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

Pennsylvania uses 200% of the federal poverty level as the gross income limit for categorically eligible households, $2,660 a month 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, applied for through COMPASS. 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$217
Minus: Dependent care costs$0
Minus: Legally owed child support paid$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. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) 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). Apply: COMPASS.

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania column is the categorical eligibility limit.

Pennsylvania SNAP monthly income limits by household size
Household sizeFederal gross, 130%Federal net, 100%Pennsylvania categorical limit, 200%Maximum benefit
1$1,729$1,330$2,660$306
2$2,345$1,804$3,608$562
3$2,960$2,277$4,554$808
4$3,575$2,750$5,500$1,023
5$4,191$3,224$6,448$1,217
6$4,806$3,697$7,394$1,463
7$5,421$4,170$8,340$1,616
8$6,037$4,644$9,288$1,841
Each additional member+$616+$474+$948+$225 (9th to 17th person)

Expanded categorically eligible households have income at or below 200 percent of the poverty income guidelines, whether or not they include an elderly or disabled member, and get the Help for Pennsylvanians in Need brochure.

“Expanded categorically eligible households include those that: do not have any elderly or disabled household members and have income at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIGs). have an elderly or disabled member and income at or below 200 percent of the FPIGs.”
Pennsylvania SNAP Handbook 512.1 (source)
“A categorically eligible household does not have to meet the resource limit, the gross income limit or net income limits.”
Pennsylvania SNAP Handbook 512.1 (source)

Pennsylvania SNAP asset test

There is no resource limit for categorically eligible households. A household with a disqualified or sanctioned member is limited to 130 percent of the guidelines and a $3,000 resource limit.

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).

Pennsylvania SNAP utility allowances

FY 2027 (effective October 1, 2026): heating and cooling allowance $887; limited (other utilities) allowance $505; single-utility allowance $132; telephone allowance $111. The heating allowance is for households billed separately for heating or cooling. The non-heating allowance is for two utilities other than heating or cooling, the limited allowance is for one utility that is not a telephone, and the telephone allowance is for a household whose only utility expense is a phone.

Pennsylvania SNAP utility allowances
AllowanceAmount a monthFY 2027
Heating and cooling allowance$887
Limited allowance (two or more other utilities)$505
Single-utility allowance (one other utility, not a phone)$132
Telephone allowance (phone is the only utility cost)$111

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).

How to apply for SNAP in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania takes SNAP applications on COMPASS; your county assistance office decides the case.

COMPASS · Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS)

What the Pennsylvania calculator uses

  • Gross test: 200% of poverty for categorically eligible households (skipping the net test), the federal 130% limit otherwise.
  • Deductions and maximum benefit: the FY 2027 federal figures shown on this page, and Pennsylvania's printed $206 homeless shelter deduction.
  • Child support you pay: a deduction, as the state source says.
  • Utilities: Pennsylvania's allowances effective October 1, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

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

Pennsylvania uses 200% of the federal poverty level as the gross income limit for categorically eligible households, $2,660 a month 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 Pennsylvania?

There is no resource limit for categorically eligible households. A household with a disqualified or sanctioned member is limited to 130 percent of the guidelines and a $3,000 resource limit.

What is Pennsylvania's standard utility allowance for SNAP?

FY 2027 (effective October 1, 2026): heating and cooling allowance $887; limited (other utilities) allowance $505; single-utility allowance $132; telephone allowance $111. The heating allowance is for households billed separately for heating or cooling. The non-heating allowance is for two utilities other than heating or cooling, the limited allowance is for one utility that is not a telephone, and the telephone allowance is for a household whose only utility expense is a phone.

How do I apply for SNAP in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania takes SNAP applications on COMPASS; your county assistance office decides the case. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) decides eligibility and the benefit amount.

How much SNAP could a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania SNAP the same as food stamps?

Yes. In Pennsylvania the program is described as: SNAP, applied for through COMPASS. 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. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) 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.