How to Get More Food Stamps: 7 Legal Ways to Increase Your Benefits

Need more food stamps money than you’re currently receiving? If you’ve ever tried to live solely on food stamps, then you know that the monthly amount just isn’t enough to actually buy groceries for an entire month. But here’s the good news: there are actually several ways you can increase your food stamp benefits!

In this post, we’ll reveal some surprising secrets on how to get more food stamps each month – all while staying completely within the rules. You might be missing out on simple strategies that could make a huge difference in your food budget.

Important Disclaimer: I want to be 100% clear – I would NEVER suggest that anyone commit fraud or do anything illegal to get more SNAP benefits. All the tips and strategies shared in this post are completely legal and in accordance with SNAP regulations. Misrepresenting information or intentionally breaking the rules can have serious consequences.

Understanding Basic SNAP Math

Before we jump into the secrets of increasing your benefits, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about how SNAP works. The techniques we’re going to discuss in this post can be complicated, so it’s important to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Who Qualifies for SNAP?

SNAP eligibility depends on your household size, income, and resources. Generally, you need to meet these requirements:

• Income: Your gross income (before taxes) and net income (after allowable deductions) must fall below certain limits. These limits vary by household size.
• Assets: You must have limited resources. They will evaluate your assets, such as cash in the bank, stocks, and bonds. However, your home and vehicle usually don’t count towards this limit.
• Work Requirements: In most cases, able-bodied adults without dependents must meet certain work requirements to receive SNAP.

There are some groups that are not able to receive SNAP benefits regardless of their income or assets. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this includes people who are on strike, those without a documented immigration status, certain students and lawful immigrants, and people with drug-related felonies in certain states.

What’s the most you can get?

The maximum allotments for SNAP change every year when the new COLA rates are announced in October. These are the maximums for the 2025 year:

How are SNAP Benefits Calculated?

The food stamps office uses a mathematical equation to determine exactly how much money you will receive in food stamps. The first step to getting more food stamps is learning how this math works!

1. Add up your gross income. This is your total income before taxes and deductions are taken out. This includes your earned income (like the money you make from work, including self-employment) as well as unearned income (like cash assistance, Social Security, disability compensation, child support payments, etcetera). For someone who earns the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, their gross income would be about $1,257.
2. Subtract the standard deduction. Every household receives the standard deduction. In 2024, the standard deduction is $204 for households with 1-3 people. It’s higher for larger households or those in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam or the Virgin Islands.
3. Subtract the earnings deduction. This is equal to 20% of your earned income. For example, if you earn $1,257 per month, the earnings deduction would be $251.
4. Subtract the other deductions. This includes the amount that you spend on child care (if any), as well as the amount you pay in child support (if you do). If you are a senior or a disabled person, you can also subtract your out-of-pocket medical costs that exceed $35.
5. Subtract the shelter deduction. If you pay for housing, you may qualify for a shelter deduction. If you do not pay for shelter, skip to Step 6. Here’s how to calculate your deduction:
   • Take half of your adjusted income (the amount after all previous deductions).
   • Compare it to your shelter costs (rent or mortgage, property taxes, utilities, etc.).
   • If your shelter costs are higher than half of your adjusted income, subtract the extra amount from your adjusted income. Just remember that you can’t deduct more than $712 through this deduction because that’s the current maximum limit for this deduction.
6. Subtract the homeless shelter deduction. If you do not pay for housing, you may be eligible for the homeless shelter deduction instead. This deduction has a maximum limit of $190.30 in 2025.
7. Find your net income. Your net income is what is left over after steps 1-5 are complete.
8. Calculate your expected contribution. The SNAP office expects you to contribute 30% of your income toward your food costs. You’ll need to calculate what 30% of your net income is from the previous step. If your expected contribution is $0, then you’ll receive the maximum amount.
9. Subtract your contribution from the max allotment for your household size. The amount that remains is how much your SNAP benefit should be.

Now that we understand these steps, you can see that there are many opportunities to legally increase the amount of food stamps that you are receiving. We’ll break these opportunities down one by one in the next section of this post.

How to Get More Food Stamps

Now that you understand the basics of how SNAP benefits are calculated, let’s dive into specific strategies that can help you increase your food stamps benefits. After all, many people miss out on additional benefits simply because they’re unaware of all the deductions and reporting options available to them.

Verify Your Household Size

Reporting the wrong people in your household is one of the most common mistakes that we’ve seen people make over the years. If you don’t get your household size right, it can seriously affect the amount you’ll receive in benefits.

Although larger households may qualify for a higher maximum benefit, they often receive much less because they have to include everyone’s income. When you’re living with a low income, including extra people in your household can seriously reduce your benefits or even make you ineligible.

