Illinois Food Stamp Benefits: Link Card Application❤️Apply

How to apply for Illinois SNAP Benefits? How to submit an online application? What are the benefits of this program? Check everything about the benefits and application process in this article.

Illinois Benefits Programs

There are different types of benefits programs available for Illinois residents to help needy people and families and provide them with necessary food, health, and other types of assistance. Some of the benefits programs are mentioned below.

Illinois Food Stamp Benefits:

  • SNAP – SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as Food Stamps started to help income people and families to buy healthy food and take care of their health. All eligible person receives a Link card to access their SNAP benefits.
  • TANF – TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and it’s a cash assistance program started to provide financial and Healthcare Coverage for pregnant women and families with one or more dependent children. People will get financial assistance to buy food, and utilities and pay for their expenses.
  • AABD – AABD stands for Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled. This program provides financial cash assistance and health coverage to aged, blind, and/or disabled people. and need money.
  • Healthcare coverage – Illinois offers Healthcare coverage to children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.

ABE.Illinois.Gov web portal

A separate web portal Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) has been developed to provide easy-to-access resources, guidelines, and an online application form for the citizens. All Illinois residents can visit the ABE web portal abe.illinois.gov and submit their healthcare, food, and cash assistance benefits application.

You can apply for the below program through the ABE portal.

  • Healthcare
  • SNAP
  • Cash assistance – TANF Cash Assistance, AABD Cash Assistance, Resettlement Program (RRP)
  • Medicare Savings programs

To submit a benefits application, you must have an online account on the ABE website.

How to create an online account:

Please follow the below steps to create a new account on the ABE website.

Step 1: Visit the official web portal abe.illinois.gov. You will see the homepage (as shown below).

abe.illinois.gov homepage

Step 2: Click the “Login” link located at the top right corner and again click the “create account” link. An online registration page will appear on the screen (as shown below).

abe Illinois gov registration page

Step 3: Fill out this registration form completely. There are three important parts to this registration form.

  1. Your name – Write your official name as per the governing documents.
  2. User ID and password – Create a new User ID and Password for your account. Please check the user ID and password requirements.
  3. Security Questions – You have to set up security questions. These security questions will help you to reset your password and unlock your account.

Step 4: After filling out this form, click the Create Account button at the bottom right corner. You have successfully created a new account. You can now log in and submit your benefits application.

Before submitting the Illinois Food Stamp application, please check if you are eligible to receive the SNAP benefits or not.

Eligibility Criteria:

We are sharing a few official guidelines to check the eligibility criteria.

  • Applicant must be a citizen of the United States.
  • Applicant must be a resident of Illinois.
  • A qualified immigrant may also get the benefits.
  • Applicant must fulfill the number of people in a household, the income criteria, and the expenses criteria of each person suggested by the government.

How to check the eligibility?

The eligibility criteria are different for each program. If you are applying for a benefits program and want to check your eligibility, you can do that through the ABE Screener tool on the official website.

You will have to share a little information related to your income from a job, the number of people, other sources of income, expenses, etc.

Please check the below steps.

1- Open the official website and press the “Check if I Should Apply” button.

2- On the next page, read all information and press the “Next” button. An online form will appear on the screen where you can start answer of all questions.

Illinois benefits eligibility screening tool

3-Provide answers to all questions to check your eligibility for the different benefits programs.

Note:
You may also submit a benefits application directly without checking the eligibility. Your application will be approved only if you are eligible.

Application procedure:

If you are eligible then there are several ways to submit a benefits application.

  1. Online application
  2. Offline application
  3. Apply through phone

Let’s check out both application processes in detail.

1-Online application process

Please follow the below steps to submit an online application.

Step 1: Visit the official website abe.illinois.gov and click the “Apply for Benefits” link (as shown below).

new ABE Benefits application starting page

You will get four different options on this page.

  1. Start a new application.
  2. Submit your application that you could not complete before.
  3. Check the status of the application.
  4. Register your agency as a community partner.

Step 2: Select the first option and click the “Next” button to start a new application.

Step 3: On the next page, select the “Log In” option and press the “Next” button if you already have an online account, or select “Create an account” to create a new account.

Step 4: On the next page, enter your user ID and Password to login into your account and start the application process.

Step 5: Fill out the Food and Assistance Benefits application form and submit it. After the application, you will get an application reference number. Please keep this reference number safe for future purposes.

2-Offline application process

You can download the application form and submit it to the nearest Illinois DHS office.

