The current maximum SNAP payment amounts will continue through September 30, 2025. In 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Nutrition Service unveiled the new COLA increase on August 2, 2024. Therefore, there could be an announcement on a similar date this year. Thus, it is not possible to know how much the benefits could go up.
COLAs are not always positive. For example, SNAP recipients in Hawaii had a reduction after the last two COLAs. That means their maximum benefits decreased instead of increasing. COLA is the Cost-of-Living Adjustment and it is connected to inflation. Bear in mind that inflation does not always go up, and it is not always as high or as low. What is more, sometimes there could even be deflation, although it is unlikely.
When could the new COLA be deposited onto SNAP recipients’ EBT cards?
Since the current maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will remain the same through September 30, 2025, the new maximum amounts may arrive from October 1, 2025.
Not all SNAP recipients receive their monthly payment on the same payday. Therefore, you will receive the new COLA, if there are no changes, on your October payday.
Food Stamp recipients do not collect the COLA increase in January like Social Security beneficiaries. In fact, they are paid a few months before this date, which is beneficial for low-income clients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Social Security recipients already have a prediction for their COLA in 2026.
The Senior Citizens League claims that it could be about 2.4%. Hence, it is a lower than expected increase. Last year’s COLA for SNAP was also lower than SSA’s boost. So, there was not a big difference between the old and new maximum payment amounts.
SNAP payment schedule in October with COLA
If there are no unexpected changes, the new 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will take place in October 2025. Here’s the schedule for Food Stamps in October:
- Alabama: October 4 to 23
- Alaska: October 1
- Arizona: October 1 to 13
- Arkansas: October 4 to 13
- California: October 1 to 10
- Colorado: October 1 to 10
- Connecticut: October 1 to 3
- Delaware: October 2 to 23
- Florida: October 1 to 28
- Georgia: October 5 to 23
- Hawaii: October 3 to 5
- Idaho: October 1 to 10
- Illinois: October 1 to 10
- Indiana: October 5 to 23
- Iowa: October 1 to 10
- Kansas: October 1 to 10
- Kentucky: October 1 to 19
- Louisiana: October 1 to 23
- Maine: October 10 to 14
- Maryland: October 4 to 23
- Massachusetts: October 1 to 14
- Michigan: October 3 to 21
- Minnesota: October 4 to 13
- Mississippi: October 4 to 21
- Missouri: October 1 to 22
- Montana: October 2 to 6
- Nebraska: October 1 to 5
- Nevada: October 1 to 10
- New Hampshire: October 5
- New Jersey: October 1 to 5
- New Mexico: October 1 to 20
- New York: October 1 to 9
- North Carolina: October 3 to 21
- North Dakota: October 1
- Ohio: October 2 to 20
- Oklahoma: October 1 to 10
- Oregon: October 1 to 9
- Pennsylvania: Over the first ten working days in October 2025
- Rhode Island: October 1
- South Carolina: October 1 to 10
- South Dakota: October 10
- Tennessee: October 1 to 20
- Texas: October 1 to 28
- Utah: October 5, 11, and 15
- Vermont: October 1
- Virginia: October 1 to 7
- Washington: October 1 to 20
- West Virginia: October 1 to 9
- Wisconsin: October 1 to 15
- Wyoming: October 1 to 4
- Guam: October 1 to 10
- Puerto Rico: October 4 to 22
- The District of Columbia: October 1 to 10
- The U.S. Virgin Islands: October 1
