Food stamps (SNAP) in
Tennessee.

USDA's June 2026 chart lists 46 states and territories that use broad-based categorical eligibility, which in most of them raises the income limit or drops the asset test. Tennessee is not on the list, so the federal income and asset tests apply here, except for households where everyone gets SSI or Families First.

Gross income must be at or under 130% of poverty: $1,729 a month for one person and $3,575 for four from October 1, 2026. Net income after deductions must also be at or under 100%, which is $2,750 for four. TDHS's income sheet shows the same figures.

With a member 60 or older or disabled, only the net limit counts. That helps an older couple with high medical costs, because medical bills over $35 a month for elderly or disabled members are deducted.

Countable assets are capped at $3,000, or $4,750 if a member is 60 or older or disabled under USDA's FY2027 figures. TDHS's eligibility page still lists last year's $4,500. Cash, checking and savings, CDs, stocks, bonds, lump sums and property not up for sale all count.

Not counted: the home you live in and its lot, household goods, retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s, the cash value of life insurance, and real estate up for sale. A vehicle with equity under $1,500 is ignored too.

So is any vehicle used for family transportation, to get to work, to earn income, for subsistence hunting and fishing, as your home, to carry a disabled member, or to haul your heating fuel or water.

TDHS fast-tracks a household with under $150 in gross monthly income and $100 or less in cash and bank accounts. A household whose rent or mortgage plus utilities costs more than its income and liquid resources combined also qualifies.

Expedited households must get benefits by the 7th calendar day after applying. If you do not have a Benefit Security Card yet, TDHS aims to approve by the 4th day so the card and PIN reach you in time. Expect a call as soon as two days after you apply.

Fast-track service applies to a first application. A household that reapplies in the last month of its certification period does not get it for the next month.

TDHS accepts an application that has your name, your address and a signature, so file the same day you ask and finish the rest later. Anyone who asks has the right to same-day filing, and a county office mails a form the same day you call for one.

After the interview, upload proof through the Child Care and Family Assistance File Upload tile in the portal, at an office kiosk, or by mail. Online applicants can let Truv pull income and resource records. Getting documents in within 10 days of applying helps avoid delays.

Typical proof covers your Social Security number, ID, address, income, resources, rent or mortgage, and utility bills. Send copies, not originals, because mailed papers may not come back.

TDHS calls an adult 18 to 64 with no disability and no child under 14 in the home an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD). An ABAWD gets 3 months of SNAP in 3 years unless they work, volunteer or train at least 80 hours a month, about 20 hours a week.

The current 3-year clock runs January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, and the months do not have to be in a row. USDA's list for October 1, 2026 shows no Tennessee areas with a time limit waiver, so the rule applies in all 95 counties.

TDHS lists these exemptions: being pregnant, living with a child under 14, caring for someone sick or disabled, getting Social Security, SSI or VA disability, a health problem that stops work, school at least half-time, drug or alcohol treatment, or unemployment benefits.

If your case closes over the rule, you can qualify again by meeting the 80-hour standard for 30 days in a row or by becoming exempt. Separately, most able-bodied people 16 to 59 must register for work and cannot quit a job.

USDA approved Tennessee's request on December 10, 2025 to bar SNAP from buying processed foods and drinks such as soda, energy drinks and candy, for two years starting July 31, 2026. On May 21, 2026, USDA approved changes to the state's food definitions.

On June 22, 2026, before it started, the US District Court for the District of Columbia vacated the approval in Aragon v. Rollins and ruled the waiver may not be put in place. USDA's waiver list, updated October 13, 2026, still shows that ruling for Tennessee, so normal SNAP food rules apply here.

The free ebtEDGE app and cardholder portal, built by FIS, let you freeze the card at once, block out-of-state purchases, change your PIN and order a replacement. TDHS warns against look-alike apps that charge a fee or do not list FIS as the developer.

TDHS will never call or text to ask for your card number or PIN, so treat any such message as a scam. For a lost, stolen or damaged card, call EBT Customer Service at 888-997-9444 and confirm the mailing address on file.

USDA's Summer EBT map lists Tennessee as not participating in 2026, so families here got no SUN Bucks grocery money for school-age children. USDA points those families to the Summer Food Service Program, which serves free meals to kids 18 and under at schools, parks and other sites.

You have 90 calendar days from the date of the notice to appeal. To keep your SNAP unchanged until the hearing decision, appeal within 10 days of the notice, but you may have to repay those benefits if you lose.

File online in the One DHS Customer Portal, by phone at 833-772-8347, or on form HS-3058-F sent by mail, email or fax (866-355-6136) to the Appeals Clerk's Office, 710 James Robertson Pkwy, 8th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. The form lets you pick a hearing by phone or in person.