Margaret Thompson, 65, lives alone in a small apartment. Every month, she receives exactly $24 in SNAP benefits to buy food. That works out to just 80 cents per day. She’s not alone in this struggle.
Starting October 1, 2025, the minimum SNAP benefit went up by only one dollar – from $23 to $24 monthly. This tiny increase came as part of the cost-of-living adjustment for fiscal year 2026. For millions of older adults and small households across America, this is all they get to help buy groceries.
Who Gets Stuck at the Minimum?
The people most likely to receive only $24 in food assistance each month fall into clear groups:
- Older adults living alone make up the biggest share of minimum benefit recipients
- One and two-person households face the highest risk of qualifying for just the minimum
- Seniors on fixed incomes from Social Security often fall into this trap
- People in expensive cities like California and New York struggle more because rent doesn’t affect benefit amounts
Right now, about 4.8 million older adults aged 60 and over use SNAP benefits. That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually less than half of those who qualify. Around 5 million eligible seniors aren’t getting any help at all.
Among those who do get SNAP, one in five older adults receives only the minimum benefit. That means roughly 960,000 seniors are trying to eat on less than a dollar a day from food stamps.
Why Do People Get Trapped?
The SNAP benefit calculation uses a sliding scale based on income. When someone’s income sits just below the eligibility limit, they end up in the minimum benefit tier. It’s a strange twist – you’re poor enough to qualify but not poor enough to get meaningful help.
Social Security income plays a big role in this problem. In 2023, 33% of SNAP households received Social Security benefits averaging $1,096 per month. For seniors on these fixed incomes, even small amounts push them into minimum benefit territory.
Many older adults also miss out on deductions that could increase their benefits. Only 16% of seniors use the medical expense deduction, even though anyone spending more than $35 monthly on healthcare costs can subtract that from their gross income. This one change could boost their monthly food assistance.
The Real Cost of $24
Most SNAP households live in deep poverty. About 73% had income at or below the federal poverty level in 2023. For isolated seniors getting minimum benefits, that $288 per year (24 x 12 months) can mean the difference between eating and going hungry.
The average SNAP benefit for older adults is actually $188 per month, which proves most seniors don’t get stuck at the minimum. But for those who do, 80 cents per day for food shows how the system fails the most vulnerable people.
System Problems Making Things Worse
Administrative burden creates major headaches for older adults with stable incomes. One in four senior SNAP participants experiences gaps in benefits – not because their income changed, but because of paperwork problems. These gaps last about a month on average and cost seniors around $111 each time.
Low participation rates among eligible seniors remain a huge problem. Many older adults think the benefits are too small to justify the hassle of applying. This creates a vicious cycle where people who need help most are least likely to ask for it.
What This Means for Millions
Approximately 85% of older adults who receive SNAP benefits live alone. More than half of these isolated seniors have little to no income beyond Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or other government assistance.
The $1 increase for October 2025 might sound better than nothing, but it barely keeps up with rising food costs. For someone like Margaret, that extra dollar per month equals about 3 cents more per day to spend on groceries.
Key Takeaways:
- The minimum SNAP benefit is now $24 per month for households of one or two people
- About 960,000 older adults receive only this minimum amount
- That equals just 80 cents per day for food
- 5 million eligible seniors aren’t enrolled in SNAP at all
- Fixed incomes and unused deductions trap people at minimum benefits
- Administrative problems cause gaps in benefits for one in four seniors
Looking Ahead
The minimum benefit applies to the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands have higher minimums due to increased living costs.
For millions of older Americans living alone on fixed incomes, the SNAP minimum benefit trap represents a daily struggle. As food prices continue rising, that $24 monthly becomes less meaningful with each passing year.
The question remains: Is 80 cents per day enough to help America’s most vulnerable seniors eat with dignity?
