The start of a new month brings wonderful news for millions of recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps. More than 42 million Americans in all 50 states and District of Columbia are anxiously waiting to find out when their next payment is coming: this represents 12.6% of the United States population.
One of the states with the largest population of SNAP food stamp recipients is Texas, with more than 3.4 million households relying on these allotments to cover their basic needs. In the Lone Star State, the SNAP program is administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to support low-income households in purchasing food.
SNAP Payment Schedule in the First Ten Days of May in TX
SNAP payments in Texas are distributed staggered throughout the month, depending on the household’s certification date and eligibility determination group (EDG) number, between the 1st and 30th of each month.
Households certified before June 1, 2020: These receive their benefits between the 1st and 15th of the month, depending on the last digit of their EDG number. For the first ten days (May 1 to 10), payments are made on the following dates:
- Households with EDG ending in 0 receive their payment on May 1.
- Households with EDG ending in 1 receive their payment on May 3.
- Households with EDG ending in 2 receive their payment on May 5.
- Households with EDG ending in 3 receive their payment on May 6.
- Households with EDG ending in 4 receive their payment on May 7.
- Households with EDG ending in 5, receive their payment on May 9.
These dates cover payments within the range of May 1-10, and there are no payments scheduled for May 2, 4, 8, or 10 for this group in the first ten days.
Households certified after June 1, 2020 have another type of date organization: They receive their benefits between the 16th and 28th of the month, based on the last two digits of their EDG number, so they are not included in the first ten days of the month.
The maximum SNAP benefit amount for 2025 is adjusted annually based on the cost of living, determined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and effective October 1, 2024 for fiscal year 2025, which ends September 30, 2025:
- 1 person: $292
2 people: $536 - 3 people: $768
- 4 people: $975
- 5 people: $1,158
- 6 people: $1,390
- 7 people: $1,536
- 8 people: $1,756
- For each additional person: +$220
To qualify for maximum benefits, the applicant and their household must have gross monthly income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level (FPL), adjusted for family size.
For example, the income limit for a one-person household is $20,345, for the average American household of four it is $39,795, and for a family of eight, the maximum allowable income is $64,395. From that number, each additional member can add a maximum income of $6,150.
It is important to note that Alaska and Hawaii have different poverty levels due to their higher costs of living. If you reside in those two states (or Guam, also covered by SNAP benefits), check for the maximum amounts you can receive and locally adapted income limits.
