SNAP Benefits Calculator: Estimate Under the Federal Formula (FY 2027)
The federal formula estimates a household's monthly SNAP benefit as the maximum allotment for its size minus 30 percent of its net income: for FY 2027 (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027) in the 48 states and DC, the maximum is $306 for one person and $1,023 for four. The calculator below gives an estimate under the federal formula, and a state agency may calculate a different amount.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Reviewed November 4, 2026 · Methodology & sources
The result is an estimate under the federal formula, not an eligibility decision. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with USDA or any state agency, and the state agency decides who gets SNAP and how much. The USDA and state agency pages are authoritative.
Estimate your SNAP benefit
Estimate your SNAP benefit
In SNAP, a member counts as elderly or disabled if they are 60 or older, or receive Supplemental Security Income, certain Social Security, railroad, veterans or state disability payments, or meet another test in the definition in 7 CFR 271.2.
Without a state, the federal rules have no standard allowance, so enter your actual costs. Do not include internet: since Public Law 119-21 it no longer counts.
Your estimate
Estimated SNAP benefit: $306 a month.
- Gross income test (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027)
- Pass: $0 is at or below $1,729
- Net income test
- Pass: $0 is at or below $1,330
- Maximum allotment for 1 person
- $306
- 30% of net income (rounded up)
- $0
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross monthly income (earned plus unearned) | $0 |
| Minus: 20% earned income deduction | $0 |
| Minus: Standard deduction for 1 person | $217 |
| Minus: Dependent care costs | $0 |
| Legally owed child support paid (already taken out of gross income above) | $0 |
| Income after the deductions above | $0 |
| Shelter costs (rent or mortgage, taxes, insurance) | $0 |
| Half of income after the deductions above | $0 |
| Minus: Excess shelter deduction (capped at $769) | $0 |
| Net monthly income | $0 |
| Minus: 30% of net income, rounded up to the next dollar | $0 |
| Maximum allotment for 1 person | $306 |
| Estimated monthly benefit | $306 |
This is an estimate, not an eligibility decision. Your state agency decides who is in the household, what income counts and the final benefit. Not modeled: asset (resource) limits, which can decide eligibility for households that are not categorically eligible; work-requirement time limits for able-bodied adults without dependents; student rules and noncitizen eligibility; self-employment cost rules and income exclusions; prorated first months and the $10 initial-month rule; state options beyond the ones sourced on the state pages (for example a standard medical deduction).
The formula, in FNS's words
“Because SNAP households are expected to spend about 30 percent of their own resources on food, your allotment is calculated by multiplying your household’s net monthly income by 0.3, and subtracting the result from the maximum monthly allotment for your household size.”
“Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(1), (e)(2)(iii) and (e)(2)(vi) of this section, the household's monthly allotment shall be equal to the maximum SNAP allotment for the household's size reduced by 30 percent of the household's net monthly income as calculated in paragraph (e)(1) of this section.”
“If 30 percent of the household's net income ends in cents, the State agency shall round in one of the following ways: (1) The State agency shall round the 30 percent of net income up to the nearest higher dollar; or (2) The State agency shall not round the 30 percent of net income at all. Instead, after subtracting the 30 percent of net income from the appropriate Thrifty Food Plan, the State agency shall round the allotment down to the nearest lower dollar.”
FNS shows the calculation in a worked example for a four-person household:
“$1,056.50 net monthly income from above calculation x 0.3 = $317”
The example's standard deduction step reads:
“$1,750 - $217 standard deduction for a 4-person household = $1,533”
The FNS eligibility page applies $217 to a four-person household in that example, while the FNS cost-of-living adjustments page lists $229 for four people. The calculator uses the cost-of-living adjustments table. With the same inputs, this calculator gives net income of $1,038.50, 30 percent of $312 and an estimate of $711, and the FNS example gives 30 percent of $317 and $706.
How net income is worked out
“The following deductions are allowed for SNAP: A 20% deduction from earned income. A standard deduction of $217 for household sizes of 1 to 3 people (higher for some larger households and different for households in Alaska, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam). A dependent care deduction when needed for work, training, or education. Medical expenses for elderly or disabled members that are more than $35 for the month if they are not paid by insurance or someone else. This is described on the elderly and disabled page. In some states, legally owed child support payments. A standard shelter deduction for homeless households of $205.66. Excess shelter costs as described below.”
“The amount of the shelter deduction is capped at (or limited to) $769 unless one person in the household is elderly or disabled. The limit is different in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a household with an elderly or disabled member, all shelter costs over half of the household's income may be deducted.”
The utility allowance is set by the state, so the calculator takes the shelter and utility costs entered. For the states whose allowances this site has sourced, the calculator offers that state's allowance as an option.
“Some states allow a set amount for utility costs instead of actual costs.”
