Citizenship

• Only United States citizens are eligible for the food stamp program. Social Security numbers for each member of the household, including all children, will have to be provided to qualify for eligibility. Some immigrants, such as for refugees, some permanent residents and military personnel, are also eligible for the program under certain conditions.
  
  

Ability to Work and Students

• Persons between the ages of 16 and 60 who apply for the food stamp program must also register to work, accept any suitable job offer and take part in employment training. Most students who are enrolled at least half-time are not eligible for the program, but there are some exceptions for students who are receiving other assistance, work at least 20 hours a week, take care of a dependent child under age 6 or are getting disability payments.
  
  

Resources

• All of a person's financial resources are considered during the food stamp application process. Bank account information, cash, real estate and personal property holdings will be taken into consideration. A household can have up to $2,000 of "countable resources" and still be eligible for the food stamp program, according to the Maryland Department of Human Resources. That number increases to $3,000 if a member of the household is age 60 or older or disabled.
  
  

Deductions

• After adding up a household's resources, a household's deductions are taken into account. Deductions include many household expenses, such as child-care costs, household bills, medical expenses and insurance costs. Proof of expenses is required.