Mississippi Food Stamp Calculator

The smallest heating allowance

Mississippi’s heating and cooling allowance — $308 in USDA’s October 2025 table — is the lowest of any state, so the shelter deduction depends mostly on rent. A Jackson family of four earning $2,400 with $700 rent and $500 in savings would get about $564.

Report changes, and expect short certifications

Mississippi uses change reporting only — you must report changes such as a new job within the required time, not just when income passes a limit — and certifies households for four or six months. It runs both voluntary and mandatory employment and training, a standard combined application for SSI recipients and the elderly simplified application. People with past drug felonies are not disqualified.

Deposits run from the 4th to the 21st by the last two digits of the case number. Mississippi’s FY2025 error rate was 9.51%.

Mississippi compared with Louisiana

Louisiana, to the west, uses broad-based eligibility at 200% of poverty — $5,500 for four — with no asset test, while Mississippi applies the federal $3,575 gross limit, the net test and a $3,000 asset limit. Alabama keeps 130% but drops the asset test; Tennessee, like Mississippi, uses the federal rules.