The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an anti-hunger program that provides monthly benefits for low-income people to buy healthy food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the program at the federal level, while individual states operate the program, determining eligibility and issuing benefits to eligible households on a monthly schedule.
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The USDA provides information on monthly payment schedules for all states and territories. In most cases, payments are staggered throughout the month based on your SNAP case number, Social Security number or last name. For the most part, benefits are deposited into your SNAP electronic benefits transfer (EBT) account on the same day every month.
On your scheduled payment day, you’ll receive the monthly benefit amount your household qualifies for based on the Thrifty Food Plan, called an allotment. The average benefit payment differs from the maximum allotments, as payments are based on income, household size and where you live.
According to the USDA, SNAP households are expected to spend about 30% of their own resources on food, and your allotment is calculated by multiplying your household’s monthly net income by 0.3 and subtracting the result from the maximum monthly allotment for your household size.
Once you receive your benefits, you can use your EBT card at participating locations, including grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets and online retailers.
Here’s the December 2023 SNAP payout schedule for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands:
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Alabama (December 4th-23rd)
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Alaska (December 1st)
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Arizona (December 1st-13th)
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Arkansas (December 4th-13th)
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California (December 1st-10th)
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Colorado (December 1st-10th)
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Connecticut (December 1st-3rd)
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Delaware (December 2nd-23rd)
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The District of Columbia (December 1st-10th)
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Florida (December 1st-28th)
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Georgia (December 5th-23rd)
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Guam (December 1st-10th)
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Hawaii (December 3rd-5th)
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Idaho (December 1st-10th)
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Illinois (December 1st-10th and older cases December 1st-20th)
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Indiana (December 5th-23rd)
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Iowa (December 1st-10th)
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Kansas (December 1st-10th)
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Kentucky (December 1st-19th)
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Louisiana (December st-23rd)
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Maine (December 10th-14th)
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Maryland (December 4th-23rd)
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Massachusetts (December 1st-14th)
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Michigan (December 3rd-21st)
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Minnesota (December 4th-13th)
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Mississippi (December 4th-21st)
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Missouri (December 1st-22nd)
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Montana (December 2nd-6th)
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Nebraska (December 1st-5th)
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Nevada (December 1st-10th)
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New Hampshire (December 5th)
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New Jersey (December 1st-5th)
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New Mexico (December 1st-20th)
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New York (December 1st-9th)
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North Carolina (December 3rd-21st)
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North Dakota (December 1st)
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Ohio (December 2nd-20th)
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Oklahoma (December 1st-10th)
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Oregon (December 1st-9th)
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Pennsylvania (December 3rd-14th)
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Rhode Island (December 1st)
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South Carolina (December 1st-10th)
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South Dakota (December 10th)
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Tennessee (December 1st-20th)
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Texas (December 1st-28th)
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Utah (December 5th, 11th and 15th)
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Vermont (December 1st)
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Virgin Islands (December 1st)
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Virginia (December 1st-7th)
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Washington (December 1st-20th)
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West Virginia (December 1st-9th)
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Wisconsin (December 1st-15th)
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Wyoming (December 1st-4th)
