SNAP Benefits Update as Increased Payments Start Being Sent Out

SNAP recipients may be getting more money in February following the adjustment of maximum allotments, deductions and income eligibility standards.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, provides money to low and no-income households across the U.S. to help them pay for their grocery bills. The amount a claimant receives is based on a number of factors, including their household income and how many people live in a property.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changes how much and who is eligible at the start of each federal fiscal year, known as Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). In 2023, the maximum payment for an individual person claiming SNAP was $281, but with COLA increases brought in, payments have risen to $291. Adjustments have also been made across the breadth of payment amounts for households of different sizes.

Payments are deposited onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card that been used at participating grocery stores and food establishments. When you get your money is also dependent on the state you live in, with the federally provided funds being administered by state governments.

How Much SNAP Will Be Paid in February?

While benefit amounts have increased for the vast majority of U.S. states, not every SNAP recipient will be getting an increase. Hawaii is the only state where the maximum allotment has decreased, although recipients receive more than elsewhere due to the exceptionally high cost of groceries. For example, a four person household in Hawaii can claim $1,759 per month, while those in the contiguous states of the same household size receive $973 per month.

However, residents who claim SNAP in Washington, D.C. will get extra this month. After benefits decrease due to the end of federal pandemic assistance funding, the D.C. council passed legislation that will increase SNAP amounts for nine months, beginning this month. Newsweek has contacted Washington, D.C. Council for comment via email.

SNAP recipients in D.C. will receive a 10 percent top up to their monthly benefits which will be retroactively applied to January 2024.

For 2024, here are the maximum payments given to claiming households dependent on size across the 48 states and District of Columbia:

• One person household: $291
• Two person household: $535
• Three person household: $766
• Four person household: $973
• Five person household: $1,155
• Six person household: $1,386
• Seven person household: $1,532
• Eight person household: $1,751
• Each additional person: $219

Maximum monthly amounts are also different in Alaska, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alaska's SNAP payments differ depending on whether you live in an urban or rural area, with two different payment amounts for subsections of the latter. A family of four in an urban area of Alaska will receive $983 per month, whereas a family of the same size will get $1,248 or $1,591 depending on which bracket they fall into.

In Guam, a family of four will be paid $1,434 per month, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the same will receive $1,251. The full breakdown of amounts per household size per month can be viewed here.