SNAP Benefits Increase and Social Security Prepares to Announce 2027 Raise: What Changes for Your Benefits

October brings changes to two of the most important benefit programs for millions of Latino families. As of October 1, new SNAP changes have taken effect: maximum food assistance benefits have seen a slight increase because of inflation. Meanwhile, Social Security is just days away from receiving the inflation data that will determine how much benefits will increase in 2027.

• The maximum SNAP benefit for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., is now $1,023 per month, $29 more than last year.
• The Social Security increase for 2027, known as the COLA, will depend on September inflation data, which the government will publish on Wednesday, October 14.

Why it matters: if you receive SNAP, Social Security, or SSI, these changes will affect how much money you have available for food and other expenses in the coming months.

SNAP Benefits Increase: How Much You Can Receive as of October 1

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) adjusts SNAP amounts annually based on food costs. The new amounts are in effect from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. These are the maximum monthly amounts in the 48 contiguous states and D.C.:

• 1 person: $306 (previously $298)
• 2 people: $562
• 3 people: $808
• 4 people: $1,023 (previously $994)
• 5 people: $1,217
• 6 people: $1,463
• 7 people: $1,616
• 8 people: $1,841, plus $225 for each additional person

The minimum SNAP benefits increase for households of one or two people increases from $24 to $25. In Alaska, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the amounts also increase. In Hawaii, they decrease: the maximum for four people drops from $1,689 to $1,655.

Important note: these are maximum amounts. What each household receives depends on its income and expenses. Other annual limits include a standard deduction of $217 for households of one to three people and an asset limit of $3,000, or $4,750 if the household includes someone age 60 or older or a person with a disability.

SNAP Rules That Continue to Change

The tax and spending law signed in July 2025, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, changed several SNAP rules that are being implemented gradually:

• Work requirements for more adults: childless adults who can receive SNAP for only three months every three years if they do not work or participate in training for at least 80 hours a month now include people up to 64 years old. The caregiving exception applies only when the child is under 14 years old. In addition, exemptions for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and young adults up to age 24 who have left foster care have been eliminated.
• Immigrants: SNAP eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents with green cards who generally face a five-year waiting period, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of countries covered by a Compact of Free Association (COFA). Other groups that previously qualified are no longer eligible. The rule applies to new applications and, for current beneficiaries, at recertification.
• More costs for states: as of October 1, the federal government pays only 25% of SNAP administrative costs instead of 50%. States cover the remainder.
• What’s coming: starting in fiscal year 2028, which begins October 1, 2027, states with high error rates will have to cover between 0% and 15% of benefit costs.

What to do: if you need to recertify, respond promptly to notices from your state SNAP office and have documentation of your income, work activity, and immigration status ready.

Social Security: When the 2027 Increase Will Be Announced

The annual Social Security increase, known as the COLA, or cost-of-living adjustment, is calculated using inflation from July through September, measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI-W index.

• The BLS will publish the September index on Wednesday, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. With that figure, Social Security will be able to determine the increase.
• Last year, Social Security announced a 2.8% increase on October 24, 2025, for 2026 benefits.

What the Data Shows So Far

Social Security compares the average CPI-W from July through September this year with the same period in 2025, when the average was 317.265. With official July data at 327.104 and August at 328.481, the average of those two months is 3.3% higher than that base. In August alone, the index was 3.5% higher than in August 2025.

If September continues that trend, the increase would be higher than this year’s 2.8% COLA and the 2.7% estimate in the Social Security trustees’ intermediate projection. The official figure, however, will not be known until Social Security publishes it.

When You’ll See the Increase

• Social Security: beginning with January 2027 payments.
• SSI: with the payment on Thursday, December 31, 2026, which corresponds to January because January 1 is a federal holiday.

Important note: the Medicare Part B premium is deducted from many Social Security payments, so the actual net increase will also depend on the 2027 premium.

Sources: USDA, SNAP maximum amounts and deductions for fiscal year 2027; USDA, implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill law in SNAP; Federal Register, proposed rule on SNAP administrative costs (June 24, 2026); Social Security, CPI-W data and COLA estimates; Social Security, COLA summary; BLS, consumer price index publication schedule. Data consulted on October 6, 2026.