SNAP Benefits Increase in 2024: Eligibility Requirements & Max Amounts

Photo courtesy of KXAN/SNAP BenefitsPhoto byKXAN

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has adjusted the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, allotments per household.

At the beginning of each federal fiscal year adjustments are made to the maximum allotments, deductions, and income eligibility standards for the SNAP program. These modifications are driven by fluctuations in the cost of living, representing the financial requirement for maintaining a basic standard of living, and inflation.

What is the purpose of SNAP?

SNAP is specifically designed for low- and no-income households to allow them to have proper nutrition through food and drink, mostly helping senior citizens, the disabled as well as others to feed themselves and their families. Households with more people in them will receive more money, and it depends on how much is the household's total income.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Eligibility is determined based on the monthly household income, including earned income from employment and other assistance programs such as Social Security payments, child support, unemployment insurance, and cash assistance.

Caseworkers also look at the total assets of a household, for example, how much money they have saved in a regular account, but any assets that are not reachable. For example, the household's home, personal property, and retirement savings do not count.

Most people with low or no income are definitely entitled to SNAP assistance. There are some exceptions to this rule. Individuals who are on strike, all people without a documented immigration status, and certain people with drug-related felony convictions in some states. There is something called the Thrifty Food Plan. This plan mainly assesses the expense of a food basket designed for a family of four, servings are based on the USDA's estimation of the cost needed to provide nutritious, budget-friendly meals for a household. Maximum allotments, derived from this cost, are recalculated in June each year per the USDA website.

Currently, rates for households have risen. According to the USDA website, the current rates per month for SNAP according to household size in the contiguous U.S. are:

• 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

Now the eligibility standards are also updated every fiscal year. For the current year, the maximum cap on monthly income for SNAP Benefits eligibility is as follows:

• 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

Per Newsweek website, for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the criteria are slightly different. In Alaska, rates are based on whether you live in a rural or metropolitan area, with rates considerably higher if you live far away from a city or populated area.