SNAP: Frequently Asked Questions

SNAP eligibility rules require that participants be at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level. Recent studies show that 49% of all SNAP participants are children (age 18 or younger), with almost two-thirds of SNAP children living in single-parent households. In total, 76% of SNAP benefits go towards households with children, 16% go to households with disabled persons, and 9% go to households with senior citizens.

According to demographic data, 43% of SNAP participants are white, 33% are African-American, 19% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian, and 2% are Native American.

As of August 2011, 45.8 million persons were participating in SNAP.

In 2010, the average SNAP client received a monthly benefit of $133.79, and the average household received $289.61 monthly.

According to the most recent data, approximately 67% of people who are eligible for SNAP actually participate in the program.

SNAP benefits are acceptable forms of payment at any SNAP retailer. SNAP retailers can apply for certification online through the USDA. All SNAP retailers must meet basic eligibility requirements: the retailer must sell foods that fit into the four staple food groups (including meat, poultry, or fish; bread or cereal; vegetables or fruits; and dairy products) on a continuous basis, or more than half of the total dollar amount of all retail sales from the store must come from the sale of eligible staple foods.

SNAP benefits can be used to purchase all food products, not including: beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco; any nonfood items; vitamins and medicines; foods that will be eaten in the store; or hot foods.

The Thrifty Food Plan is the metric that the USDA uses to calculate the maximum monthly allotment of financial assistance to SNAP recipients. TFP consists of a market basket of foods that form a low-cost nutritious diet based on federal nutrition guidelines. The cost of this basket is calculated each month to adjust for changing the costs of food.

There are 15 Thrifty Food Plan market baskets, each formulated to fit the nutritional requirements of specific gender or age groups in the United States. TFP market baskets include ratios of grains (including whole grains), vegetables, fruits, milk products, meat and beans, and other foods as determined by the Recommended Dietary Allowances and Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued by the USDA. The baskets are arranged with the goal of obtaining minimal cost for sufficient nutrition.

SNAP benefits vary from household to household, depending on the number of people within a household, the employment status of the recipient(s), the age and health of the recipient(s), etc. For most healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 50 (without children), SNAP benefits are limited to a 3-month period, at which point the recipient will have to submit a renewal application. Most households under the SNAP program receive benefits for a 6-month period before requiring renewal. Benefit periods can range from 1 month to 3 years.

Since the program has been established, SNAP has frequently been a target for accusations of fraud and abuse of the system. SNAP beneficiaries are accused of cheating the system by receiving greater benefits than would befit their income status or exchanging SNAP benefits for cash. In reality, fraud within the SNAP system is extremely low. With the introduction of the EBT cards, most opportunities for fraud have been removed, and an electronic trail now exists to facilitate the tracing abuses in the system.

According to a recent USDA analysis, SNAP reached a payment accuracy of 96.19% in 2012 (the highest that the program has ever seen). Trafficking rates—the number of benefits exchanged for cash—are at 1%. There is always room for improvement, but the integrity of the SNAP program is currently functioning at the highest level it has ever seen.

Stigma associated with the SNAP program has led to several common misconceptions about how the program works and who receives the benefits. For instance, many Americans believe that the majority of SNAP benefits go towards people who could be working. In fact, more than half of SNAP recipients are children or the elderly. For the remaining working-age individuals, many of them are currently employed. At least forty percent of all SNAP beneficiaries live in a household with earnings. At the same time, the majority of SNAP households do not receive cash welfare benefits (around 10% receive cash welfare), with increasing numbers of SNAP beneficiaries obtaining their primary source of income from employment.

No. Undocumented immigrants are not (and never have been) eligible for SNAP benefits. Documented immigrants can only receive SNAP benefits if they have resided within the United States for at least five years (with some exceptions for refugees, children, and individuals receiving asylum).

SNAP-Ed is a nutrition education program associated with the SNAP program. SNAP-Ed is administered by the states, but receives matching funding from the federal government. For more information on SNAP-Ed, see the section SNAP Education under SNAP and Nutrition.