2024-02922. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): 2024/2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines

AGENCY:

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (“Department”) announces adjusted income eligibility guidelines to be used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

DATES:

Applicable date July 1, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Allison Post, Chief, WIC Administration, Benefits, and Certification Branch, Policy Division, FNS, USDA, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703–457–7708.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

This notice is exempt from review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

This action is not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601–612) and thus is exempt from the provisions of this Act.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

This notice does not contain reporting or recordkeeping requirements subject to approval by the Office of Management and Budget in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507).

Executive Order 12372

This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Programs under No. 10.557 and is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials (7 CFR part 3015, subpart V, 48 FR 29100, June 24, 1983, and 49 FR 22675, May 31, 1984).

Description

Section 17(d)(2)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1786(d)(2)(A)), requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish income criteria to be used with nutritional risk criteria in determining a person's eligibility for participation in the WIC Program. The law provides that persons will be income-eligible for the WIC Program if they are members of families that satisfy the income standard prescribed for reduced-price school meals under section 9(b) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)). Under section 9(b), the income limit for reduced-price school meals is 185 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines, as adjusted.

Section 9(b) also requires that these guidelines be revised annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The annual revision for 2024 was published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at 89 FR 2961 on January 17, 2024. The guidelines published by HHS are referred to as the “poverty guidelines.”

Program Regulations at 7 CFR 246.7(d)(1) specify that State agencies may prescribe income guidelines either equaling the income guidelines established under Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act for reduced-price school meals, or identical to State or local guidelines for free or reduced-price health care. However, in conforming WIC income guidelines to State or local health care guidelines, the State cannot establish WIC guidelines which exceed the guidelines for reduced-price school meals, or which are less than 100 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. Consistent with the method used to compute income eligibility guidelines for reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program, the poverty guidelines were multiplied by 1.85 and the results rounded upward to the next whole dollar.

Currently, the Department is publishing the maximum and minimum WIC income eligibility guidelines by household size for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. Consistent with section 17(f)(17) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1786(f)(17)), a State agency may implement the revised WIC income eligibility guidelines concurrently with the implementation of income eligibility guidelines under the Medicaid Program established under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396, et seq.). State agencies may coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines, i.e., earlier in the year, but in no case may implementation take place later than July 1, 2024. State agencies that do not coordinate implementation with the revised Medicaid guidelines must implement the WIC income eligibility guidelines on or before July 1, 2024.

Income Eligibility Guidelines

[Effective from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025]

Household size	Federal poverty guidelines—100%					Reduced price meals—185%
	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly
48 Contiguous States, DC, Guam and Territories
1	$15,060	$1,255	$628	$580	$290	$27,861	$2,322	$1,161	$1,072	$536
2	20,440	1,704	852	787	394	37,814	3,152	1,576	1,455	728
3	25,820	2,152	1,076	994	497	47,767	3,981	1,991	1,838	919
4	31,200	2,600	1,300	1,200	600	57,720	4,810	2,405	2,220	1,110
5	36,580	3,049	1,525	1,407	704	67,673	5,640	2,820	2,603	1,302
6	41,960	3,497	1,749	1,614	807	77,626	6,469	3,235	2,986	1,493
7	47,340	3,945	1,973	1,821	911	87,579	7,299	3,650	3,369	1,685
8	52,720	4,394	2,197	2,028	1014	97,532	8,128	4,064	3,752	1,876
Each add'l family member add	+ 5,380	+ 449	+ 225	+ 207	+ 104	+ 9,953	+ 830	+ 415	+ 383	+ 192
Alaska
1	18,810	1,568	784	724	362	34,799	2,900	1,450	1,339	670
2	25,540	2,129	1,065	983	492	47,249	3,938	1,969	1,818	909
3	32,270	2,690	1,345	1,242	621	59,700	4,975	2,488	2,297	1,149
4	39,000	3,250	1,625	1,500	750	72,150	6,013	3,007	2,775	1,388
5	45,730	3,811	1,906	1,759	880	84,601	7,051	3,526	3,254	1,627
6	52,460	4,372	2,186	2,018	1,009	97,051	8,088	4,044	3,733	1,867
7	59,190	4,933	2,467	2,277	1,139	109,502	9,126	4,563	4,212	2,106
8	65,920	5,494	2,747	2,536	1,268	121,952	10,163	5,082	4,691	2,346
Each add'l family member add	+ 6,730	+ 561	+ 281	+ 259	+ 130	+ 12,451	+ 1,038	+ 519	+ 479	+ 240
Hawaii
1	17,310	1,443	722	666	333	32,024	2,669	1,335	1,232	616
2	23,500	1,959	980	904	452	43,475	3,623	1,812	1,673	837
3	29,690	2,475	1,238	1,142	571	54,927	4,578	2,289	2,113	1,057
4	35,880	2,990	1,495	1,380	690	66,378	5,532	2,766	2,553	1,277
5	42,070	3,506	1,753	1,619	810	77,830	6,486	3,243	2,994	1,497
6	48,260	4,022	2,011	1,857	929	89,281	7,441	3,721	3,434	1,717
7	54,450	4,538	2,269	2,095	1,048	100,733	8,395	4,198	3,875	1,938
8	60,640	5,054	2,527	2,333	1,167	112,184	9,349	4,675	4,315	2,158
Each add'l family member add	+ 6,190	+ 516	+ 258	+ 239	+ 120	+ 11,452	+ 955	+ 478	+ 441	+ 221

