When are SNAP benefits paid in the U.S. in May 2026? Complete payment schedule

There are nearly 42 million beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program in the United States. The SNAP program is designed to help low-income families purchase food through funds deposited on a monthly basis onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card.

The EBT card can be used to buy food at authorized supermarkets, stores and markets, providing an important resource, especially for families facing greater financial limitations across the country.

While it is a federal program, the payments are sent out by the state governments. Each state has their own schedule for disbursing the funds.

What factors determine SNAP payment dates?

In order to better manage distribution, payments are scheduled using the different criteria depending on the state. Here are some of the criteria states use to organize their payments:

Single distribution: Less populous states are typically given priority for SNAP benefits on EBT cards.

Last name: Last names are organized alphabetically to determine the exact payment date.

Case number: Each beneficiary is assigned a case number. Typically the last digit or last two digits are used to determine which day a payment is disbursed.

Official SNAP payment Schedule for May 2026

• Alabama: May 4-23
• Alaska: May 1
• Arizona: May 1-13
• Arkansas: May 4-13
• California: May 1-10
• Colorado: May 1-10
• Connecticut: May 1-13
• Delaware: May 2-23
• D.C: May 1-10
• Florida: May 1-28
• Georgia: May 5-23
• Guam: May 1-10
• Hawaii: May 3-5
• Idaho: May 1-10
• Indiana: May 5-23
• Illinois: May 1-20
• Iowa: May 1-10
• Kansas: May 1-10
• Kentucky: May 1-19
• Louisiana; May 1-23
• Maine: May 10-14
• Maryland: May 4-23
• Massachusetts: May 1-14
• Michigan: May 4-13
• Minnesota: May 4-13
• Mississippi: May 4-21
• Missouri: May 1-22
• Montana: May 2-6
• Montana: May 2-6
• Nebraska: May 1-5
• Nevada: May 1-10
• New Hampshire: May 5
• New Jersey: May 1-5
• New Mexico: May 1-20
• New York: May 1-19
• North Carolina: May. 3-21
• North Dakota: May 1
• Ohio: May 2-20
• Oklahoma: May 1-10
• Oregon: May 1-9
• Pennsylvania: May 3-14
• Puerto Rico: May 4-22
• Rhode Island: May 1
• South Carolina: May 1-19
• South Dakota: May 10
• Tennessee: May 1-10
• Texas: May 1-28
• Utah: May 5, 11 and 15
• Virgin Islands: May 1
• Vermont: May 1
• Virginia: May 1-7
• Washington: May 1-20
• West Virginia: May 1-9
• Wisconsin: May 1-15
• Wyoming: May 1-4

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