FoodShare benefits are increasing permanently starting Oct. 1. FoodShare can be used to purchase food at grocery stores or at some farmers markets. (File photo by Dwayne Burtin)
Leer en español: Lo que necesita saber sobre el aumento de los beneficios de FoodShare en octubre
FoodShare recipients should see another bump in benefits, starting Oct. 1, that will continue through at least Sept. 30, 2022.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a 25% increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
However, FoodShare recipients in Wisconsin currently receiving the maximum amount of benefits per month will get only about 6% more benefits per month than they will receive in September.
This is due to current temporary increases in FoodShare benefits expiring on Sept. 30. This increase began in January and was set to expire at the end of this month.
A breakdown of the maximum amount FoodShare recipients are receiving now compared to what they will receive in October by household size is below:
| Household size | Current maximum allotment expiring Sept. 30, 2021 | Maximum allotment starting Oct. 1, 2021 |
| 1 | $234 | $250 |
| 2 | $430 | $459 |
| 3 | $616 | $658 |
| 4 | $782 | $835 |
| 5 | $929 | $992 |
| 6 | $1,114 | $1,190 |
| 7 | $1,232 | $1,316 |
| 8 | $1,408 | $1,504 |
| 9 | $1,584 | $1,692 |
| 10 | $1,760 | $1,880 |
| Additional Member | $176 | $188 |
| Minimum | $19 | $20 |
Recipients receiving less than the maximum amount per month will see their benefits increase by up to 6% compared to now, but the exact amount will vary on factors including monthly income.
Households currently receiving FoodShare are also currently receiving additional emergency benefits that total either an additional $95 or enough to bring them up to the maximum amount for their household size, whichever increase is greater.
This additional benefit is approved monthly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, based both on whether the federal and state public health emergencies are in effect and that one of the following conditions are met:
- Residents of the state are confirmed to have contracted COVID-19
- Some or all areas of the state are containment or quarantine zones
- Businesses have closed or significantly reduced their hours
- The state’s residents have experienced economic impacts due to job suspensions or losses
- The state’s residents have been directed to practice social distancing
Currently, both the federal and state public health emergencies are still in effect. However, this is not guaranteed to be true when the program is under review for October.
Elizabeth Goodsitt, communications specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said in an email that benefit increases are due to cost-of-living adjustments that are conducted annually and are unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost-of-living adjustments are the first change to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s formula for calculating the cost of food in 45 years.
I only received 58 dollars this month will I get a bumb iny food stamps anytime soon?
Contact your local county or state consortium phone number. There is a possibility the extended benefits will come at the end of September but you need to call to get your particular facts. Then starting Oct 1st a percentage of about 6 % will increase an average of 30$ per month in benefits ( or less) depending on your specific income and expenses and family size . These increases are due to the President Biden recovery acts and the changes of assessing food costs and nutrition needs in his infrastructure bill
What if your county has not been doing the food stamp benefits correctly. I am in major poverty under social security and have a hard time paying my housing expenses and get only $105 a month. When I did the renewal in September, it only went up by $1 for myself and one child.
So does this mean that the pandemic food share benefits have ended? We don’t qualify for regular foodshare, but we still have a child in school who is virtual. Benefits are supposed to go into the account on the 2nd of each month and we haven’t gotten anything so we’re just wondering.
Yes you should have already received all of your Pandemic EBT for the 2020-21 school year, but DHS said last week they are submitting a plan for approval for this school year. Right now I am not sure of the plan’s details or when you will see those benefits, but I am expecting more information to be available in the coming weeks. Hope this helps to clarify!