The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a program that addresses food poverty in the United States. Due to the high threshold rate of probity in the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) collects data at the federal level on the states with the highest SNAP eligibility and benefits.
USDA, at the end of the year, provides specific information on monthly payment schedules for all territories. In most cases, disbursements are staggered throughout the month, assigning days based on the SNAP case number, Social Security number, or last name of recipients. Benefits, for the most part, are transferred to the SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) account on the same day of each month.
On the scheduled payment date, beneficiaries receive the monthly allowance, determined by the Thrifty Food Plan, which varies by income, household size, and geographic location. The average payment differs from the maximum allowances, and is set considering the above factors.
Households receiving SNAP benefits are expected to spend approximately 30% of their own resources on food purchases, according to USDA. Once recipients receive their allotments, they can use their EBT card at participating locations, including grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets and online retailers.
Below is the SNAP payment schedule for December 2023 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands, with specific dates for each state and territory:
- Alabama (December 4 to 23)
- Alaska (December 1)
- Arizona (Dec. 1 to Dec. 13)
- Arkansas (Dec. 4 to Dec. 13)
- California (December 1 - December 10)
- Colorado (December 1 - December 10)
- Connecticut (December 1-3)
- Delaware (December 2 - 23)
- District of Columbia (December 1 - December 10)
- Florida (December 1 - 28)
- Georgia (December 5-23)
- Guam (December 1 through December 10)
- Hawaii (December 3 to 5)
- Idaho (December 1 - 10)
- Illinois (Dec. 1-10 and prior cases from Dec. 1-20)
- Indiana (December 5-23)
- Iowa (Dec. 1-10)
- Kansas (December 1-10)
- Kentucky (Dec. 1 - Dec. 19)
- Louisiana (December 1 to 23)
- Maine (December 10 - 14)
- Maryland (December 4-23)
- Massachusetts (December 1 - 14)
- Michigan (December 3 - December 21)
- Minnesota (December 4 - December 13)
- Mississippi (Dec. 4 - Dec. 21)
- Missouri (December 1 to 22)
- Montana (Dec. 2 - Dec. 6)
- Nebraska (December 1 to 5)
- Nevada (December 1 - 10)
- New Hampshire (December 5)
- New Jersey (December 1 - December 5)
- New Mexico (Dec. 1 - Dec. 20)
- New York (Dec. 1 - Dec. 9)
- North Carolina (Dec. 3 - Dec. 21)
- North Dakota (December 1)
- Ohio (Dec. 2 - Dec. 20)
- Oklahoma (Dec. 1 to Dec. 10)
- Oregon (December 1 - December 9)
- Pennsylvania (December 3-14)
- Rhode Island (December 1)
- South Carolina (Dec. 1 - Dec. 10)
- South Dakota (December 10)
- Tennessee (December 1 to 20)
- Texas (December 1 to 28)
- Utah (Dec. 5, 11 and 15)
- Vermont (December 1)
- Virgin Islands (December 1)
- Virginia (December 1 to 7)
- Washington (December 1 to 20)
- West Virginia (December 1 to December 9)
- Wisconsin (December 1 to 15)
- Wyoming (December 1 to 4)