list his hourly rate at $14.00 per hour but do not detail the hours worked per week. To determine the number of hours worked, the FAW handling William’s case performs the following calculations:
$308.00 gross income / $14.00 hourly = 22 hours
$350.00 gross income / $14.00 hourly = 25 hours
$280.00 gross income / $14.00 hourly = 20 hours
$322.00 gross income / $14.00 hourly = 23 hours
Based on this calculation, the FAW determines that William meets the Student eligibility criteria as he is paid for a minimum of 20 hours per week averaged monthly.
Example 2: Michael, 40, is applying for SNAP, and works part time for a small construction company. Michael states he works for an average of 20 – 25 hours per week. Michael supplies his wage stubs for the previous four weeks:
4/28 – 5/11. listing $504.00 in gross income
5/12 – 5/25, listing $552.00 in gross income
Michael’s wage stubs list his hourly rate at $12.00 per hour but do not detail the hours worked per week. To determine the number of hours worked, the FAW handling William’s case performs the following calculations:
$504.00 gross income / $12.00 hourly = 42 hours
$552.00 gross income / $12.00 hourly = 46 hours
Based on this calculation, the FAW determines that William is meeting the ABAWD Work Requirement as he works at least 20 hours per week averaged monthly.
Example 3: Lori, 32, is applying for SNAP in her local TAO. Lori states she works an average of 30-40 hours per week as a receptionist for a doctor’s office. As verification of her income, Lori submits an employer statement detailing her last four weeks’ pay. The employer statement details:
2/24 – 3/9, listing $1,050.00 in gross income
3/10 – 3/23, listing $1,125.00 in gross income
The
employer statement supplied by Lori does not detail her hourly rate and
does not detail her hours worked for the periods.
As part of the application interview, the FAW handling Lori’s case informs
her that this additional verification element will be needed for BEACON
entry before her application can be completed and that this can be accomplished
through a collateral contact. Lori completes and signs a Voluntary Consent
to Release Information (VARI-O). The FAW is then able to contact Lori’s
employer and establish the numbers of hours worked for the required periods.
Income
Policy and Procedures (EAEDC)
Earned
Income Policy and Procedures (SNAP)
Income
Policy and Procedures (TAFDC)
Last Updated: January 9, 2020