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SNAP food benefits
Help buying groceries
SNAP puts money on a card you use at the checkout, like a debit card. Your state runs it, the rules are national, and applying is free.
- Email only — no SSN, no income details
- Free. Applying is always free too
$994 a monthThe FY2026 maximum for a family of four in the 48 states and DC. Most families receive less.
130%of the poverty line
The gross income limit for most households — about $2,888 a month for a family of three.
USDA FNS / CBPP, FY2026
$994maximum for a family of four
Per month in the 48 states and DC. Alaska, Hawaii and the territories are higher.
USDA FNS FY2026 COLA
30 daysfor a decision
The normal limit. Households with very little income or cash may get benefits within 7 days.
USDA FNS
$3,000resource limit
Countable savings — $4,500 if someone is 60 or older, or has a disability.
USDA FNS, FY2026
What SNAP is
A card you use at the checkout
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — what most people still call food stamps. Benefits arrive monthly on an EBT card you use at the till.
The money and the rules are federal, but your state takes the application and makes the decision. That is why you deal with a state or county office.
The same program, different names
Some states brand it their own way, so you may not see the word SNAP:
- CaliforniaCalFresh
- ArizonaNutrition Assistance
- New MexicoSNAP / Food Assistance
- Most statesSNAP, or simply “food assistance”
Your state's name plus “SNAP” normally reaches the right agency. The official directory below does it for you.
Who qualifies
The two income tests, in plain terms
SNAP looks at your whole household — everyone who buys and prepares food together. Only your state can make a decision.
Gross income: under 130% of the poverty line
Federal ruleIncome before deductions — about $2,888 a month for a family of three. Bigger households get higher limits.
Net income: at or under the poverty line
Federal ruleWhat is left after allowed deductions: a $209 standard deduction for households of one to three, plus earnings, housing and child care.
Savings under $3,000
Federal ruleCash and money in the bank. $4,500 if someone is 60 or older, or has a disability. The home you live in does not count.
Over 60, or disabled? Different rules
ImportantOnly the net income test applies — not the gross test. Shelter costs above half your income can also be deducted, with no cap.
Who counts as your household
Federal ruleEveryone who buys and prepares food with you, related or not. People who cook separately can usually apply separately.
Where you live changes the numbers
Varies by stateAlaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands use different limits and amounts. Some states let more households qualify.
How the monthly amount is worked out
- SNAP assumes a household spends about 30% of its net income on food.
- Your benefit is the maximum for your household size minus 30% of net monthly income. Almost no income can mean the full maximum.
USDA FNS · CBPP, FY2026
What you can buy
What the card covers, and what it does not
SNAP is for food you prepare and eat at home. The dividing line surprises people.
You can buy
- Fruit and vegetables, fresh, frozen or tinned
- Meat, poultry and fish
- Dairy — milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs
- Bread, rice, pasta and cereals
- Snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks
- Seeds and plants that grow food for your household
You cannot buy
- Hot food that is hot at the point of sale
- Vitamins, medicines and supplements — anything with a Supplement Facts label
- Beer, wine, spirits and tobacco
- Pet food, cleaning products, paper goods, cosmetics
- Live animals, apart from shellfish and fish taken from water
Some states run a Restaurant Meals Program letting older, disabled or unhoused people buy prepared meals. Ask whether yours takes part.
How to apply
Four steps, and it costs nothing
Nothing on this page is an application. This is the route every household takes.
Apply in the state you live in
Every state takes applications online, and all accept paper, phone or a visit. You apply where you live, even if you just moved.
Have an interview
Almost every household has one, usually by phone. It is a conversation about your household, income and costs — not a test.
Send what they ask for
Usually ID, proof of address, household income, and housing and utility costs. Ask for the list up front so nothing holds up the decision.
Get a decision within 30 days
Under $100 in cash and under $150 monthly income — or income and cash below your rent and utilities — can mean benefits within 7 days.
Get the steps
Want the route as a checklist?
One email address, and we will send the route in a form you can keep — where your state applies, what it asks for, and the free official links.
- Where your state takes SNAP applications
- The documents most states ask for
- Free help lines that cost nothing to ring
Work rules
The work rules changed in 2025
Some adults must meet a work requirement to keep SNAP beyond three months in three years. The 2025 law widened who that covers, so older advice is out of date.
The age range is now 18 to 64
It used to stop at 54. Adults aged 55 to 64 are now covered for the first time unless they meet another exception.
Parents of older children are now covered
The requirement now reaches parents whose youngest child is 14 or older.
Three exemptions were removed
Exemptions added in 2023 for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young people who recently left foster care were repealed.
Some people remain excluded
It does not apply to Indians, Urban Indians or California Indians under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, or to people unable to work, pregnant, or caring for a young child.
States can still get a waiver where unemployment is above 10%; the older waiver for areas short of jobs was repealed. Check your state's current rules.
USDA FNS · P.L. 119-21 (2025)
Free official help
Start here — none of this costs anything
These are the real, free, public services. Nobody legitimate charges a fee to apply for SNAP.
USAGov — how to apply for SNAP
The federal starting page: how to apply, check your balance, and replace a lost card.
USDA state directory
Links straight through to the agency that takes applications in your state, with its phone number and website.
National Hunger Hotline
Free referrals to food assistance near you, including food banks and meal programs, in English and Spanish.
2-1-1
Free, confidential local referrals for food, housing, utilities and more. Dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in the United States.
Questions
Straight answers
Including the ones where the honest answer is “it depends on your state” or simply “no”.
Yes. SNAP is the current name. Paper stamps were replaced years ago by an EBT card that works like a debit card at the checkout.
It depends on household size, income and deductions, so nobody can tell you in advance. The FY2026 maximum for a family of four is $994 a month, and most households get less — roughly the maximum minus 30% of net monthly income.
Yes. Many households receiving SNAP have someone in work. What matters is your income against the limits for your household size, after allowed deductions — including one for earned income.
Citizens and certain lawfully present non-citizens can qualify. The non-citizen rules depend on status, how long it has been held, age and disability, and children sometimes qualify when adults do not. Check with your state agency or legal aid rather than any website, including this one.
The home you live in does not count. Vehicles are treated differently state by state — many exclude at least one entirely. Ask your state agency how it counts yours.
Normally within 30 days. Under $100 in cash and under $150 monthly gross income — or income and cash below your rent or mortgage plus utilities — may qualify you for expedited service within 7 days.
They may. Since 2025 the time limit covers adults aged 18 to 64 without dependants, and parents whose youngest child is 14 or older. Exemptions for veterans, homeless people and recent foster youth were removed. Confirm with your state agency.
No. We are not a government agency, not affiliated with USDA or any state SNAP office, and we do not take applications. Everything here is general information. Your state agency decides.
With your state's SNAP agency. USAGov has a plain-language starting page, and USDA publishes a state directory linking straight to each application. You can also dial 2-1-1, or the National Hunger Hotline on 1-866-3-HUNGRY. None charges a fee.
Next step
Find out where your state takes applications
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Get the checklist by email, or skip us and go straight to the official page.