A Complete Guide to SNAP Benefits

Every new year involves reassessing your finances and reconfiguring how your monthly budget competes with your cost of living. It’s also the time of year to re-up your SNAP application to make sure you and your household members receive benefits seamlessly.

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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is the largest federal nutrition assistance program from the Department of Health. Despite some political rumblings about changes being made, those who receive SNAP benefits should remain unaffected.

Quick Take: Determined Eligibility and Income Limits

If you are applying for SNAP in 2025, there may be a few adjustments to consider. Here are some key takeaways:

• To get SNAP benefits, you must apply in the state in which you currently live and you must meet certain requirements, including resource and income limits and SNAP income and resource limits are updated annually

• Income limits are determined by the federal poverty level and vary based on household size. This means your household’s gross monthly income must be at or below 130% of the poverty line, and net monthly income must be at or below 100% of the poverty line.

• The 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) maximum allotment for a family of four in the 48 states, Washington D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands is $975. However, the maximum monthly allotments vary based on household size, as the maximum monthly benefit for a single person will be $292.

• Maximum allotments for a family of four range from $1,258 to $1,953 in Alaska. The maximum allotment for a family of four is $1,437 in Guam and $1,254 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• The maximum allotment for a family of four in Hawaii is $1,723. The minimum benefit for the 48 states and D.C. remains the same as last year at $23.

• The standard deduction for household sizes 1 through 3 is $204 a month for the 48 states and Washington, D.C.

• The asset limit for households is $3,000 for the 48 states and D.C., Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The asset limit for households where at least one person is age 60 or older, or is disabled, is $4,500

Keep reading to learn more about EBT cards, income limits, household total non-excluded income and more for SNAP in 2025.

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SNAP Eligibility 2025

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) sets the eligibility requirements, with the size of a family’s SNAP benefit based on its income and certain expenses. Keep in mind that much of the assessments are based around the poverty line; the poverty level is higher for bigger families and lower for smaller families, so amounts of SNAP benefits will vary.

Here are some income eligibility requirements for benefits as a household’s income and resources must meet these three criteria:

• Gross monthly income: Household income before any of the program’s deductions are applied — generally must be at or below 130% of the poverty line. For example, for a family of three, the poverty line used to calculate SNAP benefits in the federal fiscal year 2025 is $2,152 a month, making 130% of the poverty line for a three-person family about $2,798 a month, or about $33,576 a year.

• Net income: (Net income meaning gross income minus allowable deductions) Household income after deductions are applied, must be at or below the poverty line.

• Assets: These must fall below certain limits. For instance, households without a member aged 60 or older or who has a disability must have assets of $3,000 or less, and households with such a member must have assets of $4,500 or less.

What Is the Difference Between SNAP and Food Stamps?

The SNAP program and Food Stamps are one and the same. The SNAP program was previously called the Food Stamp Program, or simply Food Stamps, because of the books of stamps people would use to make purchases.

Today, the stamps have been replaced by Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, which look just like debit cards and are accepted in most grocery stores and at many other retailers that sell groceries, including Walmart, Target and Amazon.

What Items Can Be Purchased With SNAP Benefits?

Food items that can be prepared at home are typically eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. Food that is hot when sold and food that is sold to be eaten in the store are not eligible.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these foods are eligible for SNAP:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Meat, poultry and fish

• Dairy products

• Breads and cereals

• Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages

• Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat

What SNAP Benefits Are Available by State?

Although SNAP is a federal program, benefits are administered by individual states. This means benefits are distributed inconsistently across the country. While eligibility requirements and benefit levels are uniform across all states except Alaska and Hawaii, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the way benefits are calculated can vary from one state to the next.

Here’s a general look at the maximum and minimum allotments in each state:

• For the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the maximum allotment for a family of four is $975 per month.

• In Alaska, a family of four can receive between $1,258 to $1,953 per month, depending on their rural or urban designation.

• In Hawaii, the monthly limit is $1,723 for a family of four.

Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: A Complete Guide to SNAP Benefits