When Will January 2026 SNAP Payments Arrive?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, helps around 42 million Americans with limited or no income buy groceries each month.

People who receive SNAP use an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card at most grocery stores to purchase food and drinks.
 

How and When Do SNAP Payments Arrive?

Although SNAP is funded by the federal government, each state decides exactly how and when the benefits are given out. This means that not everyone in the country receives their SNAP payments on the same day.
 

• Some states use the first letter of your last name: For example, in Connecticut, if your last name starts with A–F, you get your payment on the 1st of the month. If your last name begins with G–N, you get it on the 2nd. O–Z receives payments on the 3rd.
• Other states use your case number: In Alabama, the last two digits of your case number determine when you receive your payment. For instance, a case number ending in 01 gets paid earlier in the month than one ending in 99.

 

What About January 2026?

The schedule for SNAP payments will not change in 2026. Each state will continue to follow its regular payment dates. Here is the exact schedule:
 

• Alabama: January 4 to 23
• Alaska: January 1
• Arizona: January 1 to 13
• Arkansas: January 4 to 13
• California: January 1 to 10
• Colorado: January 1 to 10
• Connecticut: January 1 to 3
• Delaware: January 2 to 23
• District of Columbia: January 1 to 10
• Florida: January 1 to 28
• Georgia: January 5 to 23
• Guam: January 1 to 10
• Hawaii: January 3 to 5
• Idaho: January 1 to 10
• Illinois: January 1 to 20
• Indiana: January 5 to 23
• Iowa: January 1 to 10
• Kansas: January 1 to 10
• Kentucky: January 1 to 19
• Louisiana: January 1 to 23
• Maine: January 10 to 14
• Maryland: January 4 to 23
• Massachusetts: January 1 to 14
• Michigan: January 3 to 21
• Minnesota: January 4 to 13
• Mississippi: January 4 to 21
• Missouri: January 1 to 22
• Montana: January 2 to 6
• Nebraska: January 1 to 5
• Nevada: January 1 to 10
• New Hampshire: January 5
• New Jersey: January 1 to 5
• New Mexico: January 1 to 20
• New York: January 1 to 9
• North Carolina: January 3 to 21
• North Dakota: January 1
• Ohio: January 2 to 20
• Oklahoma: January 1 to 10
• Oregon: January 1 to 9
• Pennsylvania: January 3 to 14
• Puerto Rico: January 4 to January 22
• Rhode Island: January 1
• South Carolina: January 1 to 19
• South Dakota: January 10
• Tennessee: January 1 to 20
• Texas: January 1 to 28
• Utah: January 5, 11 and 15
• Virgin Islands: January 1
• Vermont: January 1
• Virginia: January 1 to 7
• Washington: January 1 to 20
• West Virginia: January 1 to 9
• Wisconsin: January 1 to 15
• Wyoming: January 1 to 4

 

Recent News: New SNAP Data Requirements

Recently, there has been a dispute between the federal government and many states about SNAP data.

The Trump administration has asked states, especially those led by Democrats, to share more information about SNAP recipients, including details about their immigration status. They say it's to combat fraud in the program.

Some states are pushing back against these requests, arguing that they already check who qualifies for SNAP and are concerned about sharing too much personal information. Several states have even filed lawsuits to stop this new rule.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said that many states are working with them to stop SNAP fraud, but some states, like California, New York, and Minnesota, are still objecting to the new requirements.

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