SNAP is both federal and state. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is federal in the sense that Congress created it, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees it, and every dollar of food benefits comes from the federal treasury. It is state-run in the sense that you apply through a state or county office, a state caseworker decides your eligibility, and a state-contracted vendor issues your EBT card. Asking whether SNAP is federal or state is really asking who controls which piece, and the answer changes depending on which piece you mean.
What the Federal Government Controls
Congress authorized SNAP through the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, codified at 7 U.S.C. ยง 2011, with the stated policy of raising nutrition levels among low-income households.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. Chapter 51 – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program The Food and Nutrition Service, part of the USDA, runs the program from the federal level.
The most important federal role is paying for the benefits. Every dollar loaded onto a recipient’s EBT card is federal money. States contribute nothing to the benefit amount itself.
Federal law also sets:
- The income tests. Gross monthly income generally cannot exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level, and net income cannot exceed 100 percent. For October 2025 through September 2026, a one-person household faces a $1,696 gross limit and a $1,305 net limit; a family of four faces $3,483 and $2,680.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. 2014 – Eligible Households3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
- The asset test. Households can hold up to $3,000 in countable resources, or $4,500 if a member is 60 or older or has a disability.3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
- The benefit amount. The maximum monthly allotment in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. for fiscal year 2026 is $298 for one person, $546 for two, $785 for three, and $994 for four. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have higher figures to reflect food costs. No state can raise or lower these numbers.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
- What SNAP can buy. Federal law defines eligible food and excludes alcohol, tobacco, and hot foods ready for immediate consumption. USDA rules also bar supplements and medicine with a Supplement Facts label, cannabis products including CBD-infused food and drink, live animals (with narrow shellfish and fish exceptions), pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products, hygiene items, and cosmetics. States cannot add or remove items from this list.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. Chapter 51 – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program5Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
- The penalties for fraud and program violations, which escalate from a one-year disqualification for a first offense to permanent disqualification for a third, with harsher penalties for trading benefits for controlled substances or firearms.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. 2015 – Eligibility Disqualifications
These rules form a nationwide floor. No state can drop below them.
What States Actually Do
Each state must submit a plan of operation to USDA explaining how it will run SNAP in every political subdivision.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. 2020 – Administration Once approved, the state does the actual work of the program. State agencies take applications, conduct eligibility interviews, verify documents, issue EBT cards, and investigate suspected fraud. If you apply for SNAP, you deal with a state or county caseworker. You never interact with USDA directly.
Running these operations costs money, and the federal government splits administrative costs roughly evenly with the states. USDA is authorized to reimburse 50 percent of allowable state administrative costs through fiscal year 2026.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. 2025 – Administrative Cost-Sharing and Quality Control The base 50 percent rate also appears in federal regulation.9eCFR. 7 CFR 277.4 – Funding Under current statutory language, the federal share is scheduled to drop to 25 percent starting in fiscal year 2027 unless Congress changes the provision.
States also give the program their own names. California calls it CalFresh. Texas uses the Lone Star brand. The name on the card changes; the underlying benefits and federal rules do not.
Because states handle the plumbing, your experience varies. Each state sets its own application timelines, interview procedures, and monthly schedule for loading EBT cards. If you lose your card, you contact the state or county, not USDA. Some states charge a small replacement fee. Others do not. USDA sets federal processing deadlines, but the staffing and technology behind them differ by state, which is why applying can feel fast in one place and slow in another.
Where States Get Real Discretion Over Eligibility
Federal law gives states two meaningful levers to change who qualifies within their borders.
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, or BBCE, lets a state confer SNAP eligibility on households that qualify for a non-cash benefit funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or a state maintenance-of-effort program. Most states using BBCE have eliminated asset limits entirely, so savings and bank balances do not count against you. Many have also raised the gross income ceiling to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, well above the standard 130 percent.10Food and Nutrition Service. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) A handful of states set their BBCE income limit at 165 or 185 percent, and a few keep asset limits around $5,000. This is why a household with the same income and savings can qualify in one state and not in another.
ABAWD Work Requirement Waivers
Federal law requires most able-bodied adults without dependents between ages 18 and 54 to work or participate in a qualifying training program at least 20 hours a week. Otherwise, they can receive SNAP for only three months in any three-year period.11Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements States can request a waiver of this three-month clock for areas where the unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent or where jobs are scarce. The waiver suspends the time limit only; it does not remove the general work registration requirement.12Food and Nutrition Service. ABAWD Waivers Whether your area has an active waiver depends on your state’s decision to request one and USDA’s approval.
What the Split Means for You
The practical takeaway is about where to go when you need something. To apply, check status, report changes, or appeal a decision, contact your state or county SNAP office. That is where every routine interaction happens.
The federal rules matter when you want to know what the state cannot do. A state cannot cut your allotment below the federal maximum formula, cannot let you buy items the federal list excludes, and cannot deny an appeal right that federal regulations guarantee. If your state agency denies your application or reduces your benefits, federal regulations give you 90 days to request a fair hearing.13eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings The hearing happens at the state level, but the right to it comes from federal law.
So SNAP is federal money, federal rules, and a federal right of appeal, delivered by state employees using state systems with a limited set of state-controlled dials. Both answers to the “federal or state” question are correct, and knowing which part is which tells you where to direct any question you actually have.