SNAP benefits in California, delivered through CalFresh, went up roughly 2 percent for the federal fiscal year that began October 1, 2025. A single-person household can now receive up to $298 per month, and a family of four up to $994. The increase is modest, and federal legislation signed in 2025 will limit future increases and cut benefits for many recipients beginning in 2027.
FY 2026 Maximum Monthly Allotments
The USDA sets maximum allotments nationally, and they apply uniformly across California. For the fiscal year running October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, the ceilings are:
- 1 person: $298 (up from $292)
- 2 people: $546
- 3 people: $785
- 4 people: $994 (up from $975)
- 5 people: $1,183
- 6 people: $1,421
- 7 people: $1,571
- 8 people: $1,789
- Each additional person: add $218
Across household sizes, the change works out to about 2 percent over the prior year.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
Why Most Households Receive Less Than the Maximum
Only households with zero net income get the full allotment. The program assumes you can put 30 percent of your net income toward food, so your monthly benefit equals the maximum allotment for your household size minus 30 percent of your net income.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2017 – Value of Allotment
A single person with $500 in net monthly income would receive $298 minus $150, or $148. A family of four with $1,200 in net monthly income would receive $994 minus $360, or $634.3eCFR. 7 CFR 273.10 – Determining Household Eligibility and Benefit Levels So the 2 percent bump at the top of the scale translates into a similar bump at your actual benefit level, usually a few extra dollars a month.
One- and two-person households have a floor. Even when the formula produces a lower number, they receive at least 8 percent of the single-person maximum, which comes to about $24 per month. Households of three or more have no floor and can be calculated down to zero.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2017 – Value of Allotment
When the New Amounts Reach Your EBT Card
Cost-of-living adjustments take effect automatically on October 1. You do not need to file paperwork or call your county office; the updated figures apply to all active cases.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
California loads benefits onto EBT cards on a staggered schedule set by the last digit of your county case number. If your case number ends in 5, benefits post on the 5th of each month. The first October deposit of each fiscal year reflects the new allotments.5California Department of Social Services. Frequently Asked Questions
How the Yearly Adjustment Is Set
Every June, the USDA calculates the cost of its Thrifty Food Plan, an estimate of what a family of four would need to spend on a nutritious, low-cost diet. That figure becomes the four-person maximum, and the other household sizes scale from it. The Thrifty Food Plan is updated using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, so when grocery prices rise sharply, benefits rise with them; when inflation is tame, so is the increase. No new legislation is required because the formula is already in federal law.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
That is the mechanism behind this year’s roughly 2 percent change. It is also the mechanism that a new federal law is about to constrain.
Future Increases Will Be Capped Starting in 2027
Federal legislation enacted in 2025, originally known as H.R. 1, contains the largest SNAP cuts in the program’s history. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the law would reduce SNAP spending by roughly $187 billion over a decade and remove about 2.4 million people nationwide from the program in a typical month.
Beginning October 2027, the law restricts how the USDA can update the Thrifty Food Plan, blocking any reevaluation that would raise benefits faster than overall inflation. The Congressional Research Service estimates the change will cut the average monthly benefit by about $14 per person by 2034.6Congressional Research Service. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Provisions For a four-person household, that is close to $700 in lost purchasing power per year.
The law also shifts costs to states. The federal share of CalFresh administrative costs drops to 25 percent in October 2026, pushing 75 percent onto California and its counties. Starting October 2027, states with payment error rates of 6 percent or higher must also cover 5 to 15 percent of actual benefit costs, depending on the error rate.7California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Key Impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh
Who Could Lose Benefits Sooner
Some provisions bite well before 2027. The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated that about 72,000 CalFresh enrollees will lose benefits due to new restrictions disqualifying additional groups of noncitizens, including refugees, asylees, and parolees. That change is already in effect, though county implementation timelines vary.7California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Key Impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh
The same legislation expanded SNAP work requirements. Adults without dependents previously had to work, volunteer, or train for at least 80 hours a month between ages 18 and 54 to keep benefits beyond three months in any 36-month period. The new law pushes that age ceiling up to 64 and tightens the dependent-child exemption so it only covers adults caring for children under 14, rather than under 18. California had been operating under a statewide waiver tied to high unemployment areas, and the new law effectively ends that exemption. Former foster youth, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness also lost prior exemptions.7California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Key Impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh
If you fall under the expanded rule and do not meet the work requirement, you can receive CalFresh for only three months in any 36-month period. You can regain eligibility at any time by meeting the requirement for 30 consecutive days.8Legal Aid Chicago. Medicaid and SNAP Work Requirements Comparison – H.R. 1 People who are disabled, pregnant, or in a substance abuse treatment program are generally exempt.
The short version: benefits went up a little this October, they will keep up only with general inflation after October 2027, and some households will see eligibility cut off before the new benefit cap even arrives.