Here’s When October 2025 Snap Payments Arrive (Depending on Where You Live)

If you're struggling to afford nutritious food for yourself or your family, there may be help available from the government. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers food benefits for those in need. If you qualify for the program, it's important to keep track of when payments are coming each month to manage your finances and stretch your grocery budget.

Here's a look at when to expect October SNAP benefits and a reminder of what items qualify for purchase under the program.

The goal of SNAP is to put healthy food within the reach of those in need. SNAP provides food benefits to low- and no-income individuals and families, supplementing their grocery budgets to purchase nutritious items.

SNAP is a federal aid program where the distribution of benefits happens at the state level, and individuals and families are able to buy food through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. Read on to find out when you can expect to get paid, depending on where you live.

The arrival of payments depends on which state is giving them. Some states pay all beneficiaries on one day, while others stagger payments throughout the month. Here are the October payment dates broken down by state and territory.

• Alabama: Oct. 4 to 23
• Alaska: Oct. 1
• Arizona: Oct. 1 to 13
• Arkansas: Oct. 4 to 13
• California: Oct. 1 to 10
• Colorado: Oct. 1 to 10
• Connecticut: Oct. 1 to 3
• Delaware: Oct. 2 to 23
• District of Columbia: Oct. 1 to 10
• Florida: Oct. 1 to 28
• Georgia: Oct. 5 to 23
• Guam: Oct. 1 to 10
• Hawaii: Oct. 3 and 5
• Idaho: Oct. 1 to 10
• Illinois: Oct. 1 to 20
• Indiana: Oct. 5 to 23
• Iowa: Oct. 1 to 10
• Kansas: Oct. 1 to 10
• Kentucky: Oct. 1 to 19
• Louisiana: Oct. 1 to 23
• Maine: Oct. 10 to 14
• Maryland: Oct. 4 to 23
• Massachusetts: Oct. 1 to 14
• Michigan: Oct. 3 to 21
• Minnesota: Oct. 4 to 13
• Mississippi: Oct. 4 to 21
• Missouri: Oct. 1 to 22
• Montana: Oct. 2 to 6
• Nebraska: Oct. 1 to 5
• Nevada: Oct. 1 to 10
• New Hampshire: Oct. 5
• New Jersey: Oct. 1 to 5
• New Mexico: Oct. 1 to 20
• New York: Oct. 1 to 9
• North Carolina: Oct. 3 to 21
• North Dakota: Oct. 1
• Ohio: Oct. 2 to 20
• Oklahoma: Oct. 1 to 10
• Oregon: Oct. 1 to 9
• Pennsylvania: Oct. 1 to 10
• Puerto Rico: Oct. 4 to 22
• Rhode Island: Oct. 1
• South Carolina: Oct. 1 to 19
• South Dakota: Oct. 10
• Tennessee: Oct. 1 to 20
• Texas: Oct. 1 to 28
• Utah: Oct. 5, 11, and 15
• Vermont: Oct. 1
• Virgin Islands: Oct. 1
• Virginia: Oct. 1 to 7
• Washington: Oct. 1 to 20
• West Virginia: Oct. 1 to 9
• Wisconsin: Oct. 1 to 15
• Wyoming: Oct. 1 to 4

When looking at eligibility, it's important to keep in mind that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 may change some things with SNAP.

However, according to the Food and Nutrition Service, someone may be able to get SNAP benefits if they're working for low wages or part-time, unemployed, receiving welfare or other public assistance payments, elderly or disabled and low-income, or homeless.

The amount you receive in SNAP benefits depends on household income, the number of people in the home, and the state cost-of-living adjustments. For 2025, the estimated maximum benefit in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. is up to $292 per month for a single person and up to $975 for a family of four, for example.

Maximum amounts are higher in Alaska, Hawaii, and some territories because of higher living costs.

If you receive SNAP benefits, you can expect them to be delivered to EBT accounts. Recipients are given a card similar to a credit or debit card in order to access the SNAP EBT account at authorized food retail locations.

Recipients are also given a Personal Identification Number to protect their benefits from being used by someone else without authorization. Most states mail EBT cards to recipients, and SNAP benefits are automatically deposited into accounts each month.

In general, SNAP benefits can be used for food for a household. According to the Food and Nutrition Service, this includes things like fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, breads and cereals, some snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages, and seeds and plants to produce food for the household.

However, you cannot use SNAP benefits to buy hot foods, beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, tobacco, food and drinks with controlled substances such as cannabis/marijuana and CBD, pet food, and nonfood items like cleaning supplies, some hygiene products, and vitamins, medicines, and supplements.

Recipients who have remaining money on their EBT cards at the end of the month have those benefits rolled over into the next month. So, if you don't use all your benefits for the month, they simply roll over, allowing you to have them available for future use, or you can hold on to some for whenever you need them.

It may be easier than you think to apply for SNAP benefits. You can ask for an application in person from the SNAP office, over the phone, or by mail. And though it varies by state, you may also be able to apply online.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that you must apply in the state in which you currently live and that you must meet certain requirements, including resource and income limits.

Once an application is submitted, you will receive a notice about whether you are eligible within 30 days. During that time, you'll be asked to complete an eligibility interview and give proof of the information you provided.

SNAP payments can help you lower your financial stress by offering benefits to pay for nutritious food. According to the USDA, in fiscal year 2024, SNAP provided benefits to an average of 41.7 million people per month. That's 12.3% of U.S. residents.

And though the schedule for payments varies by state, if you're worried about having all the documents needed to qualify, keep in mind that SNAP workers may be able to help you find what you need.