SNAP Benefits Update: How Much Did Your Payments Increase This Fiscal Year 2023?

SNAP benefits update was applied on October 1 for the fiscal year 2023, wherein the new Cost-Of-Living Adjustments were also imposed.

Aside from the COLA increase, SNAP benefits maximum payments have also been upped for 48 states, D.C., Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a Go Banking Rates report.

Shelter cap value also increased for SNAP, as well as the maximum homeless shelter deduction and resource limit for households.

The resource limit for households will increase by $250 to $2,750 for the 48 states, D.C., Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, the resource limit for households with at least one person aged 60 or older or disabled will increase by $500 to $4,250.

SNAP Benefits 2023 Maximum Allotments

Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that the maximum allotments increase for the 48 states will be $939. Meanwhile, the maximum allotments for a family of four will increase to a range of $1,172 to $1,819 in Alaska, $1,794 in Hawaii, $1,385 in Guam, and $1,208 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The shelter cap value also increased by $27 to $624 for the 48 states and D.C. Shelter cap value is the amount of money SNAP recipients can deduct from their income to identify their SNAP benefits.

In Alaska, the maximum shelter deductions have increased to $996, $840 in Hawaii, $732 in Guam, and $492 in the Virgin Islands.

The adjustment of the maximum allotments for SNAP benefits is directly connected to food inflation, which could imply that the SNAP benefits increase for this fiscal year will be significantly higher than in past years.

Households can expect an average of 12.5% increase in their benefits.

The minimum benefit for 48 states and D.C. for a household size of one or two will be $23, $33 in Guam, $29 in the Virgin Islands, $36 in Alaska, and $43 in Hawaii.

SNAP Benefits Payments

SNAP benefits is a federal program that provides food-purchasing aid to low-income households or individuals. The payment benefit was formerly known as food stamps.

Payments are now made with Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, or EBT, instead of food stamps. Some states have different names for their EBT cards.

EBT cards can then be used at checkout in grocery stores, participating major retailers, and farmers' markets.

It can be used to buy eligible food items such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread, cereals, non-alcoholic beverages, and snack food items.

Items that recipients cannot buy using their SNAP benefits are alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, vitamins, cleaning supplies, and cosmetics, among others.

Payments are distributed depending on the scheduling of the respective states administering the SNAP benefits.

Some use staggered payment schedules, while others depend on the last numbers of the identification number of the state's program.

States such as New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, among others, have extended the SNAP benefits emergency allotment for the month of October.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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