Montana benefits for college students

Food assistance: SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

Montana's name for SNAP, run by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). If you are enrolled at least half-time, you need a student exemption to qualify, such as working 20 hours a week, work-study or caring for a young child. If you are enrolled less than half-time, the student rule does not apply and only the regular SNAP rules do. See every exemption →

Montana's SNAP manual (policy SNAP 201-5, Student Status, effective July 20, 2022) follows the federal student rules: students enrolled at least half time in higher education (including online) are ineligible unless they meet an exemption (e.g. working an average of 20 hours a week, state or federal work study, caring for a child under 6, single parent enrolled full time with a child under 12, receiving TANF or SSI, or placed in school through WIA/TAA or a state or local employment and training program). Students who get more than half their daily meals from the school are not eligible. No extra state-designated programs are named.

Apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) · Montana's page for students

Health coverage: Montana Medicaid (adult expansion: Medicaid Expansion, also known as HELP)

Montana has expanded Medicaid, so adults with low incomes, students included, can qualify based on income. All your health coverage options →

Apply for Montana Medicaid (adult expansion: Medicaid Expansion, also known as HELP)

Child care help: Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship

Going to college or training counts as an approved activity in this state. Families where all parents attend school/training full time do not have to meet a work requirement. If one or more parents attend school/training part time, they must meet a work requirement that accounts for the education/training (otherwise: 60 hours/month work for single parents, 120 hours/month for two-parent families). Teen parents must attend high school or a high school equivalency program. Income must be below 185% of the federal poverty level.

Apply for Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship · Help on campus (CCAMPIS) →

Phone and internet: Lifeline

Montana Telephone Assistance Plan (MTAP): A state program that complements federal Lifeline: a monthly benefit of $3.50 for telephone service from participating providers. To qualify, the telephone subscriber must participate in Medicaid. Apply through your phone company. Who qualifies →

Apply for Lifeline (Montana Telephone Assistance Plan (MTAP))

Taxes

A refundable credit for Montana residents who claimed the federal EITC; for most taxpayers it equals 10% of the federal EITC. The Montana Department of Revenue partners with Free File Alliance companies (e.g. 1040.com, FreeTaxUSA) that let eligible taxpayers prepare and e-file both federal and Montana returns for free, each with its own income or other limits.

Montana Earned Income Tax Credit · Free state filing · Federal education tax credits → · Free federal filing →

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