SNAP benefits to increase by $36 a person next month, said Gov. Hochul

  A New York family of four will see, next month, its maximum allocation under the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) grow from $680 to $835, as a result of an increase in $1.4 billion in federal aid for the fiscal year, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said on Tuesday. 

     The SNAP benefits increase, which comes out to approximately $36 per person in low-income households statewide will affect 2.8 million families who are enrolled in the program.

     Gov. Hochul pointed out that the monthly increase will not also help New Yorkers to buy more food, but healthier food, as well.

     "Now more than ever, New Yorkers are seeing their money for food stretched thinner and thinner, which in turn forces them into making food choices that are cheaper, but far less nutritious," Gov. Hochul said. "This long-overdue increase in benefits will give households across New York State the purchasing power to buy nutritious foods, which in turn will ultimately result in healthier outcomes."

     New York also increased the gross monthly income level of New Yorkers who are eligible for the SNAP benefits, after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the last couple of years, substantially raised the level of its standard deductions: the portion of incomes that are not subject to taxes and therefore can reduce tax bills.