SNAP is a food program for low-income individuals and families [i]. This webpage provides an overview of the SNAP Program, including its rules, participant numbers, history, and program costs. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. It is run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). State agencies administer the program in accordance with federal guidelines. Participants receive a monthly debit card (Electronic Benefit Transfer – EBT Card) that can be used to buy food in most grocery stores. The cards are generally not good for non-food items.
Families and individuals qualify for the Program if they participate in the SSI or TANF programs or have a qualifying low income. This means gross income below 130% of the poverty threshold or net income below 100% of the poverty threshold. Gross income includes wages and salaries but excludes most government and charitable benefits. Net income is calculated using a complex formula that deducts items such a standard deduction, child support, and medical expenses, among others. In addition to low income, participants must also have a “Resource” value of below $3,000 per household, unless at least one household member is over 60 years old, in which case the value is raised to $4,500. Resource value generally includes cash and investments but excludes retirement savings, a house, and a car.
SNAP benefits are graduated to income levels – that is, the more an individual or family earns, the lower the SNAP benefit. The maximum benefit available is $292 per month for a household of one, and it increases by approximately $210 for each additional household member. The maximum benefit is reduced by approximately 30% of the household’s income. Different rules apply to households in Hawaii and Alaska with elderly or disabled members.
Participation in SNAP Over The Years
The graph above compares the number of people in poverty to the number of participants in the SNAP Program [iii]. The number of Americans in poverty has remained relatively consistent over the years, at approximately 12% to 15% of the population (see Poverty and Spending Over the Years). The absolute number of people in poverty has increased as the United States population has grown. SNAP participation declined from 2017 to 2019 due to the strong economy and low unemployment rates. Participation increased during the Coronavirus economic hardship of 2020 and 2021. The Census Bureau will release the 2024 poverty level in September 2025.
Compared to the number of people in poverty, the number of participants in the SNAP Program has fluctuated over time as SNAP eligibility has been adjusted. The increase in participation starting in 2008 is attributed to the expansion of eligibility in the 2008 Farm Bill (see history below). These efforts aimed to expand the Program to more of the population in poverty.
Work Requirement
SNAP has two sets of work requirements as described below by the USDA [xii]:
General Work Requirement
If you are 16 – 59 and can work, you will probably need to meet the general work requirements to get SNAP benefits. The age limit will be raised to 65 under the Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025. The general work requirements include registering for work, participating in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned by your state SNAP agency, taking a suitable job if offered, and not voluntarily quitting or reducing your work hours without a good reason.
The Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) Work Requirement and Time Limit
If you are 18–54, able to work, and don’t have any dependents, you might need to meet both the general work requirements and an additional work requirement for ABAWDs to get SNAP for more than three months in 3 years (the time limit). You must work 20 hours a week. The age limit will be raised to 65 under the Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025.
SNAP Expenditures and the Welfare System
The SNAP program spent $134.6 billion in fiscal year 2023 and $138.7 billion in fiscal year 2024 [ii]. SNAP is one of 13 welfare programs of the federal government. The full Welfare System, including SNAP, is shown on the Welfare Programs Page.
SNAP Program Characteristics
The following chart presents the characteristics of SNAP households [iv]. In 2020, 18.7 million households participated in the SNAP program in America. 38% of the households had children, 22% had disabled working-age adults, and 29% included an elderly person. SNAP households with working-age adults and no disabilities, children, or elderly people totaled 13%.
SNAP Food and Drink Purchases Description
The Department of Agriculture reports on the type and quantity of food SNAP participants buy and compares that to non-SNAP households. Generally, the percentage of various food types purchased by SNAP participants is roughly equivalent to non-SNAP households [xi]. SNAP participants spend about 26.4% of their SNAP benefits on meat and vegetables, which compares to 25.0% for non-SNAP households. SNAP participants spend about 22.6% of their benefits on sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar. That compares to 19.6% for non-SNAP households.
SNAP Improper Payments and Fraud Description
The Office of Management and Budget estimates an 11.68% Improper Payment rate for the SNAP Program in fiscal year 2024, including overpayments of $9.0 billion. See further description on the Welfare Fraud Page. In addition, the USDA estimates that 1.0% of SNAP payments are included in trafficking by the retailer, whereby SNAP benefits are traded for cash, usually at a discount [v].
The Big Beautiful Bill Act of July 2025 will, for the first time, charge states up to 15% of the program’s cost if their error rate exceeds 6%. The cost sharing will begin in 2028.
SNAP History
The following is a description of the history of the SNAP Program. It was adapted from the websites Snap to Health[vi] and The USDA—A Short History of SNAP[vii].
In 1964, the Food Stamp Act was passed as a part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” Program. The goal was to use agricultural overproduction effectively, improve nutrition levels among low-income individuals, and strengthen the farm economy. The Food Stamp Program required the purchase of “stamps” or coupons at benefit levels similar to what a household typically allocates to food expenditures. A “bonus” amount (benefit), determined based on a participant’s income level, was awarded to enable the purchase of a low-cost, nutritionally adequate diet as defined by the Economy Food Plan.
