The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, issues benefits via a preloaded debit card that can be used like cash to purchase food. SNAP is intended to help low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others feed their families. The pre-loaded debit cards, known as EBT cards, can be used at most grocery stores to purchase basic grocery items like fruits and vegetables; dairy; meat, fish and poultry; breads and cereals; and food-producing seeds and plants.

                By                    Georgina Tzanetos

See: Claiming Social Security, SNAP and Medicare Is Now Easier Thanks to Executive Order — What’s Changing?Find: How Social Security, Wage Hikes and SNAP Will Alleviate Inflation in 2022

What it cannot be used for is:

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  • Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco
  • Foods for in-store consumption
  • Hot (prepared) foods
  • Nonfood items, such as:
  • Pet food
  • Soap, paper products
  • Household supplies
  • Vitamins and medicine

New York’s payment schedule is a little different from the rest of the country. In all of New York’s counties, but not in New York City, SNAP benefits are sent out over the first nine days of the month, based on the last digit of your case number, or as referenced sometimes in NYC, your “toe number.” For NYC cases, recipients receive their SNAP benefits within the first 10 business days of the month, except Sundays and holidays.

  • Pet food
  • Soap, paper products
  • Household supplies
  • Vitamins and medicine

See: 5 Million Households Signed Up for the Emergency Broadband Benefit — Here’s How to ApplyFind: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State?

Here is the February schedule for SNAP benefits in all New York counties, excluding NYC:

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Here is the February schedule for SNAP payments in NYC:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture adjusts SNAP maximum allotments, deductions and income eligibility standards at the beginning of each federal fiscal year. The fiscal year begins on October 1st, and the changes are based on changes in the cost of living. 

Last year, households received an increase in benefits as part of COVID emergency relief. It is important to remember that SNAP pandemic emergency allotments will end when the federal public health emergency or individual state emergency designations end. This might result in households receiving a substantial cut in monthly SNAP benefits, so it’s important to check with the state for updates.

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