Basic Eligibility

• In order to receive food stamps in Alaska, you must first meet certain basic requirements. All beneficiaries must be residents of the state and U.S. citizens, qualified aliens or U.S. Nationals. Able-bodied individuals between the ages of 16 and 59 years of age must work or be registered to work. If applicants are unemployed, they must accept any offer of employment and participate in the Alaska Employment and Training Program, if it is offered to them. You also cannot quit a job once you are employed, as long as you use food stamps.
  
  

Income and Assets

• Your household cannot exceed both a household income limit and an asset limit. The combined total income of everyone in your household must be lower than both a gross income maximum and a net income maximum. Gross income is the total of all wages; net is what is left after allowable deductions are made for childcare, medical expenses and housing. As of 2011, you cannot hold more than $2,000 in assets, such as stocks, bank accounts, cash and real estate not up for sale, and be eligible. Households with disabled or elderly members have asset limits of $3,000.
  
  

Application

• In order to apply for Alaska food stamps, you will need to fill out an application. These can be downloaded from the Alaska Social and Human Services website or requested from your nearest food stamp office. You can then submit the completed application either in-person or by mail or fax. A face-to-face or telephone interview is part of the process, as well. You will need to show your local food stamp office documentation of your income, housing costs, utility bills and any other paperwork that provides proof of your financial situation.
  
  

Alaska Quest Card

• Once approved, you receive your monthly allotment by using the Alaska Quest card. Use it like an ATM card in any store that accepts them. You cannot use food stamp benefits to buy non-food items, such as medicine, paper products, alcohol or tobacco. However, approved participants in certain parts of the state can use their benefits to buy subsistence fishing or hunting items.