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Increase in SNAP benefits: What states will pay out more in fall 2024?
Thanks to the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), SNAP recipients will see an increase in their payments starting in October. Here are the amounts.
This fall, recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see an increase in monthly payments. Each year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the value of the benefits, which attempts to protect households’ purchasing power from inflation.
Here's how SNAP benefits will increase by fall 2024: How much will you get?
The COLA will go into effect on October 1 and will increase the maximum benefit paid to households. For a family of four, the benefit increase is far short of generous and will only increase two dollars from $973 to 975 dollars per month—short of what many families feel they need.
These are the maximum allocations, according to the number of members of the household:
- 1 member: $292 dollars
- 2 members: $536
- 3 members : $768
- 4 members: $975
- 5 members: $1,158
- 6 members: $1,390
- 7 members: $1,536
- 8 members: $1,756
*Additional member: +$220
Where will you be paid more?
Given the cost of living in other regions of the country, the maximum amount for a family of four increases to between $1,258 and $1,953 for residents of Alaska, $1,437 in Guam, and $1,254 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In contrast, Hawaii will decrease the maximum amount for a family of four to $1,723. The new benefit amounts will remain in effect from October 2024 to September 2025, when the new COLA adjustment is released.
The USDA recommends direct questions on how the COLA will impact one’s benefits to the regional SNAP authority operating in their jurisdiction.
How do SNAP benefits work?
The primary purpose of SNAP benefits is to offer financial and nutritional assistance to low-income households in the US. Over forty million people rely on SNAP benefits across the country. These benefits are distributed monthly through an EBT debit card, which can be used at authorized grocery stores and farmers’ markets. This payment method is exclusively for purchasing essential food items.
State agencies manage the distribution of funds, so the requirements and distribution dates may vary depending on the beneficiary’s region. For more information, please refer to the USDA SNAP portal.