Skip to content
ContentLora

    Tip: press / anywhere to search.

    concept

    SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

    Also known as SNAP, food stamps, Food Stamp Program, EBT food benefits

    SNAP, known as food stamps until 2008, gives low-income households monthly electronic benefits to buy food. In FY2024 it reached an average of 41.7 million people a month, at an average of $187.17 per person.[1][2][3] The 2025 reconciliation law widened its work requirements and, from FY2028, makes states with high payment error rates pay part of benefit costs.[4][5]

    Editor reviewedStrict sourcingUpdated WikiSocial welfare, Tech policy
    Key facts

    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the federal food assistance programme formerly called food stamps. It provides monthly electronic benefits that eligible low-income households spend on food at authorized retailers.[2][3] This page is general information, not legal advice. Eligibility rules and benefit amounts change each year and vary by state, so check with your state SNAP office.

    How SNAP works

    SNAP is run jointly by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and 53 state agencies. The states decide who qualifies and issue benefits, and USDA oversees them and authorizes retailers.[6] It is authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and renewed in farm bills. The 2008 farm bill renamed the Food Stamp Program as SNAP.[1] Benefits are loaded each month onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.[7]

    Under the traditional rules, a household without an elderly or disabled member must have gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines.[8] As of August 2025, 43 states, DC, Guam and the US Virgin Islands used broad-based categorical eligibility, which can raise the income limit.[8] Households are expected to spend 30% of net income on food, and SNAP makes up the difference up to a maximum tied to USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan.[9] For FY2026 that maximum was $298 a month for one person, $546 for two and $785 for three in the 48 contiguous states and DC.[10]

    Scale and effect

    In FY2024 an average of 41.7 million people in 22.2 million households received SNAP each month. Benefits averaged $187.17 per person, and federal spending was $100.3 billion.[3] SNAP is counted in the Supplemental Poverty Measure but not in the official poverty rate.[11] The Center for American Progress reads the Census data as showing SNAP lifted 3.1 million people out of poverty in 2025.[12]

    The 2025 reconciliation law

    Public Law 119-21, enacted on 4 July 2025, contains SNAP provisions that CBO expects to cut federal nutrition spending by almost $187 billion over ten years.[13] It extends the three-month time limit for adults without dependents to ages 18 to 64 and to parents whose youngest child is 14 or older. It also removes exemptions for veterans, homeless people and former foster youth.[4] It narrows eligibility for noncitizens and limits future Thrifty Food Plan increases.[14][15] States pay 75% of administrative costs from 1 October 2026.[16] From FY2028, states with payment error rates of 6% or more pay 5% to 15% of benefit costs.[5] The SNAP changes explainer covers each provision and the farm bill debate.

    The November 2025 lapse

    During the record 43-day federal shutdown, USDA said no SNAP benefits would be issued on 1 November 2025. Experts called it the first time benefits had been affected by a shutdown.[17][18] Federal judges ordered the use of contingency funds. The administration said it would pay 50% of November allotments from the $4.65 billion remaining in the reserve.[19][20] The funding law signed on 12 November 2025 funded SNAP for fiscal 2026 and reimbursed the contingency reserves.[18]

    Getting help

    People apply through their state or local SNAP office, and some states take applications online, by mail or by fax.[7] The guide to benefit-finder and food-assistance tools covers official screeners, 211 and food bank locators. For hunger data, see the food insecurity explainer.

    Next in the crash course

    Developing in World & Policy

    Questions readers ask

    Is SNAP the same as food stamps?

    Yes. The 2008 farm bill renamed the Food Stamp Program as SNAP, though some states still use other names.[1]

    Who qualifies for SNAP?

    Under the traditional path, households without an elderly or disabled member need gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines and net income at or below 100%. Most states use broad-based categorical eligibility, which can allow higher limits. Rules vary, so check with your state SNAP office.[8]

    How much SNAP can I get?

    Benefits equal the maximum allotment minus 30% of net income. For FY2026 the maximum was $298 a month for one person and $546 for two in the 48 contiguous states and DC.[9][10]

    How do I apply for SNAP?

    Contact your state or local SNAP office; depending on the state you can apply online, in person, by mail or by fax, and you may need an interview. Benefits are loaded monthly onto an EBT card.[7]

    Did SNAP stop during the 2025 shutdown?

