Food Stamps Chart: Income Limits, Benefits, and Deductions

The food stamps chart for fiscal year 2026 sets a single person’s gross income limit at $1,696 per month with a maximum benefit of $298, and a family of four’s gross limit at $3,483 with a maximum benefit of $994. The full tables below cover every household size from one to eight, plus the per-person amounts for larger households. These figures took effect October 1, 2025 and run through September 30, 2026.¹

Income Limits by Household Size

Most households must pass two tests: gross monthly income (before taxes and deductions) at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, and net monthly income (after allowable deductions) at or below 100 percent. Households where every member is elderly or disabled only have to pass the net test.¹

Household Size	Gross Monthly Income (130% FPL)	Net Monthly Income (100% FPL)
1	$1,696	$1,305
2	$2,292	$1,763
3	$2,888	$2,221
4	$3,483	$2,680
5	$4,079	$3,138
6	$4,675	$3,596
7	$5,271	$4,055
8	$5,867	$4,513
Each additional person	+$596	+$459

A “household” means everyone who lives together and regularly buys and prepares food together, whether that’s a family, roommates who share meals, or one person cooking alone.² USDA updates the figures every October to track the current poverty guidelines.

Maximum Monthly Benefits by Household Size

The amounts in this chart are the ceiling. You’d receive the maximum only if your net income after deductions calculated to zero. Most recipients receive less. The figures apply to the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.³

Household Size	Maximum Monthly Benefit
1	$298
2	$546
3	$785
4	$994
5	$1,183
6	$1,421
7	$1,571
8	$1,789
Each additional person	+$218

Alaska and Hawaii use higher allotments because food costs more there. If you live in either state, ask your local SNAP office for the applicable figures.

How the Chart Translates to an Actual Benefit

SNAP assumes your household will spend 30 percent of its net income on food. Your monthly benefit is the maximum allotment for your size, minus 30 percent of your net income.

An example. A household of three with $1,500 in net monthly income has $450 subtracted (30 percent of $1,500). The maximum allotment for three is $785, so the benefit is $785 − $450 = $335.³

If the formula produces only a few dollars for a one- or two-person household, SNAP pays a small minimum benefit instead of nothing. Households of three or more that calculate down to zero don’t qualify.

Deductions That Move You from Gross to Net

Deductions are what turn gross income into net income, and they can be the difference between a small benefit and a large one. The main FY 2026 deductions:

Standard deduction, applied automatically: $209 for households of one to three, $223 for four, $261 for five, and $299 for six or more.³
Earned income deduction: 20 percent of gross earnings from work is excluded.
Excess shelter costs: rent or mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utilities that exceed half your income after other deductions. Capped at $744 per month for most households; no cap for elderly or disabled households.³
Dependent care costs paid out of pocket so someone can work, look for work, or train.
Medical expenses for members age 60 or older or with a disability, above $35 per month combined across all elderly or disabled members in the household (not per person).⁴
Legally obligated child support you pay.

Shelter costs are the deduction most applicants undercount. Many states use a standard utility allowance that often produces a larger deduction than adding up your actual bills. Bring documentation for every expense category, even the ones you’re unsure will qualify.

States That Use Higher Income Limits

The 130 percent gross income cap is the federal baseline. Forty-five states and territories have adopted broad-based categorical eligibility, which raises the effective gross ceiling. About 28 states set it at 200 percent of the federal poverty level; others land somewhere between 130 and 200 percent. Most states using this policy also drop the asset test.⁵

Getting past the higher gross ceiling only opens the door to a full determination. Your income still has to be low enough that the benefit formula produces something.

Asset Limits Where They Still Apply

Households in states that don’t use broad-based categorical eligibility, or that use it but keep an asset test, face a separate resource limit. For FY 2026, countable assets like cash, bank balances, and investments must stay under $3,000 for most households, or $4,500 if any member is 60 or older or has a disability.³

Several assets are excluded from the calculation regardless: the home you live in, retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs, 529 college savings, and, in most states, all vehicles. The handful of states that keep asset limits under broad-based categorical eligibility set them between $3,000 and $25,000.⁵

Work Rules That Can Reduce or Cut Off Benefits

Meeting the income chart isn’t the whole picture if you’re a working-age adult. SNAP has two separate work rules, and either can cost you benefits.

Most recipients ages 16 to 59 must register for work, take suitable job offers, and not voluntarily quit or drop below 30 hours per week without good cause. A violation disqualifies the individual, though the rest of the household keeps its benefits. You’re exempt if you already work 30 hours a week, care for a child under six or an incapacitated person, can’t work due to a physical or mental condition, are enrolled at least half-time in school or training, or are in substance abuse treatment.⁶

Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) ages 18 to 54 face a stricter rule: three months of benefits per 36-month period unless they work or participate in a qualifying work program at least 20 hours a week.⁷ You’re not treated as an ABAWD if you’re pregnant, have a child under 18 in the household, are a veteran, are experiencing homelessness, aged out of foster care and are still under 25, or qualify for any general work exemption.⁶

1
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 Income Eligibility Standards
2
Congress.gov. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
4
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Medical Expenses Handbook
5
Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
6
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2015 – Eligibility Disqualifications