SNAP Benefits Soar: Families to Receive $120 Boost Starting This Month

By Madz Dizon

Jun 08 2024, 12:30 PM EDT

CalFresh Summer Benefits: How Much Additional Food Stamps Are Californians Getting? — A sign noting the acceptance of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that are used by state welfare departments to issue benefits is displayed at a grocery store on December 04, 2019 in Oakland, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Starting this month, recipients of SNAP benefitscan anticipate a $120 increase in their payments.

SUN Bucks, a new federal government initiative, aims to provide additional financial support to families who depend on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and free or reduced lunch during the summer.

$120 Extra for Families on SNAP Benefits

Through this program, eligible families will receive an extra $120 to help meet their nutritional needs, Newsweek reported.

According to Feeding America, this initiative has the potential to provide meals to 20 million children in the participating states during the summer.

This new program is beginning at a very opportune moment. According to Vince Hall, Feeding America's chief government relations officer, over 13 million children in the US, which is one in five, were residing in households facing food insecurity in 2022.

Additional states may choose to participate, as the US Department of Agriculture has indicated that certain states are in the process of finalizing their applications.

New SNAP Payments: Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the additional SNAP payments, individuals must have school-age children living in their households and already be receiving SNAP benefits.

The children must also be enrolled in a school that provides free or reduced lunch or breakfast programs, as well as their household income must meet the eligibility criteria.

According to the USDA, the timing of the payments was determined by the recipient's location, with payments expected to be delivered in either June, July, or August.

For families already receiving SNAP benefits, there may be no need to apply. The funds will be automatically transferred to the recipient's SNAP account or provided through a separate electronic benefit transfer card.

According to Marca, this summer, extra paychecks are expected to be distributed to SNAP recipients in the following US states as well as territories: