SNAP Maximum Is Now $1,023: Your FY2027 Math

New SNAP numbers took effect on October 1, and most coverage stopped at the headline. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. rose from 994 dollars to 1,023 dollars for fiscal year 2027, under the USDA's cost-of-living adjustment memo dated August 21, 2026, as detailed in the guide to the SNAP changes that took effect October 1 and the Washington Examiner's summary of the new amounts. But almost nobody receives the maximum. What you actually get depends on one formula, and once you can run it yourself, you can check your October deposit instead of wondering whether it was right. That is what this article does: the full table, then the formula, worked twice with real inputs.

The full FY2027 table

Household size	FY2026 maximum	FY2027 maximum	Monthly gain
1	298 dollars	306 dollars	8 dollars
2	546 dollars	562 dollars	16 dollars
3	785 dollars	808 dollars	23 dollars
4	994 dollars	1,023 dollars	29 dollars
5	1,183 dollars	1,217 dollars	34 dollars
6	1,421 dollars	1,463 dollars	42 dollars
7	1,571 dollars	1,616 dollars	45 dollars
8	1,789 dollars	1,841 dollars	52 dollars

Each additional person beyond eight adds 225 dollars, up from 218. The minimum benefit for eligible one- and two-person households rose from 24 dollars to 25. The amounts are tied to the Thrifty Food Plan, the USDA's low-cost market basket, and they run through September 30, 2027. One exception worth naming: Hawaii's family-of-four maximum decreased, to 1,655 dollars from 1,689, because its figures are calculated separately.

Maximum monthly SNAP allotments, FY2026 versus FY2027, for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. Source: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustment memo, August 21, 2026, via the Washington Examiner and Saving to Invest.

The formula, worked with real numbers

SNAP assumes your household puts about 30 percent of its net monthly income toward food, and the benefit fills the rest, up to the maximum. The working figures behind that net income also changed on October 1: the standard deduction for households of one to three is now 217 dollars, the shelter cost cap is 769 dollars, and the maximum homeless shelter deduction is 205.66 dollars, per the USDA memo figures compiled in Saving to Invest's SNAP amounts table. The gross income limit for a family of four is now 3,575 dollars a month.

Worked example one: a family of four with 1,500 dollars of net monthly income after deductions. The household's expected food contribution is 30 percent of 1,500, which is 450 dollars. The FY2027 benefit is 1,023 minus 450, which is 573 dollars a month. Under last year's maximum it was 994 minus 450, or 544 dollars. The raise for this household is exactly the 29-dollar rise in the maximum, because the formula subtracts the same contribution either way.

Worked example two: a single person with 600 dollars of net income. Expected contribution: 180 dollars. FY2027 benefit: 306 minus 180, which is 126 dollars, up from 118 dollars last year. The 8-dollar gain looks small because for a one-person household, it is small: 96 dollars a year, roughly one modest grocery run. I show both examples because the honest takeaway differs by household size. For a family of four, the October adjustment is 348 dollars a year. For a single person at the minimum benefit, the entire year's gain is 12 dollars. Both households should still check their deposits, because an October amount that did not move at all is a reason to call the caseworker, not a rounding error.

What to do with this in October

First, compare your October deposit against the formula, not against the headline maximum. If your net income did not change and your benefit did not rise by roughly your household size's gain in the table, ask why. Second, remember the interaction coming in January: when the Social Security cost-of-living raise lifts countable income, SNAP can tick down slightly, which is the two programs working as designed. Third, if winter costs are your real pressure, pair this check with the budget math in my winter heating costs guide and, if you are in the Medicare window, the plan-exit numbers in the Medicare Advantage exits piece. October is the month the federal benefit calendar resets; an hour with the actual figures is worth more than a year of assuming they were applied correctly.

FAQ

Did I need to apply for the higher SNAP amount? No. The FY2027 adjustments took effect automatically on October 1, 2026. If your household was eligible in September, the new maximums and deductions apply to your October benefit without any action from you.

Why is my benefit so much lower than the maximum? Because of the 30 percent rule. Your benefit equals the maximum for your household size minus 30 percent of your net income. Only a household with no countable net income receives the full maximum.

Do the higher income limits mean I might newly qualify? Possibly. The gross income limit for a family of four rose to 3,575 dollars a month. If you were marginally over the old limit, October is the month to re-screen rather than assume the old answer still holds.

Why did Hawaii's maximum go down? Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and the Virgin Islands have separately calculated allotments. Hawaii's family-of-four maximum fell to 1,655 dollars for FY2027 even as the mainland figures rose about 3 percent.