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

South Carolina's rules use the federal gross limit of 130% of the poverty level: $1,729 a month for one person and $3,575 for four, with net income at or below $1,330 for one and $2,750 for four. A household with an elderly or disabled member only has to meet the net limit.

SNAP (food stamps), run through county offices of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. 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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Enter your monthly utility costs for South Carolina; the state applies its own standard utility allowance when a household qualifies for one. 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
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. South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) 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: SCDSS SNAP page (Apply Online for SNAP Benefits).

South Carolina 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 South Carolina column is the categorical eligibility limit, which is the same as the federal gross limit.

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

The SCDSS manual (January 2025 volume) expands categorical eligibility to households in which any member receives or is authorized to receive benefits from Family Independence Information and Referral Services, which are provided to households whose income falls at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Those households are not subject to gross or net income limits, and categorical eligibility does not continue if verified gross income is above that level.

“Categorical eligibility is expanded to include all households in which any member receives, or is authorized to receive, benefits from Family Independence Information and Referral Services. Family Independence Information and Referral Services are provided to households whose income falls at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).”
SCDSS SNAP Manual, categorical eligibility (January 2025 volume) (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of March 6, 2025)
“Expanded categorical eligible households through Family Independence Information and Referral Services will have the household’s resources excluded when determining eligibility for SNAP benefits. These households must meet the non-financial eligibility criteria but are not subject to gross or net income limits. Categorical eligibility for these households does not continue if gross income, upon verification, is above the identified FPL.”
SCDSS SNAP Manual, categorical eligibility (January 2025 volume) (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of March 6, 2025)

South Carolina SNAP asset test

Expanded categorically eligible households have their resources excluded when determining SNAP eligibility. For other households the federal limits apply: $3,000, or $4,750 with a member who is 60 or older or disabled (FY 2027).

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).

South Carolina SNAP utility allowances

South Carolina assigns a household its actual verified utility cost, a mandatory utility allowance (for a household billed for heating or cooling separately from rent or mortgage, or one that received LIHEAP) or a basic utility allowance. This page shows no South Carolina FY 2027 allowance amount, so the calculator uses the utility costs you enter.

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).

South Carolina SNAP child support rule

South Carolina's own source treats legally owed child support you pay as a deduction, so the calculator subtracts it with the other deductions.

“A deduction is allowed for household members who make legally obligated child support payments to or for an individual living outside of the household (non-household member).”
SCDSS SNAP Manual, section 12.7 (source, read from the Internet Archive capture of March 6, 2025)

How to apply for SNAP in South Carolina

The SCDSS SNAP page links an online SNAP application and says SCDSS administers SNAP through its county offices.

SCDSS SNAP page (Apply Online for SNAP Benefits) · South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS)

What the South Carolina calculator uses

  • Gross test: the federal 130% limit; households at or under it are treated as categorically eligible.
  • Deductions and maximum benefit: the FY 2027 federal figures shown on this page.
  • Child support you pay: a deduction, as the state source says.
  • Utilities: the utility costs you enter; this page lists no state allowance amounts.

Frequently asked questions

What are the South Carolina SNAP income limits for 2026-27?

South Carolina's rules use the federal gross limit of 130% of the poverty level: $1,729 a month for one person and $3,575 for four, with net income at or below $1,330 for one and $2,750 for four. 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 South Carolina?

Expanded categorically eligible households have their resources excluded when determining SNAP eligibility. For other households the federal limits apply: $3,000, or $4,750 with a member who is 60 or older or disabled (FY 2027).

What is South Carolina's standard utility allowance for SNAP?

South Carolina assigns a household its actual verified utility cost, a mandatory utility allowance (for a household billed for heating or cooling separately from rent or mortgage, or one that received LIHEAP) or a basic utility allowance. This page shows no South Carolina FY 2027 allowance amount, so the calculator uses the utility costs you enter.

How do I apply for SNAP in South Carolina?

The SCDSS SNAP page links an online SNAP application and says SCDSS administers SNAP through its county offices. South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) decides eligibility and the benefit amount.

How much SNAP could a South Carolina 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 South Carolina SNAP the same as food stamps?

Yes. In South Carolina the program is described as: SNAP (food stamps), run through county offices of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. 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. South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) 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.