Gifts, Contributions, or Donations
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This section has information regarding cash and noncash contributions and gifts.
Policy
Cash Gifts
Cash gifts are budgeted as unearned income, and all of the following apply:
●Nonrecurring cash gifts are countable as income in the month received when the total cash gifts received in a calendar quarter(g) exceeds $30.
NOTE Cash gifts exchanged between participants within the budgetary unit are not countable.
●Nonrecurring cash gifts are not countable as income in the month received when the total cash gifts received in a calendar quarter does not exceed $30.
●Recurring cash gifts are countable in the month received and in ongoing months.
NOTE Funds on gift cards are not countable as unearned income or as a liquid asset.
Cash Contributions or Donations
Cash contributions or donations received from an organization or agency, intended to cover items within the standard of need(g) are countable.
NOTE Reception and Placement (R&P) grants provided to refugees during the refugee's initial 30-day period in the U.S. are not countable. See R&P grants for more information about policy and procedures.
Cash contributions received from relatives or nonparticipants are countable. (When monies are paid directly to a vendor, see Vendor Payments.)
For CA, a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient receiving SSI income may voluntarily contribute to a budgetary unit(g). The contribution is countable when all of the following apply:
●The SSI recipient would not otherwise be required to be included in the budgetary unit.
●The SSI recipient's income cannot otherwise be considered available to the budgetary unit.
●The contribution needs to be in addition to the SSI recipient's share of the expenses.
For NA, when donations are received from one or more private nonprofit charitable organizations, one of the following applies:
●Cash donations that exceed $300 in a federal fiscal year (FFY) quarter are countable.
●Cash donations that do not exceed $300 in a FFY quarter are not countable.
Noncash Gifts and Contributions
A noncash gift or contribution, intended for day-to-day living, is not countable and does not affect eligibility or benefit level. Verification of noncash gifts or contributions is not required. Noncash gifts or contributions include, and are not limited to, all of the following:
●Clothing
●Diapers
●Food box
●Food voucher supplied by a community food bank or soup kitchen
●Toiletries
Countable income is used to determine an income budget. (See Income Budgeting to see how FAA determines the income budget.) FAA needs to know about income that is both countable and not countable to determine whether a budgetary unit’s income is exceeding their expenses. (See Income Eligibility for more information about how FAA uses countable and not countable income.)
Verification
The participant has the primary responsibility for providing verification. (See Participant Responsibilities – Providing Verification for additional policy.)
For NA, income is required to be verified for all of the following before eligibility is determined:
●When reported on a new application, during the interview of a new application, or changes reported before the eligibility determination of a new application.
●For changes reported after an eligibility determination of a new application (e.g., a renewal application, mid approval contact, etc.) and any of the following apply:
The source of the income has changed.
The income is questionable(g) or unclear(g).
The reported income amount has changed by $51 or more.
The previous verification in the case file is more than 59 calendar days(g) old.
For CA, all income is required to be verified before determining eligibility.
Examples of verification that can be used for gifts, contributions, or donations include, and are not limited to, any of the following:
●Assistance payments records
●Absent Parent
●Bank records
●Court records or court orders
●Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) documents or printouts
●Federal or state tax forms
●Mortgages and Sales Contracts
●Statement from the agency, private nonprofit charitable organization, or payer providing the income
Legal Authorities
AAC R6-12-501 – 503
A.R.S 46-292-P01
7 CFR 273.9(b)(2)
7 CFR 273.9(b)(2)(i)
7 CFR 273.9(c)(2)
last revised 10/27/2025 effective 09/02/2025