An official State of Texas website.
Revision 09-4; Effective December 1, 2009
There are two major types of income:
- Unearned
- Earned
Income, whether earned or unearned, is received in either of two forms:
Cash — Currency, checks, money orders or electronic funds transfers (EFT), such as:
- Social Security checks;
- unemployment compensation checks; or
- payroll checks or currency.
In-kind — Noncash items such as:
- real property (including shelter);
- food; and
- noncash wages (for example, room and board as compensation for employment).
Income, whether cash or in-kind, is received in either of two ways:
Fixed — Income received on a regular, predictable schedule (usually monthly) and for the same amount each month, such as:
- Social Security checks;
- VA checks; or
- state retirement checks.
Variable — Income that is either received on a varying schedule or for different amounts, such as:
- payroll checks or currency;
- monthly bank interest; or
- gas production checks.
E-1310 Relationship of Income to Resources
Revision 09-4; Effective December 1, 2009
In general, anything received in a month, from any source, is income to a person, if it meets the person’s needs for food and shelter. Anything the person owned prior to the month under consideration is subject to the resource counting rules.
An item received in the current month is income for the current month only. If held by the person until the following month, that item is subject to resource counting rules.
Exceptions: Occasionally, a regular periodic payment (for example, wages, pension or VA benefits) is received in a month other than the month of normal receipt. As long as there is no intent to interrupt the regular payment schedule, consider the funds to be income in the normal month of receipt.
A lump sum payment is income in the month of receipt and is a resource thereafter.
E-1320 Fiduciary Agent
Revision 09-4; Effective December 1, 2009
An action by a fiduciary agent is the same as an action by the person for whom the fiduciary agent acts.
- Monies received by a fiduciary agent for another person are not income to the fiduciary agent. If the fiduciary agent is authorized to keep part of the money as compensation for services rendered, the compensation for services rendered is unearned income to the fiduciary agent.
- Monies received by a fiduciary agent for another person are charged as income to the person when the monies are received by the fiduciary agent.