SNAP Eligibility 2027: Income Limits, Rules and Who Qualifies

SNAP eligibility comes down to four checks: your household size, your gross monthly income, your net income after deductions, and in some states your assets. A few non-financial rules then apply on top: work requirements, student rules and immigration status. USDA updates the money limits every October 1. The figures below are the official limits for October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027 (federal fiscal year 2027).

USDA's food assistance agency, now called the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA), sets the federal rules. You apply through your state. Once you are approved, our SNAP payment schedule shows which day of the month your state loads benefits.

SNAP income limits for 2027

Most households must pass both tests: gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, and net income at or below 100%. These limits apply in the 48 contiguous states, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Household size	Gross monthly income (130%)	Net monthly income (100%)
1	$1,729	$1,330
2	$2,345	$1,804
3	$2,960	$2,277
4	$3,575	$2,750
5	$4,191	$3,224
6	$4,806	$3,697
7	$5,421	$4,170
8	$6,037	$4,644
Each additional member	+$616	+$474

For comparison, the FY 2026 limits for one person were $1,696 gross and $1,305 net. Limits are higher in Alaska ($2,162 gross and $1,663 net for one person) and Hawaii ($1,989 and $1,530).

Maximum SNAP benefits, FY 2027

Household size	Maximum monthly allotment (48 states and D.C.)
1	$306
2	$562
3	$808
4	$1,023
5	$1,217
6	$1,463
7	$1,616
8	$1,841
Each additional person	+$225

A family of four received at most $994 in FY 2026, so the maximum rose by $29 a month on October 1, 2026.

SNAP eligibility calculator: work it out step by step

You can estimate your own case with the same arithmetic the state uses. Online "SNAP eligibility calculators" do exactly this, but doing it by hand shows you where each deduction comes from.

1. Count your household. Everyone who lives together and buys and prepares food together is one SNAP household. Spouses and most children under 22 are always in the same household.
2. Add up gross monthly income from wages, self-employment, Social Security, unemployment and other sources. Compare it with the 130% column.
3. Subtract deductions to get net income:
   • 20% of earned income;
   • the standard deduction: $217 for 1 to 3 people, $229 for 4, $268 for 5, $308 for 6 or more;
   • dependent care costs needed for work, training or school;
   • legally owed child support paid (in some states this is an income exclusion instead);
   • medical costs above $35 a month for members who are 60+ or disabled;
   • the excess shelter deduction: housing and utility costs above half of your income after the other deductions, capped at $769 unless someone is elderly or disabled. Homeless households can take a $205.66 shelter deduction instead.
4. Compare net income with the 100% column.
5. Estimate the benefit: maximum allotment minus 30% of net income, with the 30% rounded up.

Worked example

A single worker earns $1,200 a month before tax and pays $700 a month in rent with utilities included.

Step	Calculation	Result
Gross income test	$1,200 is below $1,729	Pass
Earned income deduction	$1,200 minus 20% ($240)	$960
Standard deduction	$960 minus $217	$743
Excess shelter	$700 minus half of $743 ($371.50)	$328.50 deduction
Net income	$743 minus $328.50	$414.50 (below $1,330: pass)
Benefit	$306 minus 30% of $414.50 ($125, rounded up)	About $181 a month

Real cases vary. Many states use a standard utility allowance instead of actual utility bills, which can raise the shelter deduction. Treat the result as an estimate, not a decision.

Assets and resources

The federal asset limit for FY 2027 is $3,000 in countable resources, or $4,750 if at least one household member is 60 or older or disabled. Cash and bank accounts count. Your home and lot, most retirement and pension plans, and the resources of household members who receive SSI or TANF do not.

Vehicles are counted under state rules. Federal rules exclude, for example, a vehicle used to produce income or to transport a disabled household member, and count the fair market value above $4,650 for other licensed vehicles.

Most states use broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE). It lets a household that qualifies for a TANF-funded service or benefit skip or loosen the asset test, and in some states it also raises the gross income limit. You still have to pass the net income test to receive a benefit.

Special rules for seniors and people with disabilities

• Only the net income test applies. The gross income test is skipped.
• Out-of-pocket medical costs above $35 a month can be deducted.
• The excess shelter deduction has no cap.
• The asset limit is $4,750.
• A person 60+ who cannot buy and prepare meals separately because of a permanent disability can be a separate household (with their spouse) if the others they live with have income at or below 165% of poverty: $2,195 a month for one person in FY 2027.

Work requirements after the 2025 law changes

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, changed SNAP's work rules. USDA told states to apply the new rules at application and recertification.

• General work rules apply to most adults: register for work, do not quit a job or cut hours without good cause, accept a suitable job, and take part in employment and training if assigned. People 60 and older remain exempt from these general rules.
• The time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) now covers ages 18 to 64, up from 18 to 54. Unless they work, volunteer or train at least 20 hours a week (80 hours a month), they can receive SNAP for only 3 months in a 36-month period.
• The parent exemption now applies only to adults living with a child under 14 in the SNAP household.
• Exemptions removed: the temporary exceptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who aged out of foster care, added in 2023, were ended.
• Exemptions added: members of federally recognized tribes and certain other American Indians are exempt from the time limit.
• Waivers for high-unemployment areas are now harder to get. USDA says areas generally need an unemployment rate above 10%.

Students and noncitizens

College students aged 18 to 49 enrolled at least half time are generally ineligible unless they meet an exemption, such as working at least 20 hours a week, caring for a dependent child under the age limits set in the rules, or participating in state or federal work-study.

Noncitizens: under the 2025 law, SNAP is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of the Compact of Free Association nations. Green card holders generally still face a five-year wait, with exceptions for children under 18, people with 40 qualifying quarters of work and people receiving disability benefits. USDA says refugees and asylees are no longer eligible based on that status alone, though those who later become permanent residents may qualify without waiting. Undocumented immigrants have never been eligible. Eligible children in a mixed-status family can still receive benefits.

SNAP-eligible items

SNAP can buy food for the household to eat at home: fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and poultry, dairy, bread and cereals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, and seeds and plants that produce food. It cannot buy alcohol, tobacco, vitamins and supplements, hot prepared foods, pet food or household goods. Several states now have USDA waivers that also exclude soda or candy, so check your state agency's list.

How to apply in your state

Apply through your state SNAP agency online, by phone or at a local office. In Massachusetts that is the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA); in New York it is the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), through myBenefits or your local social services district. You will have an interview, usually by phone, and need to provide proof of identity, income, housing costs and household members.

States must decide most applications within 30 days, and benefits are paid back to the date you applied. Households with very little money can get expedited SNAP within 7 days, for example with under $150 in monthly gross income and under $100 in cash and bank accounts.

Bottom line

For FY 2027, a one-person household generally qualifies with gross income up to $1,729 a month and net income up to $1,330, and a family of four with $3,575 and $2,750. The maximum benefit is $306 for one person and $1,023 for four. Seniors and people with disabilities get looser rules, while working-age adults face a tighter time limit after the 2025 law. If you are near the limits, apply anyway: deductions often bring net income well under the line.

Cover photo: shoppers at the Baltimore Farmers' Market during the launch of wireless EBT payments, 2012. U.S. Department of Agriculture, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.