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Related video: Explaining Trump administration cuts to SNAP benefits
(NEXSTAR) – The federal government may be shut down, but that didn’t stop changes to SNAP benefits from kicking in on the first of the month, which is also the start of the fiscal year.
Every October, cost-of-living adjustments are made to the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP, which used to be called the Food Stamp Program, helps low-income people and families pay for groceries. Starting Oct. 1, 2025, recipients will see the amount they receive alter slightly as the maximum allotments go up.
In some cases, however, beneficiaries will only receive $6 more a month than they were last month. A family of four will get $19 more monthly. That’s less than a 2% increase in benefits, even as the cost of groceries has risen by closer to 3% over the last year.
The changes to monthly benefit amount for residents of the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. are:
| Household size | Maximum benefit starting Oct. 1, 2025 | Maximum benefit before Oct. 1 |
| 1 | $298 | $292 |
| 2 | $546 | $536 |
| 3 | $785 | $768 |
| 4 | $994 | $975 |
| 5 | $1,183 | $1,158 |
| 6 | $1,421 | $1,390 |
| 7 | $1,571 | $1,536 |
| 8 | $1,789 | $1,756 |
| Each additional person | $218 | $220 |
In Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands and Guam, where food prices are typically higher, the maximum benefit amounts are different. In parts of rural Alaska, for example, a household of four people can receive a maximum of $1,995 to help cover the cost of food.
SNAP beneficiaries in Hawaii and the Virgin Islands aren’t getting an increase in benefits at all this year. Their maximum monthly payments for a family of four dropped by $34 and $24, respectively, as of Oct. 1.
How much you receive in SNAP benefits depends on your household’s income and assets. Generally, you qualify for assistance if you earn less than $1,696 as an individual or $3,483 as a family of four monthly.
Your work status, immigration status, age and if you have a disability can also impact your ability to receive food aid.
Other changes to SNAP have started to take effect as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, passed into law over the summer. Critics say the legislation will result in cuts to the program over time and restrict the number of people who can benefit from it.
Some of the new measures include expanded work requirements, eliminating an obesity prevention program, and requiring states to shoulder more of the cost of administering benefits. Some groups of immigrants who are in the country legally, including refugees, people granted asylum status and survivors of human trafficking, will also be kicked off SNAP.
