Illinois SNAP Income Limits and Benefits Calculator (Food Stamps), 2026-27

Illinois uses 165% of the federal poverty level as the gross income limit for categorically eligible households with no elderly or disabled member, $2,195 a month for one person and $4,538 for four, and 200% for a household with an elderly or disabled member, $2,660 for one person and $5,500 for four, effective October 1, 2026. Households that do not qualify that way use the federal limits: gross $1,729 (130%) and net $1,330 (100%) a month for one person, and a household with an elderly or disabled member only has to meet the net limit.

SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), run by the Illinois Department of Human Services and applied for through ABE. SNAP and food stamps are the same program, and the figures here are for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027; the FY 2026 figures (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) are on the SNAP income limits page.

Maintained by Archie Chang · Limits and sources checked October 31, 2026 · Methodology & sources

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.

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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
Not required for categorically eligible households (net income $0)
Maximum allotment for 1 person
$306
30% of net income (rounded up)
$0
Step by step SNAP calculation
StepAmount
Gross monthly income (earned plus unearned)$0
Minus: 20% earned income deduction$0
Minus: Standard deduction for 1 person$213
Minus: Dependent care costs$0
Legally owed child support paid (taken out only for the gross income comparison, not deducted here)$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. Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) 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. Apply: ABE, the Application for Benefits Eligibility.

Illinois SNAP income limits by household size

Monthly limits effective October 1, 2026. The federal columns are the standard limits: a household with an elderly or disabled member skips the gross test, and a categorically eligible household skips both tests. The Illinois column is the categorical eligibility limit.

Illinois SNAP monthly income limits by household size
Household sizeFederal gross, 130%Federal net, 100%Illinois categorical limit, 165%No elderly or disabled memberIllinois categorical limit, 200%With an elderly or disabled memberMaximum benefit
1$1,729$1,330$2,195$2,660$306
2$2,345$1,804$2,976$3,607$562
3$2,960$2,277$3,757$4,554$808
4$3,575$2,750$4,538$5,500$1,023
5$4,191$3,224$5,319$6,447$1,217
6$4,806$3,697$6,100$7,394$1,463
7$5,421$4,170$6,881$8,340$1,616
8$6,037$4,644$7,662$9,287$1,841
Each additional member+$616+$474+$781+$947+$225 (9th to 17th person)

Illinois treats a household as categorically eligible when it has been given the TANF-funded Guide to Services brochure and its gross monthly income does not exceed the gross income standard for its size: 165 percent of the poverty level for a household with no qualifying member, and 200 percent for a household with a qualifying (elderly or disabled) member. A categorically eligible household does not have to meet the net income test or the asset test. A household with a member disqualified for an intentional program violation or sanctioned for a work provision is not categorically eligible, and a qualifying member household whose gross income is above the 200 percent standard is not categorically eligible and must meet the net income and asset tests. The calculator does not check for violations or sanctions.

“A SNAP household is categorically eligible when: Guide to Services (DHS 4474), a TANF funded information and referral service brochure is given to the SNAP household and gross monthly income does not exceed the Gross Monthly Income Standard for the household size (WAG 13-01-01-a); or”
IDHS PM 05-07-00, categorically eligible SNAP households (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of October 31, 2025)
“a qualifying member and the gross monthly income for the SNAP household exceeds the 200% FPL Gross Monthly Income Standard for the household size (WAG 13-01-01-a).”
IDHS PM 05-07-00; this is the last item in the list of when a SNAP household is not categorically eligible (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of October 31, 2025)
“Categorically eligible qualifying member units with gross monthly income at 200% FPL or below are eligible for SNAP benefits if they qualify for a benefit amount. A net income test and an asset test is not required.”
IDHS PM 05-06-02, qualifying member benefits (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of January 16, 2026)

Illinois SNAP asset test

Categorically eligible households do not have the asset test. For other households IDHS Manual Release 26.26 lists $4,750 for households with at least one qualifying member and $3,000 for all other SNAP households without a qualifying member, and $4,750 for lottery or gambling winnings.

“The Asset Limits for SNAP are as follows: $4,750 for households with at least 1 qualifying member. $3,000 for all other SNAP households without a qualifying member. $4,750 for Lottery or Gambling winnings.”
IDHS Manual Release 26.26 (October 2026) (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of October 2, 2026)

The federal asset limits for households that are not categorically eligible are $3,000, or $4,750 when a member is 60 or older or disabled (FY 2027).

Illinois SNAP utility allowances

FY 2027 (effective October 1, 2026): heating and cooling allowance $565; limited (other utilities) allowance $472; single-utility allowance $80; telephone allowance $69. Illinois sets four utility standards, the same for every household size. The air conditioning/heating standard is for a household billed for heat or air conditioning (or the excess cost of either), or one with a qualifying member that received LIHEAP of $21 or more in the month of application or the last 12 months; the limited utility standard is for a household billed for at least two other utilities; the single utility standard is for one utility other than a telephone, air conditioning or heat; the telephone standard is for a household whose only utility expense is basic phone service. The manual says a standard is required when a household is billed for utilities separately from rent or mortgage.

“The use of a utility standard is required when a SNAP household is billed for utilities separately from rent or mortgage.”
IDHS WAG 13-01-08-b, the utility allowance (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of October 31, 2025)
Illinois SNAP utility allowances
AllowanceAmount a monthFY 2027
Heating and cooling allowance$565
Limited allowance (two or more other utilities)$472
Single-utility allowance (one other utility, not a phone)$80
Telephone allowance (phone is the only utility cost)$69

Internet costs no longer count toward shelter or utility costs under Public Law 119-21 section 10104, and a LIHEAP or similar payment gives the heating and cooling allowance only to a household with an elderly or disabled member (section 10103).

Illinois SNAP child support rule

Illinois's own source treats legally owed child support you pay as an exclusion only when income is compared to the gross income standard, and says not to allow it as a deduction in the net benefit calculation, so the calculator takes it out of income for the gross test only. IDHS's worked examples, which the calculator follows, work out the net income and the benefit from the household's full income.

“Court-ordered child support payments are treated as an income exclusion from the SNAP household's total gross income when comparing to the Maximum Monthly Gross Income Standard for the household size.”
IDHS WAG 13-01-07, child support income exclusion (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of January 21, 2026)
“Do not allow as an income deduction in the net benefit calculation.”
IDHS WAG 13-01-07, child support income exclusion (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of January 21, 2026)

How to apply for SNAP in Illinois

IDHS says to use the Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) to apply for SNAP, cash or medical assistance online, or to apply with a paper application or at a local Family Community Resource Center.

ABE, the Application for Benefits Eligibility · Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)

What the Illinois calculator uses

  • Gross test: 165% of poverty for categorically eligible households with no elderly or disabled member and 200% for households with one (skipping the net test), the federal 130% limit otherwise.
  • Deductions and maximum benefit: the FY 2027 federal maximum benefit and deductions, except as follows: Illinois runs a standard medical deduction demonstration and, to keep federal costs from increasing, reduces its standard deduction by $4 for all SNAP households (89 Ill. Adm. Code 121.63(h)), so IDHS Manual Release 26.26 prints $213 for one to three people, $225 for four, $264 for five and $304 for six or more, and the calculator uses those amounts for Illinois. A household with an elderly or disabled member and medical expenses over $35 a month gets a standard medical deduction of $150, or the actual amount over $35 when that is higher. The $450 amount for group home residents is not modeled.
  • Child support you pay: an exclusion from income for the gross income comparison only, not a deduction in the net calculation, as the state source says.
  • Utilities: Illinois's allowances effective October 1, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Illinois SNAP income limits for 2026-27?

Illinois uses 165% of the federal poverty level as the gross income limit for categorically eligible households with no elderly or disabled member, $2,195 a month for one person and $4,538 for four, and 200% for a household with an elderly or disabled member, $2,660 for one person and $5,500 for four, effective October 1, 2026. Households that do not qualify that way use the federal limits: gross $1,729 (130%) and net $1,330 (100%) a month for one person, and a household with an elderly or disabled member only has to meet the net limit.

Is there an asset test for SNAP (food stamps) in Illinois?

Categorically eligible households do not have the asset test. For other households IDHS Manual Release 26.26 lists $4,750 for households with at least one qualifying member and $3,000 for all other SNAP households without a qualifying member, and $4,750 for lottery or gambling winnings.

What is Illinois's standard utility allowance for SNAP?

FY 2027 (effective October 1, 2026): heating and cooling allowance $565; limited (other utilities) allowance $472; single-utility allowance $80; telephone allowance $69. Illinois sets four utility standards, the same for every household size. The air conditioning/heating standard is for a household billed for heat or air conditioning (or the excess cost of either), or one with a qualifying member that received LIHEAP of $21 or more in the month of application or the last 12 months; the limited utility standard is for a household billed for at least two other utilities; the single utility standard is for one utility other than a telephone, air conditioning or heat; the telephone standard is for a household whose only utility expense is basic phone service. The manual says a standard is required when a household is billed for utilities separately from rent or mortgage.

How do I apply for SNAP in Illinois?

IDHS says to use the Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) to apply for SNAP, cash or medical assistance online, or to apply with a paper application or at a local Family Community Resource Center. Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) decides eligibility and the benefit amount.

How much SNAP could an Illinois household get?

The maximum allotment is the same in every one of the 48 states and DC: $306 a month for one person, $562 for two, $1,023 for four. The benefit is that amount minus 30% of net income, rounded up to the next dollar, and a one or two person household that is eligible gets at least $25. The calculator on this page shows every deduction.

Is Illinois SNAP the same as food stamps?

Yes. In Illinois the program is described as: SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), run by the Illinois Department of Human Services and applied for through ABE. The federal program is SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps, so the income limits and benefit formula on this page apply under every one of those names.

Related pages

FedRateCalc is not a government site and cannot decide eligibility. Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) decides each case, and its figures change when it updates them.

Sources

All sources are government pages, read October 31, 2026, except the pages marked below, which were read from Internet Archive captures of the agency page on the date shown.