For example, when my husband and I were young, we lived with friends and family off and on. If we had to include the people we were living with in our household, we would not have been eligible. But since we shopped and prepared our meals separately, we usually did not have to include them in our SNAP household. This helped us get more benefits.

Here’s what you need to remember: the SNAP office considers your household to be the people who live with you AND purchase and prepare meals with you. They have to do both things, or they aren’t considered part of your SNAP household!

This means that if you live with roommates but store and prepare your meals separately, then they aren’t necessarily part of your household. If you live with elderly parents who have strict dietary needs and can’t share meals with you, then they may also be part of a separate household.

If you’ve reported people who don’t actually buy and prepare food with you, consider updating your information with the SNAP office. Correcting your household size can make a big difference in your monthly benefit amount, so take a moment to ensure that it accurately reflects only those who truly share meals with you.

Quickly Report Changes in Income

When your income drops, it’s essential to report the change to your SNAP office as soon as possible. Even a small decrease in income can affect your entire SNAP calculation, potentially increasing your monthly benefit amount.

For example, if you lose a job, have reduced hours, or face another income drop, notifying your SNAP office right away can make a big difference. Waiting to report the change means you could miss out on extra benefits you’re eligible for during a challenging time.

I personally know a family who had their income reduced by more than half and yet refused to inform the food stamps office. This family suffered for months until their re-certification, when they were awarded significantly more food stamps.

To avoid missing out, keep the SNAP office updated on any significant income changes—especially if you’re paid hourly, work seasonally, or have other unpredictable income sources. Ensuring your SNAP benefits match your actual income can provide much-needed support when your financial situation shifts.

Quickly Report Increases in Expenses

Just like your income, your expenses can change too. Whether it’s a jump in rent, higher medical bills, or increased childcare costs, it’s important to let your SNAP caseworker know right away.

Here are some common expenses that impact SNAP calculations:

• Child Care: If you’re paying more for child care, after-school programs, or care for a dependent, this increase may qualify for a larger dependent care deduction, which reduces your countable income.
• Medical and Health Insurance Costs: For households with seniors or people with disabilities, increased medical costs—including prescriptions, doctor visits, and health insurance premiums—may lead to a higher medical deduction, reducing the income SNAP counts when calculating benefits.
• Rent and Housing Expenses: If your rent, mortgage, property taxes, or utilities increase, your shelter deduction could be higher. Higher housing costs can significantly reduce your countable income, making you eligible for additional benefits.

By reporting these types of expenses as they increase, you’re ensuring your SNAP benefits accurately reflect your current financial situation. It’s a simple way to make sure you’re getting the support you need during times of higher household costs.

Report Your Medical Expenses

If your household includes seniors (60+) or individuals with disabilities, you may be eligible for the medical expense deduction. Historically, studies have shown that only about 5% of all SNAP recipients are using this important deduction!

This deduction can reduce your countable income, potentially increasing your SNAP benefits. Many people don’t realize that even small, recurring medical costs can add up significantly.

Here’s what you should track and report:

• Medicare and Health Insurance Premiums: Out-of-pocket premiums for Medicare or other health insurance are deductible medical expenses. If you or a household member pays for Medicare Part B, Part D, or other supplemental health insurance, be sure to report these premiums.
• Prescription Medications: Keep track of the cost of prescription drugs. Even if you’re using assistance programs to reduce the cost, the out-of-pocket amount you pay counts toward your deductible medical expenses.
• Medical Visits, Dental Visits and Copays: Any copays or out-of-pocket costs for medical appointments, including visits to specialists, should be documented. These expenses are often overlooked but can add up over time.
• Medical Equipment and Supplies: If you have expenses for items like wheelchairs, hearing aids, oxygen tanks, incontinence supplies or other essential medical equipment, these are also deductible. Include any maintenance or repair costs for this equipment as well.
• Nursing or In-Home Care: If you require the assistance of a caregiver, you can include your out-of-pocket cost in your deductions. Some legal aid agencies have also reported that you may be able to deduct services provided by a relative caregiver as well.
• Service Animal Costs: If you have a trained service animal, the cost of veterinary care or even pet food may be able to be included in your medical expense deduction.
• Transportation to Medical Appointments: The cost of getting to and from medical appointments is another deductible expense. Track mileage if you drive yourself, or keep receipts for bus, taxi, or other transportation costs related to medical care.

You may need to supply evidence of these expenses, so keep your receipts! If you keep good documentation and turn it in, then you could receive significantly more food stamps!

By carefully tracking these expenses and saving receipts, you can report a total that may significantly reduce your countable income. This helps ensure that your SNAP benefits reflect your true financial needs, especially if you have ongoing medical costs.

