What are the 2025 gross and net income limits for SNAP by state?
Executive summary
SNAP income limits for FY2025 (effective Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025) are published by USDA and show net monthly income limits tied to 100% of the federal poverty level for the 48 contiguous states and D.C., with separate higher figures for Alaska and Hawaii (see the USDA FY2025 tables) [1]. States also apply a gross income test (generally 130% of poverty, or 185% for gross in states that use Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility), and many states have raised gross thresholds or adopted BBCE — check your state’s agency for the exact gross and net figures and any state expansions (state sites such as New York, New Jersey and Georgia reflect FY2025 standards) [2] [3] [4].
1. What the official federal tables cover — the baseline numbers
USDA’s FY2025 Income Eligibility Standards provide the baseline monthly net-income limits used by most states: the “net monthly income” table is anchored to 100% of the federal poverty level for each household size for the 48 states and D.C., with separate columns for Alaska and Hawaii; those are the core figures states compare against when applying the net-income test for SNAP [1]. The agency also issued FY2025 cost‑of‑living adjustments — e.g., the standard deduction and asset limits — that feed into net-income calculations [5].
2. Gross vs. net: two different gates to eligibility
SNAP eligibility is determined by both gross and net income rules. The federal net limit is the primary poverty-based threshold (100% FPL table), but states also screen households using a gross-income test (typically a percentage of FPL such as 130% or, for states using Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, often 185% of FPL) before applying deductions that produce net income [1] [2]. State websites show these practices in action: New Jersey publishes a “Gross Monthly Income Eligibility Standard (185% of FPL)” for Oct. 2025–Sept. 2026 [6].
3. State variation: BBCE, expanded gross tests and higher regional limits
Most states have adopted Broad‑Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE), which lets them raise gross income thresholds and relax asset tests by aligning SNAP with state TANF/MOE programs — that creates meaningful differences state to state in the highest allowable gross income and resource treatment [2]. Separate federal tables and state pages indicate Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have higher income limits and deductions, so residents there face higher thresholds than the contiguous‑states baseline [2] [7].
4. Practical example and how net is calculated
Net income equals gross income minus allowable deductions (standard deduction, earned income deduction, child care, medical for elderly/disabled, shelter capped, etc.). State materials note that an applicant’s “net monthly income” must be at or below the USDA net limit for their household size; New York and other state pages stress that an actual SNAP budget must be calculated because deductions materially change whether someone meets the net test [3] [1].
5. Where official and state figures differ from press guides
Consumer guides and nonprofit explainers repackage USDA tables into state charts, but they sometimes conflate gross and net tests or present simplified “most generous states” lists. For example, third‑party trackers list states like CA, NJ, NY among the most generous (higher gross thresholds or no asset tests), but those summaries rely on states’ BBCE choices and are not replacements for the USDA tables or state agency rules [7] [8]. For authoritative limits, use USDA FY2025 tables and your state’s SNAP pages [1] [3].
6. Where to find the exact 2025 gross and net limits by state
USDA’s FY2025 Income Eligibility Standards PDF contains the federal net-income table (48 states/DC and separate Alaska/Hawaii columns) and D‑SNAP standards; state agencies publish their gross standards and any BBCE adjustments [1] [9]. State SNAP pages for New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Illinois and Texas demonstrate how states publish their own effective figures for October 2025–September 2026 [3] [6] [4] [10] [11].
7. Limitations, caveats and recent policy developments
Available sources show FY2025 tables and state pages through Oct. 2025. They do not provide a single combined table of every state’s gross and net numbers in your search results; compiling a state-by-state list requires extracting USDA’s FY2025 net limits and then checking each state’s SNAP page for its gross threshold and whether it uses BBCE [1] [2]. Also, policy changes in 2025 (e.g., legislative changes described by CBPP and some state guidance) mean eligibility rules and work requirements shifted in several states; those developments can affect who passes the gross test even if federal net limits remain the same [12].
If you want, I can compile a state-by-state table: I will extract the USDA FY2025 net limits and then pull each state’s published gross-income standard and BBCE status from state agency pages (this requires retrieving each state’s page individually and will take a short while).