The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Food and Nutrition Service, annually adjusts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) maximum allotments, deductions, and income eligibility standards at the beginning of each federal fiscal year
This adjustment is based on changes in the cost of living, which represents the amount of money needed to maintain a basic standard of living. For FY 2024, the FNS increased the maximum allotments and shelter limits for most states and U.S. territories. These changes, resulting from COLA adjustments, became effective October 1, 2023.
Maximum allowances increased for the 48 states and the District of Columbia, Alaska, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, in Hawaii, the allowance decreased to $1,759 from $1,794 for a family of four. In the 48 contiguous states, the COLA adjustment represents a benefit increase of $34 per month for a family of four.
The maximum SNAP allotments in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia for the period October 2023 through September 2024 are as follows, according to information available on the USDA website:
Household size 1: $291.
Household size 2: $535.
Household size 3: $766.
Household size 4: $973.
Household size 5: $1,155.
Household size 6: $1,386.
Household size 7: $1,532.
Household size 8: $1,751.
Each additional person: $219.
Benefits tend to be more substantial for households in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a family of four, maximum benefits in Alaska could reach $1,937.
There were modifications to the monthly income eligibility standards for the 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Presented here is the gross monthly income ceiling, set at 130% of the federal poverty level, for the 48 contiguous U.S. states plus the District of Columbia:
Household size 1: $1,580.
Household size 2: $2,137.
Household size 3: $2,694.
Household size 4: $3,250.
Household size 5: $3,807.
Household size 6: $4,364.
Household size 7: $4,921.
Household size 8: $5,478.
Each additional person: $557.
A monthly payment of $973 for a family of four breaks down to approximately $8 per day per person. Although the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was not designed to cover all food costs, according to the Urban Institute, in the last quarter of 2022, the cost of a modest meal was $3.14, 15% more than the maximum SNAP benefit. The report also highlighted that SNAP benefits did not cover the cost of a meal in 99% of counties last year.