Claim the Dependent Care Deduction

If you pay for care for a dependent so you can work, attend school, or participate in training, you may qualify for the dependent care deduction. This deduction can reduce your countable income, which in turn may increase your monthly SNAP benefits. Many people overlook this deduction, but it’s an important one if you’re juggling work and caregiving responsibilities.

Eligible dependent care expenses include:

• Child Care: Costs for daycare, preschool, after-school programs, and even summer camps may qualify as deductible child care expenses if they allow you to work or pursue education or training.
• Elder Care: If you pay for elder care services to support an aging parent or relative who needs supervision while you work, those expenses can also be deducted.
• Care for Disabled Household Members: Costs associated with care for a disabled family member, such as specialized care facilities or in-home services, may also qualify for this deduction.

By deducting your dependent care expenses, you’re essentially telling SNAP, “Hey, I have less money available for food because I need to pay for care.” This lowers your net income, which is a key factor in calculating your SNAP benefits. The lower your net income, the higher your potential benefits!

Report Your Child Support Payments

If any member of your household is legally obligated to pay child support, then you can receive a deduction for the full child support amount. Only 2% of all food stamps households claim this credit! If you’re paying for child support but you didn’t notify the food stamps office, then you may be eligible for more food stamps funds each month!

Don’t Forget Your Self-Employment Costs

If you have a side hustle driving for Uber, doing freelance work, or running your own small business, congrats on your entrepreneurial spirit! But here’s something crucial to remember when you’re applying for SNAP: don’t forget to deduct your business expenses!

When you’re self-employed, SNAP counts your net income, not your gross income. This means they look at your profit – the money you have left after paying for business expenses. By deducting those expenses, you lower your net income, which could lead to higher SNAP benefits.

Imagine you earn $1,000 a month driving for Uber. But, you also spend $300 on gas, car maintenance, and insurance. If you only report the $1,000 in earnings, SNAP will think you have more money available for food than you actually do. But, if you deduct the $300 in expenses, SNAP will see that your net income is actually $700, which could mean a bigger benefit amount.

Here are some typical expenses you can deduct if you’re self-employed:

• Cost of Goods Sold: If you sell products, you can deduct the cost of the materials and supplies used to create those products.
• Business-Related Rent and Utilities: If you rent an office or workspace, you can deduct a portion of your rent and utility costs.
• Transportation Costs: This includes mileage, gas, tolls, parking fees, and vehicle maintenance related to your business.
• Insurance: Premiums for business insurance, such as liability insurance or professional liability insurance.
• Advertising and Marketing: Costs for advertising your business, such as online ads or printed flyers.
• Office Supplies: Expenses for office supplies, such as paper, pens, and printer ink.
• Professional Fees: Fees paid to accountants, lawyers, or other professionals for business-related services.

By accurately reporting your self-employment income and deducting your allowable expenses, you can ensure that you’re receiving the correct amount of SNAP benefits. It’s completely legal and a smart way to maximize your support while pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams.

More Ways to Increase Food Stamps Benefits

We’ve covered how to maximize your SNAP benefits through deductions, but there are also some fantastic programs out there that can help stretch your SNAP dollars even further. Let’s talk about a few of these options, including Double Up programs, Ibotta SNAP Rewards, and other helpful ways to boost your benefits.

Double Up Programs

There are programs like Double Up Food Bucks, Market Match, Fresh Bucks, and others that can help you double the value of your SNAP benefits when you buy eligible items shop at certain markets. Here’s a list of Double Up programs by state.

Let’s say you spend $10 in SNAP at a participating farmers’ market. With Double Up, you get an additional $10 to spend on produce, giving you a total of $20 to use on healthy fruits and vegetables. It’s a great way to stock up on nutritious foods without breaking the budget, and it’s completely free to use if it’s available in your area.

Healthy Incentives Programs

In addition to these programs, some states are rolling out Healthy Incentives Programs, or HIP, which provide extra funds for buying nutritious foods. HIP is specifically designed to encourage SNAP households to buy healthier options, like fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Here’s how HIP works: if you’re shopping at a participating store, you’ll receive a rebate or additional funds when you buy healthy items. These rebates are added directly to your SNAP balance, so you can keep using them for more groceries. Programs like this are an excellent way to make healthy eating affordable, and they’re expanding to more states each year.

SNAP Rewards Program

Another great tool for stretching your benefits is Ibotta SNAP Rewards. Ibotta is a popular cashback app, and they’ve recently rolled out a new SNAP Rewards Program to offer special 100% cashback rewards on more food purchases. With Ibotta, you can earn cashback on qualifying groceries just by scanning your receipts or linking your store loyalty accounts.

Relief Recap

If you think you’re eligible to get more food stamps, you need to contact your caseworker immediately! Start by calling or visiting your local government agency that administers food stamps. Ask them to recalculate your benefits based on the new information, and hopefully you’ll be able to increase your food stamps significantly.