What is SNAP? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, still widely called food stamps, is the federal program that gives low-income households a monthly benefit to buy groceries. It is the largest federal food assistance program in the United States, serving roughly 42 million people in a typical month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the rules and pays for the benefits; each state runs its own application process, often under its own program name.
The three eligibility tests
Most households have to pass three federal tests, all measured monthly:
- Gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty line for the household size.
- Net income, after allowed deductions, at or below 100% of the poverty line. Deductions include a standard deduction, 20% of earned income, dependent care, child support paid, some medical costs for elderly or disabled members, and housing costs above half of the household’s income.
- Assets under a federal limit, which is higher for households with an elderly or disabled member. A home and most retirement savings do not count.
Households where every member already receives certain cash assistance are “categorically eligible.” Most states also use broad-based categorical eligibility, which lets them raise the gross income limit (up to 200% of the poverty line in some states) and drop the asset test. That is why the same household can qualify in one state and not the next.
Households with an elderly (60+) or disabled member skip the gross income test and only need to pass the net income test.
How the benefit is calculated
SNAP assumes a household can spend 30% of its net income on food. The benefit is the maximum allotment for the household size minus 30% of net income. A household with no net income gets the maximum; benefits shrink as income rises. Maximum allotments are tied to the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, a model low-cost diet, and are updated every October.
Benefits arrive monthly on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card at authorized stores and many farmers’ markets. Paper coupons were phased out by 2004.
Work requirements
Adults who can work generally must register for work and accept suitable jobs. A stricter rule applies to “able-bodied adults without dependents,” who can receive benefits for only three months in three years unless they work or train at least 20 hours a week. A 2025 federal law widened who that rule applies to and narrowed the exemptions, and states phase changes in on their own schedules, so check your state agency for the rule that applies to you.
What you can and can’t buy
SNAP covers food for the household to prepare and eat, including seeds and plants that grow food. It does not cover alcohol, tobacco, vitamins and supplements, hot prepared foods, or non-food items like soap and paper goods. Some states let elderly, disabled or homeless participants use benefits at approved restaurants.
Common myths
- “People on SNAP don’t work.” Most participants are children, older adults or people with disabilities. Among households with a working-age adult who can work, most include someone who works in the year they receive SNAP, often in low-wage jobs with unstable hours.
- “Fraud is rampant.” USDA’s periodic studies of trafficking (selling benefits for cash) have estimated it at roughly one to two cents per benefit dollar. Errors in benefit amounts are a separate measure and are mostly honest mistakes by caseworkers or households.
- “You can’t have any savings.” Many states have no asset test at all, and retirement accounts are excluded everywhere.
The numbers for October 2026 to September 2027
USDA updates the income limits and benefit amounts every October 1. For fiscal year 2027, a one-person household in the 48 contiguous states or D.C. can have gross income up to $1,729 a month and net income up to $1,330; for a family of four the limits are $3,575 and $2,750. The maximum monthly benefit is $306 for one person and $1,023 for four. Alaska and Hawaii have higher limits and benefits. The full table is on the SNAP income check page, and the work rules are covered in SNAP work requirements explained.
To get a rough sense of whether a household passes the income tests, try our SNAP income check. It is a screening aid, not a decision: only your state agency can determine eligibility.