3.3 Answering the Questions
People must answer all the questions on a page to move forward to the next page.
Step 1: Where you live
This page asks where the potential applicant lives.
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| Questions | Help with answers |
| What county do you live in? | Select the county of residence from the drop-down menu. |
| Do you live on Tribal lands? |
Choose the Yes or No radio button. If the person isn't sure if they live on Tribal lands, use this map of Tribal lands in Wisconsin to confirm. If Yes is selected, the follow up question displays. |
What Tribal lands do you live on?
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Select the Tribal land from the drop-down. |
Step 2: Your household size
This page asks how many people to include in the household. The answer affects how the next page displays.
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| Questions | Help with answers |
| Including you, how many people are part of your household? |
Enter the total number of people living in the household in the text box. This includes:
Count a pregnant person as one person. A pregnancy question is asked later. |
Step 3: People in your household
This page asks for the relationship and ages of the people in the household. The questions do not collect personal identifiers, just age and relationship to determine the level of benefits for various programs.
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| Questions | How to answer |
| Person 1 (You) | |
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Age
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Enter the primary person's age in the text box. It's assumed that this is the person who would be applying for the program in the future. |
| Person # |
The number of people listed on this page matches the number entered on the previous page. For each person there is one line with two questions. If the number of people needs to be changed, select Add person to add a person or Remove to remove a person. Adding or removing a person here updates the number entered in STEP 2 YOUR HOUSEHOLD SIZE. |
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Relationship to you
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Select the relationship of Person # to Person 1 from the drop-down. For example, person 2 is the primary person’s child. |
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Age
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Enter the age of person # in the text box. Enter 0 if the person is younger than one. The maximum age that can be entered is 120. |
Step 4: Details about the people in your household
This page asks about situations that may make the household eligible for one or more programs. The benefits tool does not ask for verification, though it is needed for the actual application.
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| Questions | How to answer |
| Is anyone in your household: | Check the corresponding boxes if at least one person listed on the previous page is... |
| 🗹 Pregnant | ...currently pregnant. This includes if the person may give birth before they submit an actual application. |
| 🗹 Getting Medicare | ...receiving Medicare. If someone is already receiving Medicare it can be used as verification that they are also eligible for other programs. |
| 🗹 Blind or living with a permanent disability | ...is blind or has a physical or mental condition that lasts for more than a year and limits the person's ability to work. If they are unsure if anyone meets these criteria, it's okay to guess or assume in the benefits tool as it's not an actual application. |
| 🗹 Child with a physical, medical or emotional / behavioral condition | …child has a physical, medical or emotional / behavioral condition, or a combination of conditions, that result in limitations to the child’s activities or daily life. |
| 🗹 In need of moving to a nursing home or getting health care at home | ...on a waiting list for a nursing home or otherwise planning to move to a nursing home. |
| 🗹 Living in a nursing home | ...currently in a nursing home. |
| 🗹 None of the above | Select if no one in the household meets any of the above criteria. |
| Do you need help paying for child care while you work or go to school? |
This question only displays if a household member less than 13 years old was entered on the previous page. Select Yes if the household's adults are working, in school, or meet the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program requirements or FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) program requirements. Refer to Department of Children and Families Emergency Assistance (EA) page for emergency assistance. |
Step 5: Your household's monthly income
This page asks how much money the household takes in each month. It's okay to estimate the numbers if the exact number is not known. Better estimates provide more accurate results.
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| Questions | How to answer |
| How much money do all the people in your household earn each month from jobs? | Enter the sum of money that everyone in the household earns from an employer or from being self-employed each month in the text box. This is income before taxes and other deductions are taken out and can be from full-time or part-time work. |
| How much money does your household get each month from: | This leads to the following questions. |
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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Enter the sum of money that everyone in the household receives from SSI. |
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Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
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Enter the sum of money that everyone in the household receives from SSDI. |
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Other Social Security Payments
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Enter the sum of money that everyone in the household receives from other types of Social Security, such as retirement or survivor benefits. |
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Court-ordered child support
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Enter the sum of money that everyone in the household receives from court-ordered child support in the text box. Enter zero if no one in the household receives monthly court-ordered child support payments. If someone in the household receives voluntary child support that was not court ordered, add it to the All other income amount. |
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Unemployment payments
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Enter the sum of all unemployment payments that anyone in the household currently receives in a month in the text box. Enter zero if no one in the household receives unemployment payments. |
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All other income
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Enter any additional monthly income that was not entered in the other fields on this page. |
| How much money will all the people in your household get this year? | Enter the total amount of money that the household gets for a full year from jobs and other sources. This is the household’s annual income. |
Step 6: Your household assets
This page asks about assets that may supplement income. It's okay to estimate the numbers if the exact number is not known for the benefits tool. Better estimates provide more accurate results.
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| Questions | How to answer |
| What is the total value of your household's assets? |
Enter the total value of all assets owned by everyone in the household in the text box. This includes but is not limited to:
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Step 7: Your household's monthly expenses
This page asks how much money the household spends each month. It's okay to estimate the numbers if the exact number is not known for the benefits tool. Better estimates provide more accurate results.
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| Questions | How to answer |
| How much do all of the people in your household together spend each month on: | Enter the sum of money paid by everyone in the household for each type of expense listed below. Enter zero if no one in the household pays for the expenses. |
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Medical costs |
This includes, but is not limited to: • Doctor visits • Medicine • Co-pays |
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Child support
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Enter the total monthly amount of court ordered child support paid by everyone in the household. If someone in the household pays voluntary child support that was not court ordered, add it to the All other expenses amount. |
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Housing and utility expenses
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Enter the total monthly amount of rent or mortgage, property taxes, heating, and electric bills paid by everyone in the household. |
This page last updated in Release Number: 25-01
Release Date: 10/18/2025
Effective Date: 10/18/2025