United States Benefit

Women, Infants, and Children Program

Also known as: WIC

WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5.

At a Glance

  • Must be pregnant, postpartum (up to 6 months), breastfeeding(up to 1 year), an infant (under 1), ...
  • Household income must be at or below 185% of theFederal Poverty Level.
  • Must be a resident of the state where applying.
  • Must be determined to be at nutritional risk by a healthprofessional (medical or dietary risk fac...

Eligibility Requirements

Categorical Eligibility

Required

Must be pregnant, postpartum (up to 6 months), breastfeeding(up to 1 year), an infant (under 1), or child under 5.

wic_category in [pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, infant, child_under_5]

Exempt if any:

  • OR is_pregnant = true
  • OR months_postpartum ≤ 6
  • OR is_breastfeeding = true
  • OR age_months < 12
  • OR age < 5

Income Limit

Required

Household income must be at or below 185% of theFederal Poverty Level.

household_income_fpl ≤ 185 percent

State Residency

Required

Must be a resident of the state where applying.

state_residency exists

Nutritional Risk

Required

Must be determined to be at nutritional risk by a healthprofessional (medical or dietary risk factors).

has_nutritional_risk = true

Ruleset effective: 2024-01-01

Quick Info

Agency
USDA-FNS
Category
Food assistance
Last Verified
2026-01-13

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Official Sources

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