  • First of all download the Illinois SNAP Benefits application form.
  • Take a printout of this application form.
  • Fill out the application form and sign it.
  • Now you can mail or fax it to your local Family Community Resource Center or submit it in person at the nearest DHS office.

How to find the nearest DHS office?

  • Visit the DHS Office Locator page.
  • Select “Family Community Resource Center” and your county from the drop-down menu.
  • Click the “Find Offices” button.
  • After searching, you will get the office address, Phone number, TTY, Fax number, and Google Maps location of the office.

3-Apply through phone

You may also call the customer service number 1-800-843-6154 to submit your application.

How to check the application status?

If you have submitted your application then you must receive your application tracking number (T-number). You can use this T-number to track your application status. If you did not receive your T number then your application has not been submitted successfully.

T-Number is an 8-digit tracking number. To check your application status, please follow the below steps.

  • Visit the official website and press the “Apply for Benefits” button.
  • On the next page, select the “Check the status or view an application that you have already submitted” option and press the “Next” button.
  • On the next page, log in using your login ID. After login in, enter your tracking number to check the current status of your submitted application.

Note:
If you lost your T Number then you can call the DHS helpline number 1-800-843-6154 (TTY: 1-800-447-6404) to check the status of your application.

SNAP Monthly Allotments and Income Eligibility

As per the October 2022 policy changes, there is an increment in the monthly gross/net income eligibility and monthly SNAP benefits allotments. Please check the below tables for more details.

Maximum Monthly Income Eligibility Standards 2022:

SNAP Household SizeMaximum Gross Income Standards 165% FPLMaximum Gross Income Standards 200% FPLMaximum Net Income Standards 100% FPL
1 Person$1,869$2,265$1,133
2 Persons$2,518$3,052$1,526
3 Persons$3,167$3,838$1,920
4 Persons$3,816$4,625$2,313
5 Persons$4,465$5,412$2,706
6 Persons$5,114$6,198$3,100
7 Persons$5,763$6,985$3,493
8 Persons$6,412$7,772$3,886
9 Persons$7,061$8,559$4,280
10 Persons$7,710$9,346$4,674
Each Add’lPerson$ 649$ 787$ 394

Gross Monthly Income Eligibility Standards – Elderly Disabled as Separate Unit:

SNAP Household SizeGross Income Standard
1 Person$1,869
2 Person$2,518
3 Person$3,167
4 Person$3,816
5 Person$4,465
6 Person$5,114
7 Person$5,763
8 Person$6,412
9 Person$7,061
10 Person$7,710
Each Add’ l Person$649

Standard Deductions 2022:

SNAP Household SizeStandard Deduction Amount
1-4 Persons$186
5 Persons$218
6+ Persons$251

Maximum SNAP Benefits Amounts 2022:

SNAP Household SizeMaximum SNAP Benefit Amounts
1 Person$281
2 Person$516
3 Person$740
4 Person$939
5 Person$1,116
6 Person$1,339
7 Person$1,480
8 Person$1,691
9 Person$1,902
10 Person$2,113
Each Add’ l Person$211

Minimum SNAP Benefit Amount 2022:

SNAP Household SizeSNAP Benefit Amount
1-2 Persons$23

Customer Service

Please call the ABE hotline at 1-800-843-6154. You will get all types of help such as registration on the ABE portal, password reset, forgot user id, application-related help, etc.

Highlights:

ParticularsSummary
Name of the portalABE (Application for Benefits Eligibility)
Developed byIllinois government
Developed forThe State of Illinois
Supported languageEnglish and Español
PurposeTo help Illinois residents submit a benefits application in online mode
Registration modeOnline
Application modeOnline, Offline
BeneficiaryAll Illinois residents
Official websiteabe.illinois.gov

FAQs

How can I reset my account password?

If you are getting the wrong password error then you can easily reset your password online. Please check the below steps.

-Open the official website.
-Click the “Login” link at the top right corner.
-Enter your User ID and click the “Forgot Password” link.
-On the next page, answer the security questions that you have set up while registering your account.
-If you have answered all questions correctly, you can create a new password on the next page.

How can I recover my User ID?

You can not recover your User ID. If you forgot your user ID then you will have to create a new account.

What if I forgot the answers to security questions?

Similar to the User ID, You can not recover the answers to your security questions. You will have to create a new account and set up new security questions.

References:

Source 1: Illinois Department of Human Services
Source 2: October 2022 SNAP standard policy changes
Source 3: Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE)

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