FY 2027 figures used (48 states and DC)
These are the FNS figures for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, read from the FNS cost-of-living adjustments page when we checked on November 4, 2026. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have separate tables on that page and are not covered by the calculator.
| Household size | Maximum monthly allotment | Standard deduction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $306 | $217 |
| 2 | $562 | $217 |
| 3 | $808 | $217 |
| 4 | $1,023 | $229 |
| 5 | $1,217 | $268 |
| 6 | $1,463 | $308 |
| 7 | $1,616 | $308 (six or more) |
| 8 | $1,841 | $308 (six or more) |
- Each additional person from 9 to 17: $225; 18 or more people: $3,887.
- Shelter deduction cap, unless a member is elderly or disabled: $769.
- Minimum benefit for one- and two-person households: $25.
“Except during an initial month, all eligible one-person and two-person households shall receive minimum monthly allotments equal to the minimum benefit.”
FNS cost-of-living adjustments, including the Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands tables
Who decides
“If your state agency determines that you are eligible to receive SNAP benefits, you will receive benefits back to the date you submitted your application.”
Income limits are on SNAP income limits by state, work requirement rules are on SNAP work requirements 2026, and a quick income check is on can I get food stamps.
The estimate leaves out the following, which a state agency may apply:
- asset (resource) limits, which can decide eligibility for households that are not categorically eligible
- work-requirement time limits for able-bodied adults without dependents
- student rules and noncitizen eligibility
- self-employment cost rules and income exclusions
- prorated first months and the $10 initial-month rule
- state options beyond the ones sourced on the state pages (for example a standard medical deduction)
Frequently asked questions
How is the SNAP benefit calculated?
The FNS SNAP eligibility page says: “Because SNAP households are expected to spend about 30 percent of their own resources on food, your allotment is calculated by multiplying your household’s net monthly income by 0.3, and subtracting the result from the maximum monthly allotment for your household size.” 7 CFR 273.10(e)(2)(ii)(A) says the monthly allotment is the maximum SNAP allotment for the household’s size reduced by 30 percent of the household’s net monthly income, and it lets a state agency round the 30 percent up to the next dollar or round the allotment down. The calculator on this site rounds the 30 percent up to the next dollar.
What is the maximum SNAP benefit for 2026-27?
The FNS cost-of-living adjustments page lists the FY 2027 maximum monthly allotments for October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 in the 48 states and DC: $306 for one person, $562 for 2 people, $808 for 3 people, $1,023 for 4 people, $1,217 for 5 people, $1,463 for 6 people, $1,616 for 7 people, $1,841 for 8 people. The table adds $225 for each additional person from 9 to 17 and lists $3,887 for 18 or more people. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have separate tables on that FNS page, and the calculator does not cover them.
Is there a minimum SNAP benefit?
7 CFR 273.10(e)(2)(ii)(C) says: “Except during an initial month, all eligible one-person and two-person households shall receive minimum monthly allotments equal to the minimum benefit.” The FNS cost-of-living adjustments page lists a FY 2027 minimum monthly allotment of $25 for one- and two-person households in the 48 states and DC. Households of three or more people do not get a minimum under that provision.
Does the estimate decide whether a household gets SNAP?
No. The estimate applies the federal formula to the amounts entered and is not an eligibility decision. The FNS SNAP eligibility page says: “If your state agency determines that you are eligible to receive SNAP benefits, you will receive benefits back to the date you submitted your application.” The state agency decides eligibility and the benefit, and its rules, verification and options can give a different amount.
Which deductions are subtracted to get net income?
The FNS SNAP eligibility page lists “A 20% deduction from earned income.”, a standard deduction, “A dependent care deduction when needed for work, training, or education.”, medical expenses for elderly or disabled members over $35 a month, in some states legally owed child support, and excess shelter costs. It adds: “The amount of the shelter deduction is capped at (or limited to) $769 unless one person in the household is elderly or disabled.” The FY 2027 standard deduction in the 48 states and DC is $217 for one to three people, $229 for four, $268 for five and $308 for six or more, according to the FNS cost-of-living adjustments page.
How are utility costs handled in the estimate?
The FNS SNAP eligibility page says: “Some states allow a set amount for utility costs instead of actual costs.” The standard utility allowance is set by the state, so a federal estimate cannot know it. The calculator takes the shelter costs entered, and for the states whose allowances this site has sourced, it offers that state's allowance as an option.
Does the calculator cover Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands?
No. The FNS SNAP eligibility page says: “The limit is different in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” The FNS cost-of-living adjustments page publishes separate FY 2027 tables for those places, and the calculator uses only the 48 states and DC table.
Related pages
Sources
All sources are government pages, read when we checked on November 4, 2026, except the pages marked below, which were read from Internet Archive captures of the agency page on the date shown.
- USDA FNS, SNAP cost-of-living adjustments (FY 2027 income limits, allotments and deductions) (read from the Internet Archive capture of October 7, 2026)
- USDA FNS, SNAP eligibility (income limits, deductions and worked example) (read from the Internet Archive capture of October 20, 2026)
- 7 CFR 273.9, income and deductions (eCFR, current as of October 29, 2026)
- 7 CFR 273.10, determining household eligibility and benefit levels (eCFR, current as of October 29, 2026)