For millions of American families relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), there’s finally some good news this holiday season: December benefits are set to roll out right on time, without the headaches from last month’s federal shutdown.
That 43-day mess, which ground to a halt key operations at places like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), left over 42 million folks scrambling for food aid amid Thanksgiving chaos. But with the government lights back on since November 20, things are stabilizing fast, and this includes the SNAP benefits.
SNAP Recipients: December Benefits Are on Schedule
USDA officials laid it out plainly on Monday: They’ve cranked up the gears to get payments flowing normally again. “Our top priority has been smoothing out these kinks so vulnerable communities don’t take another hit,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a press briefing.
Early numbers suggest about 30% of recipients got tangled up in November’s delays, especially in big states like California and New York, where complaints piled up over missing deposits. State agencies have been hustling on those back payments, though, and come December, it looks like business as usual—no more two-week waits in random counties.
Are SNAP Benefits on Time for December? Here’s the Update
Here’s the full rundown on SNAP deposit dates for December 2025, state by state (including D.C.). Schedules hinge on each state’s setup—think last name initials, case digits, or SSN endings. Recipients should double-check their specifics via state portals or hotlines to stay in the loop:
- Alabama: December 4–23
- Alaska: December 1
- Arizona: December 1–13
- Arkansas: December 4–13
- California: December 1–10
- Colorado: December 1–10
- Connecticut: December 1–3
- Delaware: December 2–23
- District of Columbia: December 1–10
- Florida: December 1–28
- Georgia: December 5–23
- Guam: December 1–10
- Hawaii: December 3–5
- Idaho: December 1–10
- Illinois: December 1–20
- Indiana: December 5–23
- Iowa: December 1–10
- Kansas: December 1–10
- Kentucky: December 1–19
- Louisiana: December 1–23
- Maine: December 10–14
- Maryland: December 4–23
- Massachusetts: December 1–14
- Michigan: December 3–21
- Minnesota: December 4–13
- Mississippi: December 4–21
- Missouri: December 1–22
- Montana: December 2–6
- Nebraska: December 1–5
- Nevada: December 1–10
- New Hampshire: December 5
- New Jersey: December 1–5
- New Mexico: December 1–20
- New York: December 1–9
- North Carolina: December 3–21
- North Dakota: December 1
- Ohio: December 2–20
- Oklahoma: December 1–10
- Oregon: December 1–9
- Pennsylvania: December 3–14
- Puerto Rico: December 4–22
- Rhode Island: December 1
- South Carolina: December 1–19
- South Dakota: December 10
- Tennessee: December 1–20
- Texas: December 1–28
- Utah: December 5, 11, and 15
- U.S. Virgin Islands: December 1
- Vermont: December 1
- Virginia: December 1–7
- Washington: December 1–20
- West Virginia: December 1–9
- Wisconsin: December 1–15
- Wyoming: December 1–4
Groups like Feeding America are giving a nod to the feds for the quick turnaround, but they’re pushing lawmakers hard for fixes to shield SNAP from future budget brawls. In states with staggered rollouts, like Texas or Florida, expect emails or app alerts to nail down exact days.
This December, at least when it comes to putting food on the table, the political drama might just take a backseat—letting families focus on what really counts: staying fed.
SNAP benefits maximums in December 2025
After the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) kicked in back in October 2024, the top monthly SNAP benefit amounts for December that year—across the 48 contiguous U.S. states and D.C.—aim to keep pace with rising food prices and hold onto folks’ buying power.
That means a one-person household could snag up to $298 a month, a family of four might pull in as much as $994, and for a group of eight, the max hits $1,789, helping stretch those dollars further for grocery basics and bolstering food security through fiscal year 2025.