Methodology
Compass gives you an estimate. Every result stores the policy version used so it can be reproduced later. Current version: 2026-07-24.
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service SNAP tables and state directory.
- The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations for federal rules.
- State SNAP manuals and administrative rules for state overlays.
- Official state application portals for handoff destinations.
Result categories
- Likely eligible — only when all decisive federal and state fields are current and verified.
- May be eligible — discretionary student exemptions, uncertain financial-aid treatment, fluctuating hours, or a state program match.
- Unlikely based on current answers — used instead of "ineligible." The official application is always offered.
- More information needed — required data is missing or a state policy record is stale.
What Compass will not do
- Never issue an official eligibility decision.
- Never generate a definitive denial from missing or unverified data.
- Never stop the household analysis at the first student exemption.
- Never embed policy constants in the interface — they live in versioned data.
Alaska and Hawaii
SNAP uses geographic income and allotment tables for Alaska and Hawaii. Compass currently suppresses the estimated dollar amount for those states until the geographic tables are loaded, and still routes you to the official application.