SNAP income limits by household size and state

The three federal limits for fiscal year 2027

USDA publishes three income charts each August in its cost-of-living memo, and the memo of August 21, 2026 sets the ones used from October 1, 2026. All are monthly amounts. The gross test compares total income before any deduction with 130% of the poverty guideline. The net test compares income after the SNAP deductions with 100% of the guideline. A third chart, at 165%, serves only one special case described further down. The guideline itself is the 2026 HHS figure ($15,960 a year for one person in the 48 states), divided by twelve and rounded, which is why the federal SNAP chart and the 130% of poverty table give nearly the same numbers.

Passing a limit opens the door; it does not fix the amount. The benefit is the maximum allotment minus 30% of net income, explained in SNAP benefit amounts, and the deductions that turn gross into net are listed in SNAP deductions.

The line each state applies

Broad-based categorical eligibility, or BBCE, lets a state make a household categorically eligible for SNAP because it qualifies for a benefit funded by TANF, often a brochure or a referral service. The state sets the gross line of that benefit, anywhere from 130% to 200% of poverty, and the federal net test and asset test then drop out. USDA's BBCE chart, updated in June 2026, is the source of the table below. 7 states use no BBCE at all (Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming), and 7 use it while keeping the 130% gross line, which removes the net and asset tests without raising the limit: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Two states apply it to some households only. Arkansas sets 165% for households with an older or disabled member and 130% for others; New York sets 200% for households paying dependent care and 150% for households with earnings.

The gap is easy to see on one family. Four people in Pennsylvania earning $3,400 a month and paying $1,300 in rent pass the state's 200% line and would receive an estimated $506. The same family in Kansas, which applies federal rules, is under the 130% line of $3,575 by $175, and its net income of $1,968 also clears the $2,750 net test, so it gets $432. Raise its pay above $3,575 and Kansas says no, while Pennsylvania still pays a reduced amount. Each state page gives the full chart with its utility allowance.

Households with a member 60 or older or disabled

Federal rules exempt these households from the gross test. The regulation, 7 CFR 273.9(a), says they meet the net income standard only, so a retired couple can have gross income well above the 130% chart and still qualify if rent, utilities and medical bills bring net income under $1,804 a month for two. They also keep two deductions others lose: medical costs above $35 a month, and a shelter deduction without a cap. In a BBCE state they can use either route, whichever works. The rules are set out in SNAP for seniors.

The 165% chart serves a narrower case. Under 7 CFR 273.1(b)(2), a person aged 60 or older who lives with others but cannot buy and prepare meals because of a permanent disability may apply as a separate household with his or her spouse, as long as the others' income does not exceed 165% of poverty, $2,976 a month for two of them.

Asset limits

Where the federal test still applies, countable resources such as cash and bank accounts must not exceed $3,000 per household, or $4,750 when at least one member is 60 or older or disabled. The second figure rose from $4,500 in fiscal year 2026, and the memo notes it also serves as the threshold for substantial lottery or gambling winnings. In 39 BBCE jurisdictions there is no asset limit at all for households that qualify that way; a handful keep one of their own, shown in the table.

Reading the charts without mistakes

Count everyone who buys and cooks food with you, not everyone under the roof: a roommate who shops separately is a different household, while a spouse or a child under 22 living with a parent always counts. Use monthly income before taxes and before Medicare premiums. Irregular pay is averaged by the agency over the months it expects. The limits are the same for working and non-working households; earnings simply get a 20% deduction later, at the net stage. To test your own figures with your state's line and allowance, use the SNAP calculator or check the other conditions in SNAP eligibility.