About WIC

Welcome to WIC Handbook (PDF: 758KB/9 pages)

Who can participate in WIC?

Your family must be income eligible for WIC services

Other eligibiity requirements for WIC

Who can apply for the WIC Program?

Who Can Participate in WIC?

  • Women
  • Pregnant women
  • Breastfeeding women who have had a baby within the past year
  • Women who have had a baby within the past six months
  • Women who have been pregnant within the past six months
  • Infants from birth to 1 year of age
  • Children from 1 year of age to their 5th birthday

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WIC Income Guidelines

NOTE: If you or a family member is currently participating in any of the following programs: Medical Assistance, MN Care, Food Stamps, MN Family Investment Program (MFIP), Fuel Assistance, Reduced or Free School Lunch, or Headstart, please see Automatic Adjunctive Income Eligibility.

WIC bases your income on your household's gross income (before taxes are taken out).

  • WIC includes people who are living together and share income and household expenses (bills, food, etc.)
  • WIC counts a pregnant woman as two family members

Table 1 (Effective as of April 1, 2013)

Number of Household Members Weekly Household Income
Monthly Household Income
 Yearly Household Income
1
Up to $409
Up to $1,772
Up to $21,257
2
Up to $552
Up to $2,392
Up to $28,694
3
Up to $695
Up to $3,011
Up to $36,131
4
Up to $838
Up to $3,631
Up to $43,568
5
Up to $981
Up to $4,251
Up to $51,005
6
Up to $1,124
Up to $4,871
Up to $58,442
7
Up to $1,267
Up to $5,490
Up to $65,879
8
Up to $1,410
Up to $6,110
Up to $73,316
9
Up to $1,554
Up to $6,730
Up to $80,753
For each additional family member, add
$144
$620
$7,437

If your household doesn't meet the income guidelines listed in Table 1, but your household includes a pregnant woman, a woman who has recently had a baby, or a child up to the age of five, you may be Presumptively Income Eligible.

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Automatic Adjunct Income Eligibility

If you or a family member is currently participating in any of the following programs, you and your family are adjunctively income eligible for the WIC Program.

  • Medical Assistance
  • MN Care
  • Food Stamps
  • Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)
  • Fuel Assistance
  • Reduced or Free School Lunch
  • Headstart

Or, if you or a family member is currently receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medical Assistance - TEFRA, the person receiving these benefits is income eligible for the WIC Program.

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Presumptive Income Eligibility

WIC bases your income on your household's gross income (before taxes are taken out). WIC includes people who are living together and share income and household expenses (bills, food, etc.) and counts a pregnant woman as two family members

If your family meets all of the following criteria, your family may be presumptively income eligible for the WIC Program.

  • No one in your family is receiving benefits from any of the adjunctive income eligible programs right now (MA, MN Care, MFIP, Headstart, Food Stamps, SSI, Fuel Assistance or Free or Reduced School Lunches).
  • Your household includes a pregnant woman, a woman who has recently had a baby, or a child up to the age of 5
  • You are willing to apply for a Minnesota Health Care Program
  • Your household income meets the guidelines listed in Table 2 below

Families that are found to be presumptively income eligible can receive WIC benefits for three months. After three months, proof of current eligibility, or a pending application, for a Minnesota Health Care Program must be provided to continue receiving WIC benefits.

Table 2 ( Effective July 1, 2012)

Number of Household Members Weekly Household Income
Monthly Household Income
 Yearly Household Income
1
Up to $591
Up to $2,560
Up to $30,720
2
Up to $800
Up to $3,468
Up to $41,616
3
Up to $1010
Up to $4,376
Up to $52,512
4
Up to $1,219
Up to $5,284
Up to $63,408
5
Up to $1,429
Up to $6,192
Up to $74,304
6
Up to $1,638
Up to $7,100
Up to $85,200
7
Up to $1,848
Up to $8,008
Up to $96,096
8
Up to $2,058
Up to $8,916
Up to $106,992
9
Up to $2,268
Up to $9,824
Up to $117,888
For each additional family member, add
$210
$908
$10,896

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What are the additional eligibility requirements for the WIC Program?

  • You must live in Minnesota
  • Each state provides WIC benefits to its residents
  • You will usually receive WIC services in the county where you live
  • You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to be on WIC
  • You must have a medical or nutrition need.
  • A "medical need" means that you or your child has health-based risks such as high or low weight, anemia, or a history of having low birth weight or premature babies.
  • A "nutrition need" means that you or your child may have poor eating habits, lack variety in the foods eaten daily, or are not eating enough of certain nutrients (like calcium, iron or protein).
  • Medical or nutrition needs will be assessed by a qualified health professional at your WIC appointment.

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Who can apply for the WIC Program?

  • Pregnant women
  • Mothers and fathers with an infant or child under the age of 5
  • Foster parent(s) or guardian(s) with an infant or child under age 5

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Am I Eligible for WIC?


To find the phone # of a WIC Clinic near you, select one of the following:


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Or call 1-800-WIC-4030 (1-800-942-4030)
Don't delay...we're here to help.