Editorial policy

The Cost & Benefits team writes every guide. We do not invent a reviewer, a credential, or a quote. If a number is not in a source we can cite, it does not go on the page.

How we research

Benefit rules come from the agency that publishes them: USDA for food stamps and school meals, HHS for the poverty guidelines, CMS and Medicaid.gov for Medicaid work rules, the IRS for tax credits, and Social Security for SSI. Town and metro costs come from the Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Energy Information Administration. A state page is used when it is newer than the federal chart, and we name that page.

When we use a non-government source, we say so. Medicaid expansion yes or no comes from the KFF tracker, and every page that uses it says KFF is not a government agency. Tax brackets come from the Tax Foundation tables, with a link.

How often rules are checked

Each rule page and tool page prints the day we last read its sources. That day is the date stored with the source, not a fresh stamp for today. The benefit rules file was last verified on October 15, 2026. We check a figure again when we update the guide. We do not claim a calendar the file does not have.

How numbers are calculated

We copy published dollar limits. Food stamp income tests use the USDA monthly table, not a homemade split of the annual poverty guideline. A rent figure is the Census median or the HUD fair-market rent we matched, and we do not average two HUD rents. The longer explanation is on How we count. The list of links is on Sources.

What we will not do

• We will not guess a missing number, a county waiver, or a state cutoff we have not read.
• We will not sell personal data. The privacy page says what an anonymous note contains.
• We will not ask for an EBT card number, a PIN, or a login. Do not type those here.
• We will not approve or deny a benefit. Only the agency can do that.

See a mistake? Tell us on the corrections page.