This is the national suggested method of calculating income and most states and individual agencies follow this guideline.

For WAP Eligibility, "Income" refers to total annual cash receipts before taxes from all sources, with the exceptions noted below. Income data for a part of a year may be annualized in order to determine eligibility--for example, by multiplying by four the amount of income received during the most recent three months. The method of calculation is to be determined by the Grantee. Grantees should have a consistent policy covering its subgrantees on re-certification of applicants whose eligibility may have changed due to the length of time that may have expired awaiting weatherization services.

INCOME INCLUDES:

money, wages and salaries before any deductions; net receipts from non-farm or farm self-employment (receipts from a person's own business or from an owned or rented farm after deductions for business or farm expenses). INCOME ALSO INCLUDES regular payments from social security, railroad retirement, unemployment compensation, strike benefits from union funds, worker's compensation, veteran's payments, training stipends, alimony, and military family allotments; private pensions, government employee pensions (including military retirement pay), and regular insurance or annuity payments; dividends, interest, net rental income, net royalties, periodic receipts from estates or trusts, and net gambling or lottery winnings.

INCOME EXCLUDES

capital gains; any assets drawn down as withdrawals from a bank, the sale of property, a house, or a car; one-time payments from a welfare agency to a family or person who is in temporary financial difficulty; tax refunds, gifts, loans, lump-sum inheritances, one-time insurance payments, or compensation for injury.

INCOME ALSO EXCLUDES

non-cash benefits, such as the employer-paid or unionpaid portion of health insurance or other employee fringe benefits, food or housing received in lieu of wages, the value of food and fuel produced and consumed on farms, the imputed value of rent from owner-occupied non-farm or farm housing, and such Federal non-cash benefit programs as Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, school lunches, housing assistance and combat zone pay to the military.

Note:

CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS AND COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE EXCLUDED.