Food stamp payments are going up, but not by much, and the cost of food is still going up because of inflation. On October 1, 2024, SNAP benefit payments will change in a number of ways. For example, the highest benefit amount will go up.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which used to be called Food Stamps, helps people and families with low incomes pay for food. As of next month, recipients may get slightly different payments because the highest amounts will go up by a few dollars.
Next SNAP benefit increase to become effective starting October 1st
If you qualify for SNAP, you should know that the amount of money you get each month depends on how much money your family makes and how much it owns. The amount of income needed to qualify is less this year than it was last year.
Starting October 1, there will be one more change to the rules for getting SNAP. To follow the Budget Responsibility Act, more people will have to show proof that they are taking classes, getting training, or working.
The changes will only affect adults without children (ABAWDs) between the ages of 52 and 54. People with disabilities who have been in a training program for more than three months or who are between the ages of 18 and 52 must already show that they work at least 80 hours a month or go to school, or both.
Now, starting in October 2024, workers between the ages of 53 and 54 who are healthy and don’t have children must also meet these work standards in order to get SNAP benefits.
Nexstar talked to someone from the USDA who said that there are a few exceptions to the ABAWD job standards. Veterans, people who are homeless, and 18–24-year-olds who are no longer in foster care are not limited in these ways.
Some people are also exempt: those who are pregnant, have a child under eighteen living with them, or can’t work because of a physical or mental condition. If you don’t meet the requirements for work, you will only be able to get SNAP payments for three months every three years.
How much will SNAP benefit payments increase next month?
It is important to know that as of October 1, 2024, the most people in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia will be able to get from the Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be:
| Members of the household | SNAP benefit amount |
| 1 | $292 |
| 2 | $536 |
| 3 | $768 |
| 4 | $975 |
| 5 | $1,158 |
| 6 | $1,390 |
| 7 | $1,536 |
| 8 | $1,756 |
| Additional person | $220 |
There will be bigger increases in some places, though, than the one above. These are places like Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. Compare these two:
| Members of the household | Guam | U.S. Virgin Islands | Alaska (Average) | Hawaii |
| 1 | $431 | $376 | $481 | $517 |
| 2 | $790 | $689 | $883 | $948 |
| 3 | $1,132 | $987 | $1,264 | $1,357 |
| 4 | $1,437 | $1,254 | $1,605 | $1,723 |
| 5 | $1,707 | $1,489 | $1,906 | $2,406 |
| 6 | $2,049 | $1,787 | $2,288 | $2,456 |
| 7 | $2,264 | $1,975 | $2,528 | $2,714 |
| 8 | $2,588 | $2,257 | $2,890 | $3,102 |
| Additional person | $324 | $282 | $361 | $388 |
Remember that the total amount of SNAP benefits will go up by $220 for every new person. Because inflation went up, the cost-of-living changes from the previous year were bigger. It cost 2% more to buy food in August 2024 than it did the previous August.
More than that, the highest benefit amounts change in places like Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands, and Guam where food costs a lot. To help pay for food, a family of four in Hawaii can get up to $1,723 a year.
Also See:- September Social Security payouts are over: New dates have been set for October