Significant revisions were made to the Program in the Food Stamp Act of 1977, including the elimination of the requirement that participants purchase stamps, the establishment of uniform national standards of eligibility, the expansion of the Program to minority communities, more federal support for the implementation of the Program at the state level, and restricted access to benefits for students enrolled in a university.
In 1981, the Food Stamps Program experienced severe budget cuts during the Administration of President Ronald Reagan. Some funding was restored to the Food Stamp Program in 1988 and 1990. During this period, efforts were made to streamline the administration of the Food Stamp Program, including the introduction of an early form of the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card and the expansion of access for eligible participants. A pullback in the Program was experienced in the late 1990s, as funds were converted into block grants to the states, and stricter requirements were placed on food stamp usage and eligibility.
Significant changes were made to the Food Stamp Program in the early 2000s. Food stamp participation increased dramatically, and eligibility was extended to qualified immigrants and children under 18 years old. Also, during this period, the stamps used for food purchases were replaced with EBT cards. The cards, modeled after credit cards, transfer government benefits from a federal account to the SNAP retailer.
The 2008 farm bill was enacted through President Bush’s veto override. The new law increased the commitment to federal food assistance programs by more than $10 billion over a ten-year period. The law changed its name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to fight stigma. Benefits were augmented for most households on October 1, 2008, due to increases in the minimum use and standard deductions, as well as the elimination of the cap on childcare expense deductions. The new law also expanded eligibility by indexing the asset limits to inflation and excluding combat pay and most retirement and education accounts as countable resources.
The Coronavirus Relief Bill of 2021 increased SNAP benefits by an estimated 15% for three years. The SNAP portion of the bill was small compared to the increase in Refundable Tax Credits and Housing Assistance. More.
The Big Beautiful Bill Act, in July 2025, raised the work requirement age to 64. The bill also shifts some of the program’s cost, beginning in 2028, to the states if the error rate in the state exceeds 6%. The states will be charged 5% to 15% of the program’s costs, depending on the size of the error rate.
SNAP Expenditures Over The Years
The graph to the right shows SNAP expenditures per year adjusted for the impacts of inflation (stated in 2023 dollars) [viii].
In 2022, approximately 5% of expenses were for program administration, education, and training [ix], and the balance was for benefits.
SNAP expenditures have fluctuated as the program’s benefits and eligibility have been expanded or contracted. Costs increased from 2008 to 2010 due to the 2008 Farm Bill, as discussed above. The increase from 2020 to 2022 resulted from increased participation due to the COVID-19 economic shutdown and expanded benefits per participant, as shown below.
Average SNAP Benefit Over the Years
The graph to the left presents the average SNAP monthly payment to participants adjusted for inflation (stated in 2023 dollars) [x]. SNAP Benefits remained relatively flat at about $100 per month per person until 2008, increasing by almost 40%. This resulted from the liberalization of benefits in the 2008 Farm Bill, as described in the SNAP history above. Average monthly payments increased to over $230 in 2020 and 2021 from $148 in 2019. The increase is the result of the Coronavirus legislation, which increased benefits. Many SNAP participants also experienced lower incomes during this timeframe, which led to increased SNAP payments. Over the last couple of years, the impact of the pandemic has lessened.
[i] For more description of the SNAP Program, see United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), SNAP, Eligibility [Internet]. Retrieved April 4, 2025. Available here.
[ii] USGovernmentSpending.com [Internet]. Total for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025. Available here.
[iii] USDA. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) National Level Annual Summary, Participation, and Costs, 1969 – 2023. [Internet]. Retrieved April 7, 2025. Available here. Poverty information is included on the Poverty Statistics Page.
[iv] USDA. Yearly Trends SNAP households by demographic and income characteristics. [Internet] Retrieved April 4, 2024. Available here.
[v] USDA. USDA Takes Aggressive Action to Fight Trafficking. [Internet]. Retrieved June 22, 2025. Available here.
[vi] Snap to Health. History of SNAP. [Internet]. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
[vii] USDA – A Short History of SNAP [Internet]. Retrieved April 4, 2024. Available here.
[viii] Data from USGovernmentSpending.com [Internet]. The methodology of inflation adjustment is explained on the web page Poverty and Spending Over the Years.
[ix] USDA. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) National Level Annual Summary, Participation, and Costs, 1969 – 2022. [Internet]. Total benefits and all other costs are divided by total costs. Retrieved April 4, 2024. Available here.
[x] Represents SNAP program costs for each year, adjusted for inflation, divided by the number of participants. The calculation methodology and data source are described on the Poverty and Spending and Over the Years webpage.
[xi] USDA. Foods typically purchased by Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) households (Summary). November 2016. Available here.
[xii] USDA. SNAP Work Requirments. [Internet]. Retrieved April 4, 2025. Available here.