Program
SNAP (Food Stamps)
Verified · October 23, 2026 Deadline soon — check dates
SNAP helps low-income Pennsylvania households buy groceries and get a more nutritious diet by increasing their food purchasing power. If you are eligible, you receive a debit card called an ACCESS Card, which you can use to buy food at grocery stores, supermarkets, and other stores that accept it. A new federal law requires some recipients to work, volunteer, or be in school or job training and report their hours to stay eligible, and those work rules expanded on November 1, 2025 (see who_qualifies).
- Organization
- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS)
- Who qualifies
- Pennsylvania residents with low income. Eligibility depends on household income within federal limits, household size, and health and disability status. Work rules: affected recipients must report at least 20 hours per week (80 hours per month) of work, education, training, or volunteering. The rules first applied to recipients ages 18-54 with no dependent child under 18 who are physically and mentally able to work, and on November 1, 2025 they expanded to adults ages 55-64, parents whose youngest child is 14 or older, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and current or former foster youth age 24 or younger, so affected recipients ages 18-64 are covered. Recipients who do not meet the requirements can receive only three months of SNAP benefits within a three-year period. The head of household, a spouse, another responsible household member, or an authorized representative may apply.
- Income limits
- Gross monthly income limits effective October 1, 2025: HH1 $2,610; HH2 $3,526; HH3 $4,442; HH4 $5,360; HH5 $6,276; HH6 $7,192; HH7 $8,110; HH8 $9,026; +$918 per additional person. Maximum monthly benefit amounts effective October 1, 2025: HH1 $298; HH2 $546; HH3 $785; HH4 $994; HH5 $1,183; HH6 $1,421; HH7 $1,571; HH8 $1,789; +$218 per additional person. Benefits are not cash and can only be used on food purchases.
- How to apply
- Apply online through COMPASS, Pennsylvania's benefits management website; apply in person at your local County Assistance Office (CAO); or download a paper application and deliver it in person or mail it to your local CAO. You do not need to know whether you are eligible to apply; DHS will review your application and let you know.
- Languages
- Paper application available in Spanish (Solicitud en Espanol) on the pa.gov SNAP page.
- Last verified
- October 23, 2026
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