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How to make a year-to-date profit and loss statement for SNAP when you do gig work

Last reviewed October 2, 2026 against the official sources linked below.

Why the SNAP office asks for it

If you drive for apps like DoorDash, Amazon Flex, Uber, or Spark, you’re usually an independent contractor, not an employee. There’s no pay stub, so the office needs another way to see what you earn.

• Income has to be verified. Federal SNAP rules say the state must verify a household’s gross income before approving benefits (7 CFR 273.2(f)).
• Self-employment is counted as income minus costs. The state adds up your gross self-employment income, subtracts the allowable costs of producing it, and averages the result over the months it’s meant to cover. If you’ve been doing the work for less than a year, it’s averaged over the time you’ve been doing it (7 CFR 273.11(a)).
• Reasonable records are accepted. The same rules say the office must accept any reasonable documentary evidence you provide, and proof isn’t limited to one kind of document. You can usually send it by mail, fax, or electronically, not only in person (7 CFR 273.2(f)(4) and (f)(5)).

Ask your caseworker first

A two-minute call can save you from redoing the whole thing. Good questions to ask:

• Which months should it cover: the last 30 days, the last 3 months, this year so far, or last year?
• Do you have your own self-employment form, or can I use my own statement?
• Do you want income listed separately for each app?
• Do you want my miles, and should they be split by app?
• Will you count my actual expenses, or does the state use a standard amount?
• Should I sign and date it? Do you also want my tax return, 1099s, or app earnings statements?

What to put on the statement

1. The top: your name, the period it covers (for example, January 1 to September 30), and a line such as “Self-employed independent contractor: delivery driving” with the apps you work for.
2. Income by app, by month: what each app paid you, including tips, before any of your expenses. Each app has an earnings summary or yearly tax statement you can download from its driver dashboard, so use those numbers.
3. Expenses by category: gas, maintenance and repairs, the work share of your phone plan, insulated bags and other supplies, and work parking and tolls. Keep the receipts.
4. Miles: business miles for the period, and by app if your office asks.
5. Net profit: total income minus total expenses.
6. A signed line: for example, “I certify this statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge,” with your signature and the date.

An example with made-up numbers (January to March)

Averaged over the three months, that’s about $943 a month in net self-employment income. Your caseworker does the official math. This is only an example of how the pieces fit together.

SNAP doesn’t count costs the same way the IRS does

Don’t just copy the expenses from your tax return. Federal SNAP rules handle some costs differently:

• Not allowed as business costs: depreciation, losses from earlier periods, and income taxes. Driving to and from work is treated as a personal work expense, which SNAP’s separate 20% earned-income deduction is meant to cover (7 CFR 273.11(b)(2)).
• States may use a simpler method. Instead of adding up actual costs, a state can use a method approved by USDA, such as a standard percentage of your gross income (7 CFR 273.11(b)(3)).
• That means the IRS standard mileage deduction on your tax return may not be the number the office uses. Ask how your state counts vehicle costs.

An Indiana example

In Indiana, SNAP is run by the Division of Family Resources (DFR), part of FSSA. Its public policy manual (checked October 2026) says:

• For SNAP, the office uses whichever is greater: 40% of your gross self-employment income, or your actual verified expenses (DFR Policy Manual, section 3410.15.00).
• For travel the work requires, if the actual cost can’t be determined, 40 cents per mile may be used, and the miles must be verified (same section).
• Self-employed people must make the business records needed to verify income and expenses available, including transportation and other operating costs (section 2890.05.05).

That’s why an Indiana office may ask for your miles. When our own family applied in Indiana, the office asked for miles for each app separately. In the example above, 40% of $3,550 is $1,420, which is more than the $720 of actual expenses, so under the rule as written the 40% figure would be used. Other states have different rules, so check yours.

Tips that make it go smoother

• Use the same period the office asked for, and make sure the totals match your app statements.
• Keep a copy of everything you send, and note the date you sent it.
• Keep your records going after you’re approved. You may need them again at your interim report or renewal.
• Find your state’s SNAP office and forms through USDA’s SNAP State Directory.

Sources

• 7 CFR 273.11: SNAP rules for self-employment income and allowable costs
• 7 CFR 273.2(f): SNAP verification of income
• USDA: SNAP State Directory of Resources
• Indiana DFR Policy Manual, chapter 3400 (section 3410: self-employment budgeting)
• Indiana DFR Policy Manual, chapter 2800 (section 2890.05.05: verifying self-employment)

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or benefits advice. Rules change and differ by state, agency, and landlord, and the office or landlord you’re dealing with decides what it accepts. Work Well Kept isn’t affiliated with the IRS, USDA, HUD, any state agency, or any gig app. See our Disclaimer.