November arrives, and with it, a new round of SNAP payments, you know, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food checks in other words. Well, the arrival of your check will depend on the state you live in, didn’t you know that?
Well, wait, because November comes with important changes you need to know about, and they could affect you. With the confirmation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), changes are coming. New work restrictions, modification of eligibility criteria… in short, the payments will arrive, but with some changes. We’ll tell you everything below.
SNAP in November
As always (this hasn’t changed), each state has its own schedule. SNAP payments arrive once a month and are loaded onto your EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card from the program. And you can use it, as always, in supermarkets, local markets, and stores authorized by the program itself.
And as we said, in each state they arrive on a different day. These are the dates for November:
| State / Territory | Distribution Dates |
| Alabama | November 4–23 |
| Alaska | November 1 |
| Arizona | November 1–13 |
| Arkansas | November 4–13 |
| California | November 1–10 |
| Colorado | November 1–10 |
| Connecticut | November 1–3 |
| Delaware | November 2–23 |
| District of Columbia | November 1–10 |
| Florida | November 1–28 |
| Georgia | November 5–23 |
| Guam | November 1–10 |
| Hawaii | November 3–5 |
| Idaho | November 1–10 |
| Illinois | November 1–20 |
| Indiana | November 5–23 |
| Iowa | November 1–10 |
| Kansas | November 1–10 |
| Kentucky | November 1–19 |
| Louisiana | November 1–23 |
| Maine | November 10–14 |
| Maryland | November 4–23 |
| Massachusetts | November 1–14 |
| Michigan | November 3–21 |
| Minnesota | November 4–13 |
| Mississippi | November 4–21 |
| Missouri | November 1–22 |
| Montana | November 2–6 |
| Nebraska | November 1–5 |
| Nevada | November 1–10 |
| New Hampshire | November 5 |
| New Jersey | November 1–5 |
| New Mexico | November 1–20 |
| New York | November 1–9 |
| North Carolina | November 3–21 |
| North Dakota | November 1 |
| Ohio | November 2–20 |
| Oklahoma | November 1–10 |
| Oregon | November 1–9 |
| Pennsylvania | November 3–14 |
| Puerto Rico | November 4–22 |
| Rhode Island | November 1 |
| South Carolina | November 1–19 |
| South Dakota | November 10 |
| Tennessee | November 1–20 |
| Texas | November 1–28 |
| Utah | November 5, 11, and 15 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | November 1 |
| Vermont | November 1 |
| Virginia | November 1–7 |
| Washington | November 1–20 |
| West Virginia | November 1–9 |
| Wisconsin | November 1–15 |
| Wyoming | November 1–4 |
More than a program
More than 42 million people in the country benefit from this program! It’s more than a support network to complete the grocery list; it’s support for families who can’t make it to the end of the month, and in society, access to food is (or should be) a priority.
The new SNAP rules
As we said at the beginning, November comes with changes. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) brings changes to how the program works. Until now, the so-called “ABAWDs” (able-bodied adults without dependents) could only receive benefits for three months within a three-year period unless they met certain work requirements.
With the new modifications:
- The age limit for exemptions is extended to 65 years (previously 59).
- The exemption for caring for dependents will be reduced to children under 14 years old, instead of 18.
- Automatic exemptions for homeless people and veterans are eliminated.
This means that more adults will have to demonstrate work activity or participation in employment programs to maintain their benefits.
Who is still exempt from the work requirements?
The only exceptions that remain are for people who are pregnant or physically or mentally unable to work.
These changes will also affect the local economy since SNAP is direct aid for small businesses and supermarkets (which could now see significant drops in sales).
The administration states that the measure seeks to “promote self-sufficiency”, but critics fear that it will increase food insecurity among the most vulnerable people.