Colorado SNAP Benefits for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

SNAP Household Rules Are Different from Colorado Works

If you've already applied for a child-only Colorado Works grant, you know that your income is excluded from that calculation. SNAP works differently. Under federal and state SNAP regulations, a minor child under 18 living with an adult relative who exercises parental control must be included in the same household unit as the caregiver. Your income, assets, and the child's are evaluated together.

This means SNAP eligibility for a grandparent-grandchild household depends on the grandparent's income — unlike the child-only TANF grant.

Colorado's BBCE Makes the Income Limit More Generous

Colorado uses Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE), which allows households with gross monthly income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to meet the gross-income screen. Receiving a child-only Colorado Works grant may support categorical eligibility, but it does not guarantee SNAP eligibility or a particular benefit amount.

For the 2026–27 federal fiscal year, the 200% FPL gross-income limits are about $3,608 per month for a two-person household and $4,554 for three people. These thresholds are higher than the standard 130% FPL SNAP limit.

What Income Counts and What Doesn't

For SNAP, most income sources count: wages, Social Security retirement, Social Security disability, pensions, and the child-only Colorado Works cash grant (counted as unearned income).

What doesn't count:

• SSI payments received by you or the child are fully excluded
• Foster care maintenance payments can be excluded from SNAP household income if you elect to exclude the foster child from your SNAP household unit
• LEAP (heating assistance) payments

There's also a standard deduction, an earned income deduction (20% of gross earnings), and deductions for dependent care costs and excess shelter expenses that reduce your countable income.

Work Requirements and the Caregiver Exemption

Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) face time-limited SNAP participation unless they meet work requirements or qualify for an exemption. Kinship caregiver status alone does not create an exemption. If your SNAP household includes a child under 14, you are exempt from the ABAWD time limit. Caregivers responsible for a disabled family member may also qualify for an exemption. Separate general SNAP work requirements can still apply.

How to Apply

Apply through Colorado PEAK at peak.my.site.com — you can apply for SNAP in the same session as Colorado Works and Medicaid. Check all the programs that apply.

You'll need identity documents, Social Security numbers, proof of residency, and income verification (pay stubs, Social Security benefit letters, pension statements). The county will calculate your benefit amount based on household size and countable income.

SNAP benefits load monthly onto a Colorado Quest EBT card, accepted at grocery stores, farmers' markets, and many online grocery delivery services.

For a complete breakdown of every benefit program available to Colorado kinship caregivers — and how each program's income rules differ — see our Colorado Kinship Financial Help guide.

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