Virginia SNAP Benefits Calculator and Income Limits (Food Stamps), 2026-27
Virginia 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, run by local departments of social services under the Virginia Department of Social Services and applied for through CommonHelp. 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.
Virginia's allowances here are FY 2026 amounts, the latest in the Virginia manual (effective October 1, 2025). 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 | 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. Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) 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: CommonHelp.
Virginia 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 Virginia column is the categorical eligibility limit.
| Household size | Federal gross, 130% | Federal net, 100% | Virginia 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) |
The Virginia SNAP manual says a household with at least one person who receives or is authorized to receive a TANF-funded service that benefits the entire household, and whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, is broad-based categorically eligible and is not subject to the resource test. Households that are not categorically eligible may not exceed 130 percent of the federal gross limit.
“The criteria for broad-based categorical eligibility consist of at least one person receiving or authorized to receive a TANF funded service, which benefits the entire household. This includes non-cash or in-kind service that is less than 50 percent funded with the TANF block grant or state funds counted for MOE purposes. The household’s income must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and will not be subject to the resource asset test.”
Virginia SNAP asset test
The manual says the resource limits do not apply to categorically eligible households or members, including those who meet BBCE requirements. For other households it lists $3,000, or $4,500 with a member who is 60 or older or disabled; the FY 2027 federal figure for that second case is $4,750.
“The resource limits do not apply to categorically eligible households or members, including those who meet BBCE requirements.”
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).
Virginia SNAP utility allowances
FY 2026 amounts, the latest in the Virginia manual (effective October 1, 2025): heating and cooling allowance $375 for one person up to $476 for 5 or more. Virginia has one standard utility allowance, set by household size, that covers heat, electricity, gas, water, sewerage, septic tank fees, garbage collection and telephone. A household may use it only if it is responsible for an identifiable heating or cooling expense, or if it received energy assistance and has a member who is 60 or older or disabled. Households may use actual direct utility costs instead.
“Households may use the standard utility allowance only if the household is responsible for an identifiable heating or cooling expense or an established percentage of an identifiable expense.”
| Allowance | Amount a monthFY 2026 amounts, the latest in the Virginia manual (effective October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Heating and cooling allowance | $375 for one person, $476 for five or more (by household size) |
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).
Virginia SNAP child support rule
Virginia's own source treats legally owed child support you pay as an exclusion from income, so the calculator takes it out of gross income before the income tests.
“Child support payments paid by a household member to an individual or agency outside the household are allowable as an income exclusion.”
How to apply for SNAP in Virginia
Virginia takes SNAP applications on CommonHelp, and the VDSS SNAP page also links a paper application; your local department of social services decides the case.
What the Virginia 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.
- Child support you pay: an exclusion from income, as the state source says.
- Utilities: Virginia's FY 2026 amounts, the latest in the Virginia manual (effective October 1, 2025).
Frequently asked questions
What are the Virginia SNAP income limits for 2026-27?
Virginia 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 Virginia?
The manual says the resource limits do not apply to categorically eligible households or members, including those who meet BBCE requirements. For other households it lists $3,000, or $4,500 with a member who is 60 or older or disabled; the FY 2027 federal figure for that second case is $4,750.
What is Virginia's standard utility allowance for SNAP?
FY 2026 amounts, the latest in the Virginia manual (effective October 1, 2025): heating and cooling allowance $375 for one person up to $476 for 5 or more. Virginia has one standard utility allowance, set by household size, that covers heat, electricity, gas, water, sewerage, septic tank fees, garbage collection and telephone. A household may use it only if it is responsible for an identifiable heating or cooling expense, or if it received energy assistance and has a member who is 60 or older or disabled. Households may use actual direct utility costs instead.
How do I apply for SNAP in Virginia?
Virginia takes SNAP applications on CommonHelp, and the VDSS SNAP page also links a paper application; your local department of social services decides the case. Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) decides eligibility and the benefit amount.
How much SNAP could a Virginia 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 Virginia SNAP the same as food stamps?
Yes. In Virginia the program is described as: SNAP, run by local departments of social services under the Virginia Department of Social Services and applied for through CommonHelp. 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
- SNAP income limits 2026-27 and benefits calculator, all states
- Federal poverty level 2026 chart and calculator
- Virginia Medicaid income limits
- Virginia minimum wage
- Virginia paycheck calculator
- Virginia unemployment calculator
- Unemployment benefits by state
- North Carolina SNAP income limits
- Kentucky SNAP income limits
- Tennessee SNAP income limits
FedRateCalc is not a government site and cannot decide eligibility. Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) 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.
- 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)
- 7 CFR 271.2, definitions (elderly or disabled member)
- 7 U.S.C. 2014, eligible households (U.S. Code, 2024 edition on govinfo; Cornell LII copy linked in the text)
- Public Law 119-21 (July 4, 2025), sections 10101 to 10104, enacted text on govinfo
- USDA FNS, questions and answers on internet expenses and energy assistance payments (May 8, 2026) (read from the Internet Archive capture of July 11, 2026)
- USDA FNA, simplified process for FY 2027 standard utility allowance values (August 24, 2026) (read from the Internet Archive capture of September 30, 2026)
- VDSS SNAP page, income eligibility standards and maximum allotments (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027)
- Virginia SNAP Manual (entire manual effective October 1, 2025, transmittal 36)
- VDSS SNAP Manual page (manual parts and transmittals)