What’s New
SNAP payments will be made to beneficiaries across the United States throughout January 2025. However, not every recipient will get their monthly benefit on the same date.
Why It’s Important
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to by its former name, food stamps, offers monthly financial support to low and no-income families to help them pay for essential groceries.
Benefits are paid throughout all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. They are uploaded to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that can be used at approved retailers and in some online stores.
What to Know
While SNAP funding comes directly from the federal government, it is up to each state to oversee the distribution and management of these benefits, resulting in varying payment dates for recipients each month.
In certain states, the timing of benefit distribution is linked to the recipient’s case number. For example, in California, those with case numbers ending in 01 will receive their benefits earlier in the month than those ending in 99.
Photo Illustration by Newsweek
However, states like Connecticut and Delaware distribute benefits according to the initial letter of the recipient’s last name. In contrast, states with smaller populations, like Alaska and South Dakota, process all SNAP payments on a designated day.
SNAP benefits will be issued on the following dates in U.S. states and territories:
- Alabama: January 4 to 23
- Alaska: January 1
- Arizona: January 1 to 13
- Arkansas: January 4 to 13
- California: January 1 to 10
- Colorado: January 1 to 10
- Connecticut: January 1 to 3
- Delaware: January 2 to 23
- District of Columbia: January 1 to 10
- Florida: January 1 to 28
- Georgia: January 5 to 23
- Guam: January 1 to 10
- Hawaii: January 3 to 5
- Idaho: January 1 to 10
- Illinois: January 1 to 20
- Indiana: January 5 to 23
- Iowa: January 1 to 10
- Kansas: January 1 to 10
- Kentucky: January 1 to 19
- Louisiana: January 1 to 23
- Maine: January 10 to 14
- Maryland: January 4 to 23
- Massachusetts: January 1 to 14
- Michigan: January 3 to 21
- Minnesota: January 4 to 13
- Mississippi: January 4 to 21
- Missouri: January 1 to 22
- Montana: January 2 to 6
- Nebraska: January 1 to 5
- Nevada: January 1 to 10
- New Hampshire: January 5
- New Jersey: January 1 to 5
- New Mexico: January 1 to 20
- New York: January 1 to 9
- North Carolina: January 3 to 21
- North Dakota: January 1
- Ohio: January 2 to 20
- Oklahoma: January 1 to 10
- Oregon: January 1 to 9
- Pennsylvania: January 3 to 14
- Puerto Rico: January 4 to January 22
- Rhode Island: January 1
- South Carolina: January 1 to 19
- South Dakota: January 10
- Tennessee: January 1 to 20
- Texas: January 1 to 28
- Utah: January 5, 11 and 15
- Virgin Islands: January 1
- Vermont: January 1
- Virginia: January 1 to 7
- Washington: January 1 to 20
- West Virginia: January 1 to 9
- Wisconsin: January 1 to 15
- Wyoming: January 1 to 4
What’s Next
Some changes to SNAP benefits could be on the way in 2025 when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has written a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arguing that SNAP should only be permitted to purchase healthy foods.
Sanders said she intends to request a waiver to implement the rule in Arkansas. States can request waivers to allow for flexibility in the administration of food stamps.
