SNAP benefits are changing in October: What to know

(NEXSTAR) – Heads up, SNAP recipients: Your monthly benefit allotment is likely about to change.

On Oct. 1, the annual cost-of-living adjustment (or COLA) kicks in, meaning the size of most people’s SNAP benefits are about to increase slightly.

Single people, however, will only receive $8 more per month. A family of four will get $29 more monthly. That’s about a 2.9% increase in benefits.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the cost of food at home has gone up about 2.7% year-over-year. Overall inflation is at 3.4%.

Starting Oct. 1, 2026, this is how SNAP recipients in the 48 contiguous U.S. states plus D.C. will see their maximum benefits change:

Maximum benefit amounts are different in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, due to the high cost of groceries in those places. A family of four in rural Alaska, for example, will be getting as much as $2,027 starting in October.

In Hawaii, benefits are actually decreasing slightly. A household of four in Hawaii will now have a maximum benefit of $1,655. (See more on the maximum benefits in those states and territories here .)

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps about 37 million lower-income Americans buy groceries. The program — formerly known as the Food Stamps — is also changing its eligibility requirements as of October.

How much someone receives in SNAP benefits depends on their household income and assets. Generally, you qualify for at least some assistance if your gross monthly income is less than $1,729 as an individual or $3,575 as a family of four.

The asset limit will remain unchanged this year. It’s set at $3,000 for most households, or $4,750 in households where someone is disabled or 60 and older.

Work status, immigration status, age and disabilities can also impact the ability to receive food aid.

SNAP enrollment dropped more than expected over the past year as changes to the program, put forth in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025 , started to take effect. Enrollment in the food aid program dropped by about 13% in one year.

Many states are at risk of even bigger cuts to the program in the coming years, as federal funding is now tied to error rates . As of June, only nine states were in compliance with the new standards.