SNAP benefits to go up an average of $36 per month in October. Here’s what to know
President Joe Biden’s administration will increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits this fall.
The U.S Department of Agriculture said Monday that the increase follows a reevaluation of the model it uses to calculate the benefits, called the Thrifty Food Plan. The increase, which excludes the additional funds added as part of COVID-19 relief, starts Oct. 1.
How much benefits will increase
Benefits will increase by an average of $36.24 per person, per month — or about $1.19 per day, the USDA says.
The estimated increase in SNAP benefits in each state can be found here.
Who qualifies
Families must meet certain requirements to receive SNAP benefits, including “resource and income limits.”
Each state has a different process and application for receiving benefits, and residents must apply for them in the state where they live, the USDA says.
The websites and contact information for each state’s relevant agency can be found here.
Why benefits are increasing
The Agriculture Department recently reviewed its Thrifty Food Plan as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and an executive order from Biden in January to ensure it “reflects the cost of a practical, nutritious, budget-conscious diet.”
The Thrifty Food Plan, or TFP, is the cheapest of four food plans the USDA develops to estimate the cost of a nutritious diet at different price points. It represents the cost of feeding a family of four and is “designed to meet the nutritional needs of an average person consuming a healthy, cost-conscious diet at home.”
The maximum SNAP benefit for a household of four must be equal to cost of the TFP in the previous June. The amount is then adjusted for families of other sizes.
In 2018, the Farm Bill directed the USDA to reevaluate the TFP by 2022 and then again every five years. Previously, it had not been updated since 2006, according to the USDA.
“The reevaluation concluded that the cost of a nutritious, practical, cost effective diet is 21% higher than the current Thrifty Food Plan,” the USDA says.
As a result of the evaluation, SNAP benefits will also increase.
How the TFP was reevaluated
The USDA says its evaluation was driven by four factors: current food prices, what foods people in the U.S. typically eat, dietary guidance and the nutrients in foods.
“For example, the revised plan includes more fish and red and orange vegetables to align with recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025,” the department says.
The evaluation also took into consideration new purchasing data to “reflect the current price of foods in today’s marketplace” and a “modest increase” in calories to reflect updated data and to “support an active lifestyle.”
Why the increase matters
This marks the first time the purchasing power of the TFP has changed since it started in 1975 and reflects “notable shifts in the food marketplace and consumers’ circumstances over the past 45 years,” the USDA says.
About 40 million Americans receive SNAP benefits each month, the department estimates.
But a recent USDA study found that about 9 in 10 recipients reported facing “barriers to achieving a healthy diet” and that the most common of those barriers was the cost of healthy foods.
“To set SNAP families up for success, we need a Thrifty Food Plan that supports current dietary guidance on a budget,” Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services with the USDA, said in a news release. “Too many of our fellow Americans struggle to afford healthy meals. The revised plan is one step toward getting them the support they need to feed their families.”
