PM 05-02-01: Definition of Boarder

WAG 05-02-01

 A person residing with a household and paying reasonable monthly compensation to the household for lodging and meals is considered a boarder. Boarders cannot receive SNAP benefits separate and apart from the household providing the room and board. A boarder may be included, along with a spouse or children living with them, as members of the SNAP household providing the boarder services but only at the request of the SNAP household. If excluded, the boarder still cannot receive SNAP benefits on their own case.

Note: Foster children and/or adults are considered boarders, but are treated differently (see PM 04-05-05).

Reasonable Monthly Compensation

• A person is paying reasonable monthly compensation for lodging and meals if the payment meets one of the following:
  • For a person whose board arrangement is for 3 or more meals per day, "reasonable monthly compensation" must be an amount that equals or exceeds the maximum SNAP allotment for the appropriate size of the boarder household.
  • For a person whose board arrangement is for less than 3 meals per day, "reasonable monthly compensation" must be an amount that equals or exceeds two-thirds of the maximum SNAP allotment for the appropriate size of the boarder household.

• The boarder household size is the boarder and his or her spouse, their children and any other person that the boarder considers to be members of their household. The household size does not include members of the household providing the boarder services.

• Use only the amount paid for meals to determine if the person pays reasonable compensation, provided that the amount paid for meals can be determined from the amount paid for lodging. If the amount a boarder pays for meals cannot be separated from the amount paid for a room, the total amount paid for room and board is compared to the maximum allotment for the boarder household size. See WAG 05-02-01.

• Treatment of Income and Resources 

Do not count the income and resources of a boarder who is not included as a member of the household.  When the boarder is a household member, count his/her income and resources as available in their entirety to the household.

Not a Boarder

• A person who buys meals from a household but lives at another address is not a boarder or SNAP household member.
• A person who pays for shelter but the individual(s) they are living with are not providing a lodging and meal service. 
• See PM 05-05-02 for who is not considered a boarder and must be included in the SNAP household.