Sometimes families in Texas find they can't make ends meet even when family members have jobs, which is a situation that qualifies them as "low-income." To address this, there are programs to provide food, shelter and financial assistance to those in need. The same poverty guidelines used by the federal government are also used in Texas to establish a person or family as poor, though depending on the program you are interested in and where it's located, the low-income limits may vary.
Calculate your household income. Add up the total amount of money everyone in the house makes and figure out the grand total. This income amount, together with how many people are living with you and depending on this money, determines whether you are considered low income or not.
Compare your household situation to the federal poverty guidelines. Currently, a single person living on a yearly salary of $10,830 or less is considered to be in poverty. For each additional member of the household, add $3,740. For example, if you have five people in your house, you would be considered extremely low income if your combined salaries equaled $25,790 or less.
Look up the "Federal Register" for the current year. It's published by the Department of Health and Human Services and contains the most up-to-date poverty and low-income guidelines for the federal government (which are the same for Texas). The Register also contains salary qualifications for most public assistance programs. The online version of the Register has a "quick search" box to help you find this information more quickly.
