Basic Resource Allowances

• In a basic household -- meaning one without an elderly person who is 60 years old or older, or without a handicapped person of any age -- applicants are allowed to have up to $2,000 in the bank when applying for food stamps, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, you're allowed to have this amount in cash when you apply; your food stamp caseworker won't count this amount against you when you file your application.
  
  

Allowances for Elderly/Disabled

• If there is a handicapped or elderly member in the household, the amount of money you can have in your checking or savings accounts increases, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Instead of being allowed to have $2,000 in the bank or in cash, you're allowed $3,000. Any amount of money that exceeds $3,000 will be counted as a resource you can use yourself for food.
  
  

Other Allowable Resources

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture made provisions for other resources besides checking and savings account balances. The home you live in and the lot it's positioned on aren't counted as resources either, nor is any land you own that isn't for sale. The Department of Agriculture does stipulate that a vehicle worth more than $4,650 should be counted, as long as it isn't being used as the sole mode of transportation for the home or for earning an income, but most states exclude vehicle worth altogether. Retirement accounts are also usually exempt.
  
  

Combined Resources

• The limit amounts of $2,000 and $3,000, depending on your particular household, are combined limit amounts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This means if you have $2,000 in your checking account and $2,000 in stocks and bonds, you've exceeded the resource limit because you have $4,000 in total resources. If you have this, the Department reasons that you have the ability to buy your own food. Don't sell or give away resources -- like a car or money -- in order to receive food stamps, according to the California Guide to the Food Stamp Program. This is considered fraud and can get you temporarily banned from the program.