More than 1.16 million SNAP benefits recipients are awaiting their next payments in Florida, one of the states with the largest populations of families who rely on these funds to cover their basic needs each month.
The county with the most recipients in Florida is Miami-Dade, with a count of 233,752 according to the most recent data available for 2022, followed by Broward County, where there are 107,264 recipients listed, and Duval County in third place, with 63,054.
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the agency in charge of administering the delivery of SNAP benefits funds in Florida, and follows federal guidelines to determine who is eligible to receive SNAP benefit funds.
Eligibility Criteria for SNAP Benefits in Florida
In order to be eligible, you must first of all provide proof of identity, also proving your legal status or citizenship in the United States, and that the applicant permanently resides in the state of Florida. Most households should not exceed a gross income limit less than or equal to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Some household expenses may be deducted from the total monthly income of the food assistance budget. These expenses may include, for example, housing, dependent care, medical expenses, paid child support, utility deductions, and earned income deduction.
There are also limits on the assets that a household that wants to receive assistance from the SNAP benefits program can have. Households with a disqualified member must meet an asset limit of $2,500 ($3,750 if the household has an elderly or disabled member who will receive food stamps).
People who have had a conviction for drug trafficking, who are fugitives from justice or escaping a court order for a serious crime are not eligible in the program. Noncitizens without qualifying status are also excluded from the eligibility guidelines, as are students who attend an institution of higher education at least half-time, in some circumstances.
Maximum SNAP Benefits You Can Receive in Florida
In Florida, the same SNAP benefit values apply as in the rest of the 48 states and the District of Columbia, while in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands, the maximums are different because the costs of living there they are different.
According to the official USDA website, these are the maximum SNAP benefit allocations, based on household size in number of people:
- Household size 1: $291
- Household size 2: $535
- Household size 3: $766
- Household size 4: $973
- Household size 5: $1,155
- Household size 6: $1,386
- Household size 7: $1,532
- Household size 8: $1,751
- Each additional person: $219
SNAP Benefit Payment Dates in August in Florida
In the Sunshine State, payments are sent once a month, between the 1st and 28th of each month. The payment schedule is determined by the last two digits of the beneficiary’s case number, reading first the 9th number and then the 8th.
That is, if your case number ends in 56, for example, you must look for what day the “56” group will receive the payment, which for this hypothetical case is the 17th of each month. See? It’s actually easy once you get it.
Here is the detailed schedule for August:
- 00-03: 1st of the month
- 04-06: 2nd of the month
- 07-10: 3rd day of the month
- 11-13: 4th of the month
- 14-17: 5th of the month
- 18-20: 6th of the month
- 21-24: 7th of the month
- 25-27: 8th of the month
- 28-31: 9th of the month
- 32-34: 10th of the month
- 35-38: 11th of the month
- 39-41: 12th of the month
- 42-45: 13th of the month
- 46-48: 14th of the month
- 49-53: 15th of the month
- 54-57: 16th of the month
- 58-60: 17th of the month
- 61-64: 18th of the month
- 65-67: 19th of the month
- 68-71: 20th of the month
- 72-74: 21st of the month
- 75-78: 22nd of the month
- 79-81: 23rd of the month
- 82-85: 24th of the month
- 86-88: 25th of the month
- 89-92: 26th of the month
- 93-95: 27th of the month
- 96-99: 28th of the month