SNAP payments will be issued to beneficiaries nationwide in March, but not everyone will be getting their money on the same date.
Also known as food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pays out monthly amounts to low and no-income households across America and its territories. Not everyone gets the same amount, with it being dependent on income and how many people live in a household.
SNAP is issued with a primary focus on supporting senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable people to have access to sustenance for themselves and their families. Recipients access the funds through an electronic benefit transfer card (EBT) which can be used at participating stores to buy food and drink.
When Are SNAP Payments Made?
When you receive your SNAP depends on which state you live in. As the benefit is paid by the federal government but administered by state authorities, not everyone who claims it will be paid on the same day each month.
In some states, SNAP payments are issued depending on the first letter of your last name. For example, in Connecticut, payments are made at the beginning of the month: those with a last name starting with A through to F are paid on the first of the month, those with a last name beginning G to N on the second, and O to Z on the third.
Other states pay according to case number. Alabama pays SNAP on the day that corresponds with the case number. Those who have a case number that ends in 01 will get their benefits earlier in the month than those who have a case number ending in 99.
Some states, like Alaska and Rhode Island, make all SNAP payments on the same day.
The SNAP payment dates for March 2024 for each U.S. state and territory are:
- Alabama: March 4 to 23
- Alaska: March 1
- Arizona: March 1 to 13
- Arkansas: March 4 to 13
- California: March 1 to 10
- Colorado: March 1 to 10
- Connecticut: March 1 to 3
- Delaware: March 2 to 23
- District of Columbia: March 1 to 10
- Florida: March 1 to 28
- Georgia: March 5 to 23
- Guam: March 1 to 10
- Hawaii: March 3 to 5
- Idaho: March 1 to 10
- Illinois: March 1 to 10
- Indiana: March 5 to 23
- Iowa: March 1 to 10
- Kansas: March 1 to 10
- Kentucky: March 1 to 19
- Louisiana: March 1 to 23
- Maine: March 10 to 14
- Maryland: March 4 to 23
- Massachusetts: March 1 to 14
- Michigan: March 3 to 21
- Minnesota: March 4 to 13
- Mississippi: March 4 to 21
- Missouri: March 1 to 22
- Montana: March 2 to 6
- Nebraska: March 1 to 5
- Nevada: March 1 to 10
- New Hampshire: March 5
- New Jersey: March 1 to 5
- New Mexico: March 1 to 20
- New York: March 1 to 9
- North Carolina: March 3 to 21
- North Dakota: March 1
- Ohio: March 2 to 20
- Oklahoma: March 1 to 10
- Oregon: March 1 to 9
- Pennsylvania: March 1 to 10
- Puerto Rico: March 4 to March 22
- Rhode Island: March 1
- South Carolina: March 1 to 10
- South Dakota: March 10
- Tennessee: March 1 to 20
- Texas: March 1 to 28
- Utah: March 5, 11 and 15
- Virgin Islands: March 1
- Vermont: March 1
- Virginia: March 1 to 7
- Washington: March 1 to 20
- West Virginia: March 1 to 9
- Wisconsin: March 1 to 15
- Wyoming: March 1 to 4
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently wrote to numerous states to ask them to address issues with the administration and delivery of SNAP benefits. Recent reporting by Newsweek found that some states are leaving SNAP recipients waiting months for a decision regarding their applications.
"SNAP serves as our nation's foundational safety net, a crucial resource for the well-being of low-income families, older adults, and individuals with disabilities," Vilsack said in a press release issued in early February.
"Timely and accurate SNAP processing is critical to meeting the nutrition needs of low-income families and protecting the integrity of SNAP. Americans in need should have access to essential benefits without unnecessary delays. States must deliver benefits in the right amounts, to the right individuals, in the required periods of time."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