Income Eligibility Guidelines

[Effective from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025]

Household Size Larger Than 8

Household size	Federal poverty guidelines—100%					Reduced price meals—185%
	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly	Annual	Monthly	Twice-monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly
48 Contiguous States, DC, Guam and Territories
9	$58,100	$4,842	$2,421	$2,235	$1,118	$107,485	$8,958	$4,479	$4,135	$2,068
10	63,480	5,290	2,645	2,442	1,221	117,438	9,787	4,894	4,517	2,259
11	68,860	5,739	2,870	2,649	1,325	127,391	10,616	5,308	4,900	2,450
12	74,240	6,187	3,094	2,856	1,428	137,344	11,446	5,723	5,283	2,642
13	79,620	6,635	3,318	3,063	1,532	147,297	12,275	6,138	5,666	2,833
14	85,000	7,084	3,542	3,270	1,635	157,250	13,105	6,553	6,049	3,025
15	90,380	7,532	3,766	3,477	1,739	167,203	13,934	6,967	6,431	3,216
16	95,760	7,980	3,990	3,684	1,842	177,156	14,763	7,382	6,814	3,407
Each add'l family member add	+ 5,380	+ 449	+ 225	+ 207	+ 104	+ 9,953	+ 830	+ 415	+ 383	+ 192
Alaska
9	72,650	6,055	3,028	2,795	1,398	134,403	11,201	5,601	5,170	2,585
10	79,380	6,615	3,308	3,054	1,527	146,853	12,238	6,119	5,649	2,825
11	86,110	7,176	3,588	3,312	1,656	159,304	13,276	6,638	6,128	3,064
12	92,840	7,737	3,869	3,571	1,786	171,754	14,313	7,157	6,606	3,303
13	99,570	8,298	4,149	3,830	1,915	184,205	15,351	7,676	7,085	3,543
14	106,300	8,859	4,430	4,089	2,045	196,655	16,388	8,194	7,564	3,782
15	113,030	9,420	4,710	4,348	2,174	209,106	17,426	8,713	8,043	4,022
16	119,760	9,980	4,990	4,607	2,304	221,556	18,463	9,232	8,522	4,261
Each add'l family member add	+ 6,730	+ 561	+ 281	+ 259	+ 130	+ 12,451	+ 1,038	+ 519	+ 479	+ 240
Hawaii
9	66,830	5,570	2,785	2,571	1,286	123,636	10,303	5,152	4,756	2,378
10	73,020	6,085	3,043	2,809	1,405	135,087	11,258	5,629	5,196	2,598
11	79,210	6,601	3,301	3,047	1,524	146,539	12,212	6,106	5,637	2,819
12	85,400	7,117	3,559	3,285	1,643	157,990	13,166	6,583	6,077	3,039
13	91,590	7,633	3,817	3,523	1,762	169,442	14,121	7,061	6,517	3,259
14	97,780	8,149	4,075	3,761	1,881	180,893	15,075	7,538	6,958	3,479
15	103,970	8,665	4,333	3,999	2,000	192,345	16,029	8,015	7,398	3,699
16	110,160	9,180	4,590	4,237	2,119	203,796	16,983	8,492	7,839	3,920
Each add'l family member add	+ 6,190	+ 516	+ 258	+ 239	+ 120	+ 11,452	+ 955	+ 478	+ 441	+ 221

The table of this Notice contains the income limits by household size for the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia, and all United States Territories, including Guam. Separate tables for Alaska and Hawaii have been included for the convenience of the State agencies because the poverty guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii are higher than for the 48 contiguous States.

Authority:42 U.S.C. 1786.

Cynthia Long,

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.