Figures below are for 48 states. Also see: maximum allotments for Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and Virgin Islands.
Figures below are for 2020 states. Also see: maximum allotments for Other Years.
Extra Special Secret Confusing Rule: When you see the word “household” in this chart, that does not mean everyone you live with. What does household mean?
Learn more: How to Get Enough Food Stamps to Actually Eat
How to Get On 
Iam 64 year old iam on social security I make around $625 I live with my son and I pay him to live here at his house $600 a month and he uses that money to pay part of the rent for me staying here and he put some into the electric the cable the gas and and the Wi-Fi and I was getting food stamps and they stopped it because they didn’t like or something on the letter that my son signed to verify that I lived there so how do I put the letter into that cuz I have to start all over again please let me know as soon as possible thank you
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I’m sorry to hear this happened. I’m not able to answer this question without knowing the reason why they stopped or food stamps. I would suggest you try to get in touch with your local legal aid program to see if they can request your file and assist you.
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It’s because they counted you two as one household. Thus they included his pay etc. You have to make clear you are a separate household from him and are not receiving any help from him, you’re just renting a room at that place. There’s help on Sleepygirl about the topic on it. Under how to get food stamps section. They should have never needed to talk to your son, they wouldn’t hit up your landlord at a company apartment. So they shouldn’t need his info other than a receipt maybe for the rent. You made a wrong turn somewhere. you can get them to fix it. Tell them there’s been some mistakes and misunderstandings and they should redo it. But don’t lie! God Bless. 🙂
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Hi,
I am single with no dépendants or partner. I am staying with friends till I get back on my feet & I pay my groceries, my phone bill, part of the wifi usage & supposed to help with other stuff. I just got approved for Calfresh, it is giving me 194$ I was wondering if this is normal, I mean how am I supposed to actually completely depend on this amount for my essential food needs?
Is this the maximum amount or not? Why do they think that this is sufficient? I have zero income.
Note: just learned I got approved CashAid & the amount is 190.. so is this a reason?? I have no car nothing nog sure what to do. If those friends didn’t take me in don’t know how would my situation be worse.
Thanks for advice!!
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My son receives SSDI and is not getting the maximum food stamps. They said because I help hm pay his electric and rent he only qualifies for $147 instead of the maximum. I have to help him with these things because his $900 SSDI check will not cover his rent and utilities. It is not that he is getting them free from another program but because he can’t afford to pay them. I also have to help him with food because he can’t get enough food per month on $147 a month. His trustee puts $50 a week on a debit card from his SSDI check so that he can get the things toilet paper razors and things that food stamps do not cover. This also goes against him for qualifying for the maximum. What should we do?
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Do you pay the rent directly or give him the money? If you give the money to him, they will definitely count it. If you pay it directly, I am not certain how this is treated. Is he buying other things? It’s possible you can give him some of those things as gifts instead of paying his rent or utilities. Same with his trust. If the trust pays for things directly, food stamps usually won’t count it. Putting cash onto his debit card counts as income.
If his rent is more than his disability check, you might look into HUD housing for him. That will be affordable for him. Hope this helps.
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I was receiving 197.00 a month for SNAP. And I am just getting 87.00 a month. Nothing has changed since I filed for SNAP. I was wondering why this has happend?
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You would need to ask your SNAP worker
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Hi I have a question. I rent a room for $130.00 and I buy my own food. I only receive $19.00 in food benefits. If I say I pay 200.00 for electric ( I wouldn’t have proof it’s not in my name) will my benefits increase ?
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This will only be possible if you are actually paying for your electric. You’ll need to provide proof of your electric bill if that is what you are paying. The bill does not have to be in your name. You can write a check to the person who has a bill in their name and show proof that you were writing this check each month.
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Thank you so much for all your insights regarding food stamps. After my husband was awarded disability, he got a letter stating how much our food stamps would be reduced to. We were prepared for a reduction but not by alot more than half. It took me hours, but I was able to find enough information to question the new “adjusted” amount. I called my case worker and he found they had NOT applied any shelter deductions at all. Per his suggestion, I scanned copies of every pertinent document and e-mailed them to the office responsible for the determination. You are 100% correct – CHECK EVERY SINGLE THING which affects how much they decide and why. (I’m currently waiting to hear a response from them.) It’s frustrating, time-consuming but even if it adds a few more dollars to your SNAP benefit, it’s worth it.
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thanks so much for sharing this. please come back and let us know how it turns out
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Just a helpful side note, there are no more caseworkers in Ohio at the welfare department, I was directed to a ” case bank” to get back my benefits and its a nightmare, I waited 3 hrs on hold. and I believe it’s outsourced overseas. , I don’t know how to get my benefits started back up again and I have a child, I’m in this mess because I tried to go back to work and only made 500 gross a month and they took my benefit don’t to 15.00
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Thank you so much for sharing this Laura. Sometimes your Congress person’s office can be helpful when you feel a government agency has made a mistake on your case. Another option would be to appeal, the notice that you got probably has instructions on how to appeal in writing. I assume that if you appeal they will get in touch with you.
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I’m in WI. The max FoodStamp allotment here for a family of two is $15. I’m a disabled single mom with a kid. I can’t pay for food either & was told by FoodShare here to be grateful for what I Get. It looks like that is the max benefit anyway. I’ve tried to understand why my retired mother who lives with a boyfriend who gets SSI & a pension get $200 foodstamps a month, but my daughter & I only get $15. The only answer I can get is that it’s all about income.
I Know that, that’s my point.
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I’m guessing $15 is the minimum, not maximum.
There are some specific rules that can cause your food stamps to go up or down. Hope this helps: https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/how-to-get-enough-food-stamps-to-actually-eat/
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My rent went up to 409.00 I’m working my income for wages are 380.00 wkly I pay for utilities also my food stamps was cut to 37.00 for me and my 13 year old son I cannot afford to buy food for me and my son is this right it’s hard to pay for rent,utilities and food can you please help me on what I can do
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There are some regulations that can make food stamps change on this page, I hope this helps. There are also some links to food banks. https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/how-to-get-enough-food-stamps-to-actually-eat/
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