In fiscal year 2018, the federal government spent $68 billion on SNAP and other related food assistance programs.

What Is SNAP?
SNAP provides important nutritional support for low-wage working families, low-income seniors and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other individuals and households with low incomes. More than two-thirds of SNAP participants are in families with children; a third are in households with seniors or people with disabilities. After unemployment insurance, it is the most responsive federal program providing additional assistance during economic downturns.

The federal government pays the full cost of SNAP benefits and splits the cost of administering the program with the states, which operate the program.

Who Is Eligible for SNAP?
Unlike most means-tested benefit programs, which are restricted to particular categories of low-income individuals, SNAP is broadly available to households with low incomes. SNAP eligibility rules and benefit levels are, for the most part, set at the federal level and uniform across the nation, though states have flexibility to tailor aspects of the program, such as the value of a vehicle a household may own and still qualify for benefits. Under federal rules, to qualify for SNAP benefits, a household must meet three criteria (although states have flexibility to adjust these limits):

Its gross monthly income generally must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty line, or $2,252 a month (about $27,020 a year) for a three-person family in fiscal year 2019. Households with an elderly or disabled member need not meet this limit.
Its net monthly income, or income after deductions are applied for items such as high housing costs and child care, must be less than or equal to the poverty line ($1,732 a month or about $20,780 a year for a three-person family in fiscal year 2019).
Its assets must fall below certain limits: in fiscal year 2019 the limits are $2,250 for households without an elderly or disabled member and $3,500 for those with an elderly or disabled member.
The SNAP benefit formula targets benefits according to need: very poor households receive larger benefits than households closer to the poverty line since they need more help affording an adequate diet.
Some categories of people are not eligible for SNAP regardless of how small their income or assets may be, such as strikers, most college students, and certain legal immigrants. Undocumented immigrants also are ineligible for SNAP.

Most unemployed childless adults are limited to three months of benefits, unless they are working at least 20 hours per week or participating in a qualifying workfare or job training program. States may seek temporary waivers from this time limit for areas with high unemployment, where qualifying jobs are scarce. To receive a waiver, states must provide detailed Labor Department unemployment data for the state or areas within the state that demonstrate sustained levels of high unemployment. During the Great Recession and its aftermath, most states were covered by waivers from the time limit due to high unemployment. However, as unemployment rates fell, fewer areas across the country qualified for statewide waivers. The time limit is now in effect in at least a portion of the state in most states. States also have separate, broad authority to impose work requirements on many adults in SNAP households.

For more information, see Waivers Add Key State Flexibility to SNAP’s Three-Month Time Limit.

How Do People Apply for SNAP?
Each state designs its own SNAP application process, following federal guidelines. In most states, households apply in person at the local SNAP office, though they can also mail or fax their applications, and most states have online applications. Applicants must participate in an eligibility interview, which can often be on the phone. They must also document numerous aspects of their eligibility, including their identity, residency, immigration status, household composition, income and resources, and deductible expenses.

Households found to be eligible receive an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card, which is loaded with benefits once a month. Household members may use it to purchase food at one of the 263,000 retailers authorized to participate in the program. More than 80 percent of benefits are redeemed at supermarkets or superstores. SNAP cannot be used to purchase alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, vitamin supplements, non-food grocery items such as household supplies, or hot foods.

Households must contact the local SNAP office to report if their income goes up dramatically. They also must reapply for SNAP periodically, typically every six to 12 months for most families and every 12 to 24 months for seniors and people with disabilities.

How Much Do Households Receive in Benefits?
The average SNAP recipient received about $127 a month (or about $4.17 a day, $1.39 per meal) in fiscal year 2018. The SNAP benefit formula targets benefits according to need: very poor households receive larger benefits than households closer to the poverty line since they need more help affording an adequate diet. The benefit formula assumes that families will spend 30 percent of their net income for food; SNAP makes up the difference between that 30 percent contribution and the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, a diet plan the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) establishes that is designed to be nutritionally adequate at a very low cost.

A family with no net income receives the maximum benefit amount, which equals the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan for a household of its size (see Table 1). For example, a family of three with $600 in net monthly income receives the maximum benefit ($505) minus 30 percent of its net income (30 percent of $600 is $180), or $324.

TABLE 1
SNAP Benefits by Household Size
Household Size
Maximum Monthly Benefit, FY 2019
Estimated Average Monthly Benefit, FY 2019
1
$192
$131
2
$353
$239
3
$505
$365
4
$642
$448
5
$762
$506
Note: Estimated average benefits are calculated using fiscal year (FY) 2019 income eligibility standards and deductions and FY 2017 SNAP Quality Control Household Characteristics income and expense data, inflation-adjusted to FY 2019.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, “SNAP Fiscal Year 2019 Cost-of-Living Adjustments” (https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/snap/COLAMemoFY19.pdf FY 2017 household characteristics data, and cost of food plans. SNAP benefits in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands are higher than in the other 48 states and D.C. because income eligibility standards, maximum benefits, and deduction amounts are different in those states and territories.

How Much Does SNAP Cost?
In fiscal year 2018, the federal government spent $68 billion on SNAP and other related food assistance programs. Ninety-two percent of SNAP spending went directly to benefits that households used to purchase food, and 7 percent went to state administrative costs, including eligibility determinations, employment and training and nutrition education for SNAP households, and anti-fraud activities.