What is the TEFAP income limit in Iowa?

185% of the federal poverty guidelines: $29,526 a year for a household of one and $61,050 for four (2026 guidelines). Iowa's printed table is the official one.

Do clients sign for TEFAP food at every pickup in Iowa?

No - the State does not require a client signature at every pickup.

How long must Iowa pantries keep TEFAP records?

The federal minimum is 3 years from the end of the federal fiscal year; the State did not publish its own figure.

TEFAP rules by State / Iowa

TEFAP Rules for Food Pantries in Iowa

Rules verified 2026-10-07 from Iowa Dept of Health & Human Services and food bank publications (sources below) · agency links checked 2026-10-10 · income table recalculated automatically from the 2026 federal poverty guidelines · sources re-checked weekly

In Iowa, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is run by Iowa Dept of Health & Human Services. This page sets out what a food pantry or other distribution site has to do: who qualifies, what each household declares, what you record at each visit, how long you keep it, how complaints are handled and what you report. Where Iowa's own documents disagree, that is said plainly rather than smoothed over.

Iowa's TEFAP agency and official documents

Iowa Dept of Health & Human Services — the State agency's own TEFAP page (checked 2026-10-10).

Your food bank's agreement and current forms are the final word on the figures and forms to use.

Who qualifies: the income limit

Household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines (official table: form 470-5313 (1 Jul - 30 Jun)). Households in these programs qualify without an income test:

SNAP
free/reduced lunch

Household size	Per year	Per month
1	$29,526	$2,461
2	$40,034	$3,336
3	$50,542	$4,212
4	$61,050	$5,088
5	$71,558	$5,963
6	$82,066	$6,839
7	$92,574	$7,715
8	$103,082	$8,590
Each additional person	+$10,508

Computed as 185% of the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines. Your State's printed table is the official one and may round differently or take effect on a different date.

The eligibility declaration

Form: 470-5313. How often: once a year, from 1 July. Clients self-declare; proof of income is not required.

What to record at each visit

name
number served
date

Client signature at every pickup: No. Electronic signatures: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).

Proxies

proxy signature line on 470-5313.

What you must not collect

ID cannot be required to receive TEFAP food.

How long to keep records

Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). The federal minimum is 3 years from the end of the federal fiscal year (7 CFR 251.10(a)(5)).

Civil rights

Complaints: no local forwarding deadline is published — forward promptly. Anyone may complain, in writing or verbally, without giving a name. Training: annual frontline (Food Bank of Iowa).

Posted or handed out:

Justice for All
Beneficiary Rights

Reporting

monthly to food bank, due by the 10th.

households
individuals per household
ages of household members

Storage temperatures

Refrigerated 35–40°F, frozen -10–0°F, dry 50–70°F. Temperature log: at least weekly (Food Bank of Iowa).

Sources

TEFAP in nearby States

TEFAP in Illinois · TEFAP in Minnesota · TEFAP in Missouri · TEFAP in Nebraska · all States

This page describes published State and food bank documents and is not legal advice. Your State agency and your food bank agreement are the final word. See also the federal TEFAP record rule and the free TEFAP readiness checklist.

Keep these records without the paperwork — free for 30 days. PantryPOS records each TEFAP visit (who picked up, household size, eligibility basis, signature where your State wants one), keeps every eligibility declaration, reconciles TEFAP stock by lot, logs civil-rights complaints and training, and shows your State's rules on screen. Every feature, no card — $39/month per site after the trial.

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