820-1       ESTIMATING THE HOUSEHOLD’S MONTHLY INCOME

The ETEligibility Technician makes a reasonable estimate of the household’s monthly income based on the information available from the household and the source of the income. The ETEligibility Technician must confer with the individual to find out about income already received, as well as about income anticipated for the month of application and for subsequent months in the certification period.

Once the ETEligibility Technician has information about the types of income, and when and how much will be received, the ETEligibility Technician will confirm it by getting verification from the source of the income.

Income is included:

1.  If the household has received it or anticipates receiving it in the month; and

2.  The ETEligibility Technician can estimate how much the household will receive in the month and/or in subsequent months.

To anticipate and estimate the household’s monthly income, the ETEligibility Technician must know:

• What is the source of the income?

• What is the amount of each payment?

• Which household members receive income?

• When will the income be received – i.e., pay dates?

• What is the period of time the payment covers – i.e., pay period start and end dates?

• If the income is ending, when is the last payment expected?

• When is the first payment expected?

• Will payments continue?

• How often will the household receive payments – i.e., monthly, twice a month, bi-weekly, weekly, irregularly?

The estimated income amount used in the benefit calculation will be considered correct if:

• It is reasonable;

• It is based on all available information;

• The ETEligibility Technician applied correct policy; and

• How the estimated income amount was determined is documented in the case notes.  

The ETEligibility Technician adjusts the monthly income estimate for subsequent months when a change is reported that affects the amount of anticipated income.

820-1 A.        DOCUMENTING HOW THE ETEligibility Technician DETERMINED MONTHLY INCOME

Good documentation is an essential part of establishing how the household's eligibility was determined. In every situation, the ETEligibility Technician must document:

• Any anticipated changes in the income and what effects, if any, the changes have on the estimate of income.

• The source, amount, and frequency (when it is received and how often, i.e., pay period start and end dates and pay dates) of the household’s income, and how this information was verified.

• The method used by the ETEligibility Technician to estimate the monthly income.  This must include the reasons certain payments were used or not used in calculating an average payment.  This is a key part of documenting self-employment and irregular income where client statements often become part of the verification.