Provider of Services
Information on this page refers to the Nutrition Assistance program Information on this page refers to the Cash Assistance program
This section includes information about the income a participant receives from being a provider of services.
Policy
Income from the providing services is countable as self-employment income when it meets the self-employment(g) definition.
Providing services can include income from, and not limited to, any of the following:
Auto repair
Household repair or Housecleaning
Landscaping
Painting
Ridesharing (i.e. Uber, Lyft)
Taxi
When expenses are incurred, see Allowable Self-Employment Expenses.
When income from providing services does not meet the self-employment definition, based on the participant’s circumstance, the income is countable as earned income. See Wages and Salaries for more information.
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, all of the following income is required to be verified before eligibility is determined:
Reported on a new application, during the interview of a new application, or changes reported before the eligibility determination of a new application.
Changes 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 old.
For CA, all income is required to be verified before determining eligibility.
Examples of verification that can be used for self-employment income and expenses include, and are not limited to, any of the following:
Bookkeeping records
Business ledgers listing income amounts received and expenses incurred
Actual receipts
Contracts for work
Statements from patrons and companies
Most recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (1040) form. Below are common IRS Schedule forms that the participant may provide in addition to the 1040:
Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business
Schedule E, Supplemental Income and Loss
Schedule F, Profit or Loss from Farming
Schedules B-1, C, D, K, K-1, K-2, K-3, and M-3 of IRS U.S. Return of Partnership Income (1065) form (See Limited Liability Company (LLC) Definition for more information about LLCs.)
NOTE Do not use the most recent IRS 1040 and Schedule forms when the participant indicates it does not accurately reflect the participant's current income.
Rent or mortgage receipt for business property
Property tax statements for business property
Utility costs for business property
Cleaning cost bills for business property
Business location and equipment maintenance
Personal records indicating personnel salaries or costs of outside labor, such as canceled checks and payroll checks
Participant’s statement for self-employment income, when one of the following applies:
Obtaining documented or collateral contact verification may cause harm or undue hardship(g) for the participant.
When all of the following occur:
Other attempts to obtain the verification have failed. This includes documented and collateral contact verification.
The participant has requested assistance from FAA.
The worker has evaluated the request for assistance and cannot obtain the verification from another acceptable source.
The participant statement is not questionable(g).
Participant’s statement for self-employment expenses unless questionable.
NOTE When self-employment expenses are not verified, eligibility is determined without the 40% Self-Employment Expense deduction.
Earned Income Verification
Examples of verification that can be used for Earned Income include, and are not limited to, any of the following:
System interface(g) when the participant agrees that the information is accurate.
A copy of a paycheck stub.
Copy of checks when the gross earnings are listed.
A printout from a third-party payroll verification source provided by the participant.
Third-party payroll verification sources when the employer uses the verification source as its legal agent to provide payroll services or respond to inquiries about employee records. (See Third-Party Payroll Verification Sources(g) for FAA approved sources, additional information, and instructions for requesting additional sources.)
A New Employment Verification (C005) notice that is completed, dated, and signed by the employer or their payroll authority. To be considered complete, the statement needs to include all of the following:
Name, address, and telephone number of the employer
Gross pay for the periods needed
Frequency of pay (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)
Day of the week or day of the month pay is received (e.g., Fridays, 5th and 20th of the month, first of the month, etc.)
Any expected change in pay
For new or current employment verification, a completed Verification of New/Current Employment (FAA0053A) form that includes a date and the signature of the employer or their payroll authority.
For terminated employment verification, any of the following completed items that include a date and the signature of the employer or their payroll authority:
Verification of Terminated Employment (FAA-1701A) form
Verification of Terminated Employment (C019) notice
Letter from the agency providing government-sponsored training.
Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) from the military.
A collateral contact with the employer or their payroll authority.
NOTE Collateral contact is not used when contacting the employer would jeopardize the participant's employment or when the employer does not accept telephone verification.
Participant statement verification when one of the following occur:
Obtaining documented or collateral contact verification may cause harm or undue hardship(g) for the participant.
When all of the following occur:
Other attempts to obtain the verification have failed. This includes documented and collateral contact verification.
The participant has requested assistance from FAA.
The worker has evaluated the request for assistance and cannot obtain the verification from another acceptable source.
The participant statement is not questionable(g).
Legal Authorities
last revised 10/02/2023