    USDA said no benefits would be issued on 1 November 2025, the first such delay in SNAP's history. After court orders the administration paid partial benefits, and the 12 November funding law funded SNAP for fiscal 2026.[17][20][18]

    Sources

    · 20 claims from 8 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      The 2008 farm bill renamed the Food Stamp Program as SNAP; the program is authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and periodically reauthorized in farm bills. confirmedas of 2025-09-29

    2. [2]

      SNAP provides eligible low-income households with electronic benefits that can be spent on eligible foods at authorized retailers; benefit amounts depend on household size and income. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    3. [3]

      In FY2024 an average of 41.7 million people in 22.2 million households received SNAP each month; benefits averaged $187.17 per person a month, and federal spending was $100.3 billion. confirmedas of 2025-09-29

    4. [4]

      The 2025 law extends SNAP's time limit to adults aged 18 to 64 and to parents whose youngest dependent child is 14 or older, and removes the exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth; it adds exemptions for American Indians. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    5. [5]

      From FY2028 (1 October 2027), states with SNAP payment error rates of 6% to under 8% must pay 5% of benefit costs, 8% to under 10% pay 10%, and 10% or more pay 15%; states under 6% pay nothing. confirmedas of 2026-10-05

    6. [6]

      SNAP is run jointly by 53 state agencies, which certify households and issue benefits, and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees states and handles retailers. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    7. [7]

      People apply for SNAP through their state or local SNAP office, online, in person, by mail or by fax depending on the state, and may need an interview; benefits are loaded each month onto an EBT card. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    8. [8]

      Under SNAP's traditional eligibility path, households without an elderly or disabled member must have gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines and net income at or below 100%; most states use broad-based categorical eligibility, which can allow higher limits. confirmedas of 2025-09-29

    9. [9]

      SNAP benefits equal the maximum allotment, tied to USDA's Thrifty Food Plan, minus 30% of the household's net income. confirmedas of 2025-09-29

    10. [10]

      For FY2026 (October 2025 to September 2026), the maximum monthly SNAP allotment in the 48 contiguous states and DC was $298 for one person, $546 for two and $785 for three. confirmedas of 2025-09-29

    11. [11]

      The official poverty measure compares pretax cash income with national thresholds that vary by family size and are updated for inflation; it excludes taxes, refundable tax credits and noncash benefits such as SNAP and housing subsidies. confirmedas of 2026-09-16

    12. [12]

      CAP's reading of the Census figures is that SNAP lifted 3.1 million people out of SPM poverty in 2025, the third-largest effect after Social Security and refundable tax credits. confirmedas of 2026-09-15

    13. [13]

      The FY2025 budget reconciliation law (Public Law 119-21, sometimes called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) was enacted on 4 July 2025; CBO estimated its nutrition provisions would cut federal spending by almost $187 billion over FY2025-FY2034. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    14. [14]

      The law limits SNAP eligibility for noncitizens to lawful permanent residents (subject to the five-year bar), Cuban-Haitian entrants and Compact of Free Association migrants, making groups such as refugees and asylees ineligible. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    15. [15]

      The law bars USDA from reevaluating the Thrifty Food Plan before 1 October 2027 in a way that raises its cost faster than inflation; CBO estimated this will cut the average monthly benefit by $14 by 2034. confirmedas of 2025-08-15

    16. [16]

      SNAP benefits have historically been fully federally funded and administrative costs split about 50-50; the 2025 law raised states' share of administrative costs to 75% from 1 October 2026, and the Senate committee's farm bill would not change that. confirmedas of 2026-10-05

    17. [17]

      USDA said no SNAP benefits would be issued on 1 November 2025 because of the shutdown, the first such delay in the program's history, affecting about 42 million recipients. confirmedas of 2025-11-01

    18. [18]

      President Trump signed a funding bill on 12 November 2025 ending the record 43-day shutdown; it funds USDA, including SNAP, for all of fiscal 2026 and reimburses the SNAP and WIC contingency reserves used during the shutdown. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    19. [19]

      On 31 October 2025 federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled that the administration must use SNAP contingency funds to pay at least partial benefits. confirmedas of 2025-11-03

    20. [20]

      On 3 November 2025 the administration told the Rhode Island court it would use the remaining $4.65 billion SNAP contingency fund to pay 50% of November allotments, declining to tap child nutrition funds for full payments. confirmedas of 2025-11-03

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Dec 31, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

    ☰ Contents