CACFP Income Eligibility Guidance for Child Care Centers

Exercise #1

The Income Eligibility Form (IEF) contains eight errors – What’s Wrong? Using the IEF instructions, please note all errors that you find.

Exercise #2

IEF completion based on SNAP documentation.

Instructions:

1. Pretend you are Ashley Smith, and using the information below, complete the blank IEF on the page following Exercise #1.
2. Then complete the “For Center Use Only” section in your role as a child care representative to show the family’s eligibility determination.

Ashley Smith of 456 Main Street, Anytown, MO 12345, phone number 555-817-2345, comes to enroll her two children, Emily Jones and Ethan Smith, in your child care center. Emily was born 10/31/XX, and Ethan was born 8/19/XX. Ashley receives Supplemental Food and Nutrition (SNAP) benefits for both children, and the SNAP number is FS0012345678FSP001. In addition, Ashley works and earns $380 per week. There are no other household members. IEF is completed on 9/10/XX.

Exercise Keys

Exercise #1

• No last names listed in Part 1. Use children’s legal name.
• The child, Isabella, is listed in Part 1 and Part 2.
• In Part 4, the person who signed is not listed as a household member. Using nicknames is not allowed and causes confusion for auditors and staff.
• The last four digits of the Social Security number are not listed in Part 4.
• In Part 4, the date is incomplete because it does not include the year. This could cause the IEF to be determined as invalid. Date all forms with the complete day, month, and year.
• The monthly income is added incorrectly; it should be $2,950.
• The category should be free, not reduced. A family of five can earn up to $4,191 and still be claimed as free.*
• Center staff did not sign the Income Eligibility Form (IEF).

*Income determination was made based on the income eligibility guidelines for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

Exercise #2

• The SNAP case number can be eight to ten digits long. The only part that needs to be documented is the eight-digit case number, as underlined in this example: FS0012345678FSP001. The remaining letters and numbers are the same for all SNAP case numbers. The case number is the same for all household members.
• Since the SNAP case number is indicated in the Part 1 column, Part 2 of the IEF does not need to be completed, even though Ashley Smith reported some income.
• Ashley Smith’s Social Security number is not required in Part 4, since the IEF is based on the SNAP case number; however, all other information must be fully completed.
• In the “For Center Use Only,” check the SNAP box, mark the Free Eligibility Determination box, sign and date the IEF.
• The IEF is completed correctly below.