SNAP’s monthly minimum benefit rose to $25 on October 1 for households of one or two people in the 48 states and Washington, D.C. The maximum monthly benefit for the same households is now $306 for one person and $562 for two. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Administration set the figures in its fiscal year 2027 cost-of-living memo, and they stay in place through September 30, 2027.
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, still widely called food stamps. The new numbers replace the ones that ran from October 2025 through September 2026, when the same households had a minimum of $24 and maximums of $298 and $546.
The change is small in dollars, but it lands on the smallest households. Anyone living alone or as a couple on a fixed income, including people on Social Security, falls into this group. For households whose income leaves little room under the formula, the minimum can be the entire benefit.
Anyone on SNAP in a household of one or two should look at the next deposit on the EBT card. A household that was getting $24 should now see $25. A different number is a reason to call the state SNAP office.
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How the $25 minimum works
Federal law sets a floor for the smallest households. Under 7 U.S.C. 2017(a), the minimum allotment for a household of one or two members is 8 percent of the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan for a one-person household, rounded to the nearest whole dollar. The Thrifty Food Plan is the government’s low-cost grocery budget, and it drives every SNAP maximum.
USDA’s memo says the minimum for the 48 states and D.C. “will increase to $25.” The FNA’s cost-of-living page lists the same figure for one- and two-person households, effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. Larger households do not have a minimum.
The memo was signed electronically on August 21, 2026, by Sasha Gersten-Paal for Ronald Ward, the acting associate administrator for SNAP at the Food and Nutrition Administration.
The $306 and $562 maximums
The maximum allotment is the most a household can receive in a month. It is the starting point for the math. USDA’s eligibility page explains the steps: take the household’s net monthly income, multiply it by 0.3, round up, and subtract the result from the maximum for the household’s size.
At $306, a one-person household’s formula reaches zero once net income hits $1,020, because 30 percent of $1,020 is $306. For a two-person household at $562, the same point comes at about $1,873. Net income is income left after deductions, such as the standard deduction of $217 for households of one to three people.
The same page lists the income limits for October 2026 through September 2027. A one-person household must have net income of no more than $1,330 a month. Most households also face a gross income test of $1,729 for one person.
Households that include someone 60 or older or disabled skip the gross test and only need to meet the net one. They also have a higher asset limit, $4,750 instead of $3,000.
Alaska, Hawaii and the territories
The $25 minimum and the $306 and $562 maximums apply to the 48 contiguous states and D.C. Other areas have their own, higher schedules, all in the same USDA memo.
- Alaska, urban: minimum $31; maximums $392 for one person and $718 for two
- Alaska, rural 1: minimum $40; maximums $499 and $916
- Alaska, rural 2: minimum $49; maximums $608 and $1,115
- Hawaii: minimum $40; maximums $496 and $910
- Guam: minimum $36; maximums $452 and $829
- U.S. Virgin Islands: minimum $32; maximums $394 and $723
The eligibility page says the income limits for Alaska and Hawaii are higher as well. Applicants there should use their own state’s figures.
What a $1 raise means in practice
A one-dollar bump adds up to $12 over a year. For a household already at the minimum, the amount rose by a dollar and nothing else about how it works has changed.
The larger risk for small households is losing the benefit to a missed renewal. A lapse means going back to zero and starting a new application, and a $25 benefit can seem too small to chase. It still adds up to $300 a year.
Applications go through the state agency, not USDA. The FNA says people must apply in the state where they live, and its state directory lists the contact and application details for every state, D.C. and the territories. The federal agency does not process applications or see case files.
USDA’s eligibility page also notes that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 changed some SNAP rules, including work requirements and non-citizen eligibility, and that the page is still being updated for them. Households near the line should ask their state office which rules apply to their situation.
Where small benefits slip away
Federal figures set the floor and the ceiling, but applications and renewals run through the state. Recertification is the renewal that proves a household still qualifies, and a missed notice or an unreported change can end a benefit no matter how small it is.
USDA’s memo and cost-of-living page give the dollar amounts through September 2027. They do not say when any individual household must renew. That date is on the state’s notice, and it is the date a one- or two-person household cannot afford to miss.
Holding a SNAP renewal date for one or two people?
A one- or two-person household that misses a renewal date goes back to zero, and the $25 floor or $306 and $562 maximums count for nothing once the case closes. Notices get lost, and a state that does not hear back can end the benefit.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer walks through SNAP and Medicaid renewal and gives a date system so no renewal is missed. Inside are 51 state packs and a renewal and reporting calendar, so a household can find its own state’s steps and mark every deadline in one place.
Get the SNAP renewal calendar and state pack for tracking recertification dates →
More Financial Reading
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
