Food Stamp Calc

Sources and Data Vintages

Every figure on Food Stamp Calc comes from one of the documents below. Each entry shows who published it, its date, the day we fetched and read it, and which numbers it supplies.

Food Stamp Calc Editorial Team · published · verified

Federal sources

  1. SNAP – Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (policy memo to all state agencies) — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, August 21, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Maximum and minimum allotments, net (100%), gross (130%) and 165% income standards, standard deductions, shelter caps, homeless shelter deduction and asset limits for October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027.
  2. SNAP – Simplified Process for Fiscal Year 2027 Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) Values — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, August 24, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. How states set FY2027 utility allowances (FY2026 values adjusted by the 3.5% CPI change, June 2025–June 2026, with FNA approval). It contains no state values.
  3. FY 2026 Standard Utility Allowances by State (Excel, updated August 2026) — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, August 18, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Each state’s utility allowances for October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026 (Maryland: calendar year 2026). Used only where a state has not published its October 2026 values, and always labelled as last year’s figure.
  4. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) chart, June 2026 — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, June 29, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Which states use broad-based categorical eligibility, their gross income limit (% of poverty) and any asset limit.
  5. 2026 Poverty Guidelines (48 contiguous states and DC, Alaska, Hawaii) — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASPE. Fetched October 5, 2026. Annual guidelines behind the FY2027 SNAP income standards; used to compute 150%, 160% and 185% gross limits with the FNS rounding method.
  6. 7 CFR 273.10 — Determining household eligibility and benefit levels — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), January 17, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Order of deductions, rounding rules, the 30% benefit reduction and the minimum benefit for 1–2 person households.
  7. 7 CFR 273.9 — Income and deductions — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), January 17, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Earned income deduction (20%), excess medical deduction over $35, dependent care, child support and shelter deduction rules, utility allowance types.
  8. SNAP Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 – Information Memorandum — USDA Food and Nutrition Service, September 4, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Effective dates of the 2025 law’s SNAP changes: time-limit exceptions, LIHEAP and utility allowances, internet costs, state cost sharing.
  9. OBBB – Restrictions on Internet Expenses and Treatment of Energy Assistance Payments – Questions and Answers #1 — USDA Food and Nutrition Service, May 8, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Internet costs are not a shelter expense; a LIHEAP payment confers the heating/cooling allowance only on households with an elderly or disabled member.
  10. OBBB – ABAWD Exceptions – Implementation Memorandum — USDA Food and Nutrition Service, October 3, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Time limit now applies to ages 18–64; parent exception limited to children under 14; homeless, veteran and former-foster-youth exceptions removed; new exceptions for American Indians.
  11. OBBB – Time Limit Changes – Questions and Answers #1 — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, June 11, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. People aged 60–64 are subject to the time limit but not the general work requirements; “elderly” still means 60+ for deductions.
  12. SNAP State Directory of Resources — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, October 5, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Each state’s program name, EBT card name, SNAP website, application link, local office list and hotline numbers.
  13. SNAP State Options Report, 17th Edition (state agency profiles) — USDA Food and Nutrition Service (prepared by Westat), December 9, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Each state’s policy choices as of October 2024: state- or county-run administration, reporting rules, certification periods, child support treatment, drug felony rule, CAP/ESAP/standard medical deduction projects, interview and signature waivers.
  14. SNAP Payment Error Rates, Fiscal Year 2025 — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, June 24, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Each state’s FY2025 payment error rate, which the 2025 law uses to set a state share of benefit costs from FY2028.
  15. Public Law 119-21 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), section 10105 — Matching Funds Requirements — U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), July 4, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. State share of benefit costs from FY2028: 0% under a 6% error rate, 5% at 6–8%, 10% at 8–10%, 15% at 10% or more; delayed to FY2029 when the FY2025 rate × 1.5 is 20% or more.
  16. Status of State ABAWD Time Limit Waivers, Fiscal Year 2027 – 1st Quarter — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Which states have partial time-limit waivers in effect on October 1, 2026 (none are statewide).
  17. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Fetched October 5, 2026. States approved to bar SNAP purchases of soda, candy or similar items, their target dates, and the June 22, 2026 court order vacating four approvals.
  18. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program — USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, August 7, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. States operating a Restaurant Meals Program for elderly, disabled and homeless SNAP households.
  19. Monthly SNAP Issuance Schedule for All States and Territories — USDA Food and Nutrition Service, July 26, 2024. Fetched October 5, 2026. The days of the month each state loads benefits and how it assigns them.

State sources

State documents that supplied October 2026 utility allowances or the state’s own published income limits. States not listed here had no October 2026 utility figure we could verify; their pages use USDA’s FY2026 table and say so.

  1. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) — Division of Public Assistance — Alaska Department of Health. Fetched October 5, 2026. Alaska’s current SNAP page (standard deduction $371/$385 and the $1,229 shelter cap, matching the FNS memo).
  2. CDSS All County Information Notice I-40-26: CalFresh Cost-of-Living Adjustments Effective October 1, 2026 — California Department of Social Services, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. California utility allowances effective October 1, 2026 and the state’s published 200% gross income limits.
  3. Florida DCF ESS Program Policy Manual Appendix A-1, Food Assistance Income Eligibility Standards and Deductions (Effective October 1, 2026) — Florida Department of Children and Families, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Florida utility allowances effective October 1, 2026 and the state’s published 200% gross income limits.
  4. IDHS Manual Release #26.26: October 2026 SNAP Adjustments due to COLA — Illinois Department of Human Services, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Illinois utility allowances effective October 1, 2026.
  5. Indiana FSSA SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 3000 Eligibility Standards, section 3020.00.00 Utility Standards (as of 10/1/2026) — Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Indiana utility allowances effective October 1, 2026.
  6. MDHHS Reference Tables Manual RFT 255, SNAP Standards (RFB 2026-008, effective October 1, 2026) — Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Michigan utility allowances effective October 1, 2026.
  7. PA DHS SNAP Handbook Chapter 560 Appendix A (Effective October 1, 2026) — Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Pennsylvania utility allowances effective October 1, 2026 and the state’s published 200% gross income limits.
  8. Shapiro Administration Announces Increases to SNAP Benefit Amounts Following Annual Adjustment — Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Fetched October 5, 2026. Pennsylvania’s published 200% gross income limits for Oct 2026 – Sep 2027 and the February 9, 2026 shelter/utility verification requirement.
  9. SNAP Annual Cost of Living Adjustment Effective October 1, 2025 — Rhode Island Department of Human Services, effective October 1, 2025. Fetched October 5, 2026. Rhode Island’s standard medical deduction for elderly and disabled members (October 2025 notice); cited as last year’s description only.
  10. Texas Works Handbook C-121.1 Deduction Amounts, Revision 26-4; Effective Oct. 1, 2026 — Texas Health and Human Services Commission, effective October 1, 2026. Fetched October 5, 2026. Texas utility allowances effective October 1, 2026.

How we use them

Federal figures apply in every state. Broad-based eligibility limits come from the FNS chart and, where a state publishes its own dollar chart, from that chart. Agency names, application links and phone numbers come from USDA’s state directory. The methodology explains how they combine, and the editorial policy how often they are rechecked.