Unused SNAP Benefits: What You Need to Know Before the November 1 Deadline

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(NEXSTAR) – The federal government has confirmed that if the shutdown persists through the weekend, November SNAP benefits will not be distributed.

Some states are working to find ways to continue providing food assistance, but others are cautioning Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to expect no funds unless they have been exceptionally prudent with their budgeting.

Previously known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP is designed to help individuals and families with low or no income, as well as those with disabilities, to purchase groceries. While the program is funded at the federal level, it is administered by individual states.

Given the halt in federal SNAP benefits, what are the next steps for recipients?

Beneficiaries typically receive their SNAP funds on a monthly basis, but the distribution schedule and process can vary by state. Funds are accessed via an EBT card, which functions like a debit card at authorized retailers.

However, if they have money left over from October, those funds will automatically roll over and EBT cards will still be working in November.

“That’s money that’s already been appropriated. It’s been put on their card,” Mackenzie Libbey with Philadelphia-based nonprofit Community Legal Services told CBS News. “So we definitely do not want people rushing out to try to use up their benefits at the end of October thinking they’re not going to be able to buy anything in November.”

The funds won’t sit there indefinitely, however. According to the USDA, benefits can expire if they’re in a household’s account for longer than nine months or if an account has been inactive for nine months. States are required to give 30-day notice before permanently expunging any accounts.

The amount people get monthly is influenced by their income, state of residence and household size. As of Oct. 1, the maximum allotment for an individual living in the 48 contiguous states was $298 per month. A family of four can receive up to $994.

When SNAP benefits do resume, new work requirements are expected to take effect as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill passed into law over the summer.

An estimated 42 million people, or 1 in 8 Americans, rely on SNAP to help cover the cost of groceries.