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Who gets snap benefits
Executive summary
SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) serves low‑income households and is means‑tested: eligibility depends on household size, gross and net income limits, assets in some states, immigration status, and work rules for certain adults (for example, gross income generally at or below 130% of the federal poverty line) [1] [2]. Recent federal actions and court orders in November 2025 temporarily cut or complicated benefit issuance for many recipients, and new work‑requirement rules (ABAWD rules) that took effect in November 2025 change who must prove work, training, or hours to remain eligible beyond three months [3] [4] [5].
1. Who can get SNAP: the basic eligibility framework
SNAP is for households with low income; qualifying tests include gross income (commonly at or below 130% of the federal poverty line) and net income thresholds after allowable deductions, plus household size and (in some cases) asset rules — the federal framework sets the limits but states administer applications and some details vary by state [1] [2] [6].
2. How benefit amounts are calculated and who gets larger payments
The USDA sets a maximum monthly allotment by household size; the usual federal calculation subtracts about 30% of a household’s net monthly income from that maximum, so households with the lowest net incomes receive the largest allotments [7] [2]. Average monthly benefits were reported in FY2024 at roughly $187–$188 per participant, with maximum allotments ranging (in 2025 figures cited) from about $292 for a single person to $1,800 for an eight‑person household in the contiguous states [1].
3. Recent disruption: November 2025 funding and partial issuance
In November 2025, FNS instructed states to reduce maximum allotments (at one point to 50% or to partial percentages cited across guidance) because of limited federal funding and court orders, meaning eligible households received reduced payments for November until the funding situation and legal rulings changed [3] [8]. Some follow‑up FNS memos required states to continue processing partial issuance files instead of full payments [8].
4. Legal and state responses: courts, governors, and state agencies
Multiple courts and some states pushed to restore fuller payments or to use state funds to cover SNAP while the federal picture shifted, and state agencies scrambled to issue full or combined allotments once they received direction or resources; timelines varied across states and some states publicly announced they had resumed full November payments [9] [1] [10].
5. New work requirements and who now faces time limits
Starting November 1, 2025, the USDA reinstated stricter ABAWD (able‑bodied adults without dependents) time limits and expanded who is subject to them: more adults under 65 — including some groups previously exempt — must meet work, training, or hour minimums (roughly 80 hours a month) to receive benefits beyond three cumulative months in a 36‑month period, unless waived for high‑unemployment areas [4] [11]. States must notify affected participants and may apply waivers in areas with unemployment over thresholds named in the new law [11].
6. Who might lose benefits because of the rule changes
Reporting and state guidance warned that newly subject populations — for example, parents of teens, veterans, homeless individuals, and those formerly exempt (including some former foster youth exemptions ending in some states) — could lose eligibility if they do not meet the reimposed work or training requirements or if state administrations struggle with the administrative burden of implementing the new rules [10] [12] [11].
7. Variations across states and administrative complexity
SNAP is federally funded but state‑administered; that means exact income deductions, application portals, recertification timing, EBT deposit schedules, and available local waivers differ by state. Several state websites and notices (Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, etc.) highlight that local implementation and communications matter greatly for recipients [10] [5] [12].
8. What the coverage does not say or leaves uncertain
Available sources do not mention specific step‑by‑step eligibility outcomes for every individual circumstance (e.g., how particular deductions will apply to a given household) and do not provide a single nationwide updated income table covering every state after the November 2025 rule changes — applicants must consult their state SNAP office for precise determinations (not found in current reporting; see p1_s9).
9. Practical takeaways for people asking “who gets SNAP?”
In practice: low‑income households (kids, seniors, people with disabilities, unemployed or underemployed adults) are the core recipients; eligibility hinges on gross/net income tests, household size, immigration status, and for many adults now, proof of work or training to keep benefits beyond three months [1] [4]. Because of November 2025 funding and rule shifts, recipients should check official state SNAP pages or the USDA/FNS guidance for up‑to‑date notices about benefit amounts and recertification rules [8] [9].
Sources cited above include federal FNS guidance and multiple state and national reports discussing eligibility, benefit calculation, work requirements, and the November 2025 issuance disruptions [3] [8] [1] [4] [10] [9] [2] [5] [12] [11].