SNAP (Food Stamps) and Social Security Benefits Live Updates: Apr. 1, 2022

SNAP Recipients in Maine Won’t Receive Payments Until At Least April 10

Many states across the U.S. start distributing SNAP benefits to eligible recipients starting on the first of the month. However, the schedule works a little differently in Maine. Not only are funds not deposited until April 10 (at the earliest), but when you receive your payment depends upon your birth day.

Pay close attention to the schedule below to learn when your benefits will be available:

When Do SNAP Benefits in Mississippi Start To Distribute?

Unlike many states, Mississippi SNAP benefits don’t start distributing until the 4th, with dates being determined from there by the last two digits of recipients’ case number. Here’s how it all breaks down for April 2022:

New Jersey SNAP Benefits for April Start Distributing Today

Eligible SNAP recipients in the state of New Jersey won’t have to wait long for their monthly benefits to drop — especially those with case numbers ending in 1 or 2.

The following schedule shows how disbursement breaks down, with funds being deposited from Apr. 1 through April 5:

In addition, New Jersey is one of 14 states where SNAP benefits will include additional funds in the form of emergency allotments. Also, according to Providers, all Warren County SNAP recipients receive their benefits on the 1st of the month.

Wyoming SNAP Benefit Dispersal for April Starts Today

If you’re wondering where your SNAP payment is today and you live in Wyoming, hopefully your last name starts with the letter A, B, C or D.

Otherwise, you many have to wait up to another three days to see your payment take effect. That’s because the states’ schedule is broken up by last name. See below to figure out which day you’ll receive your benefit from now until Apr. 4.

You can also click here for more details.

Target Joins Ranks of Walmart, Amazon by Allowing SNAP EBT Online

There’s always a catch, however — Target will indeed begin accepting online payments through its Shipt service. However, don’t attempt to place your online order just yet, as the tentative start date is TBD late April 2022.

The service will include drive-up and pick-up orders, as well.

Learn more about Target as it related to your SNAP benefits here.

SSA Allows Self-Selection of Sex To Better Incorporate LGBTQ+ Community

On March 31, Acting Commissioner of Social Security Kilolo Kijakazi said the Social Security Administration will offer the opportunity to self-select sex on their Social Security number record.

To get full details, read on.

Wage Inequality Has Led to Decrease in Social Security Revenue

Many seniors depend on their Social Security income, but in its current state, the trust funds that fund benefits will have diminished by 2034. At that point, they’d only be able to cover around 78% of full benefits.

The Center for American Progress indicated that wage inequality is one major issue leading to the decline in funds, with the reason being that those earning wages above $147,000 are effectively not subject to Social Security taxes.

Find out more by reading the full story here.

SNAP Schedule April 2022: West Virginia Mountain State Card Benefits

SNAP benefits are sent out during the first nine days of the month in West Virginia. Distribution is based on the following schedule, with the first letter of your last name indicating when you’ll receive your payment. Cash benefits go out on the first of the month.

To learn more on West Virginia SNAP benefits for April, click here.

Grocery Chain Wegmans Now Accepts SNAP EBT for Online Purchases

In a Facebook post on Mar. 23, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) stated Wegmans had joined the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, recipients the capability to purchase groceries online with SNAP EBT cards.

For more on SNAP EBT use at Wegmans, read the full story.

Use SNAP at Costco? Here Are 15 Purchases Worth the Funds

Those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can save even more money by knowing which items will get the most bang for their buck. At Costco, those deals aren’t necessarily tough to find, but where does buying in bulk really pay off?

Find out which 15 store purchases are best buys with your SNAP benefits at Costco here.

7 Aspects of Social Security That Are Vital to Women

While Social Security income and planning for the benefits is an important aspect of everyone’s life, knowing how it affects women specifically can aid in the process.

Learn 7 things about Social Security and its relationship to women’s finances.

When Michigan SNAP Recipients Will Start Receiving Benefits in April

If you’re a new SNAP recipient in Michigan, you might assume that benefits are dished out once a month starting in April. However, while you would be correct in your assumption of monthly payments, the specific date you’ll receive them depends on your designated ID number.

Michigan Bridge Card payments get distributed starting on the 3rd and extending all the way to the 21st of the month according to the schedule below:

For further details, read the full story.

Can You Use Your SNAP Benefits at the Gas Station?

In short, yes — as long as you’re not attempting to pay for gas. While your SNAP benefits can likely be used for goods within the gas station, unless you qualify for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program — sometimes referred to as welfare — and withdraw cash benefits, your SNAP EBT card can’t be used to pay for gasoline.

To find out more, click here.

Average Social Security Check Amounts Over the Years

If you were born after 1949, it might be useful to understand just how much Social Security has changed over the years and what it could mean for your financial future.

Click here to see how much the average Social Security check was worth dating all the way back to 1950.

SNAP EBT Cash Benefits: What They Are and How To Apply

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is the most common EBT Cash program — and it’s federally managed, but run on a state level. TANF used to be known as welfare, and was designed to deliver funds to those in need of help paying for food, housing and more living expenses.

TANF benefits are distributed through EBT Cash benefits cards. Unlike the EBT card issued for SNAP benefits, cash benefit cards allow you to withdraw the money from an ATM.

Learn how to apply by reading the full artilce.

New Mexico SNAP Benefits Schedule Based on Social Security Number

New Mexico’s SNAP benefits are dispersed through the New Mexico Fiesta EBT (NM EBT). In addition, those eligible for cash benefits can withdraw funds from their EBT card at ATMs throughout the state — which isn’t allowed in every state’s program. 

Benefits are distributed once a month based on recipients’ last two digits of their Social Security number:

Learn more about New Mexico’s SNAP program and April benefits schedule here.

Delaying Social Security Benefits While Not Working Could Earn You More

If you’ve reached full retirement age but aren’t yet 70, suspending benefit payments can earn you delayed retirement credits each month benefits are suspended, according to the SSA website. In turn, these credits equal more money when you start collecting.

But don’t take that at face value — get the full story here.

Florida SNAP Recipients: When Can You Expect Your Payment for April?

Starting Apr. 1, SNAP certain SNAP recipients in Florida can expect their payments to start rolling in. The schedule, like many other states, is based around one’s case number — the 9th and 8th digits (read backwards) after dropping the 10th digit, to be exact.

But if that sounds a little confusing, this handy chart should make it a little easier to follow:

Florida’s SNAP benefits are sent out from the 1st to the 28th of every month, based on the 9th and 8th digits of your Florida case number (read backwards) after dropping the 10th digit. Here are Florida’s food assistance payment dates:

Get the full rundown of Florida SNAP benefits for the month of April here.

Expect Hurdles If You Plan To Visit Social Security Office in Person

If you’ve been waiting to visit a Social Security field office since they closed down due to COVID-19 concerns, the wait is finally (almost) over — SSA offices are expected to open in early April, though no concrete date has been set.

Of course, with an expected rush of people visiting the offices upon reopening, many are worried that services will be hindered by multiple factors from bottlenecks to low staff.

For a much more in-depth look at the issues SSA offices (and those in need of their services) may face early on, continue reading the full story.

Use Social Security Number To See When You’ll Receive Louisiana SNAP Benefits

Both SNAP and LaCAP benefits — which stands for Louisiana Combined Application Project and is considered a simplified version of SNAP — are distributed monthly via the Louisiana Purchase Card. The Louisiana Purchase card is the state’s version of an EBT card and operates just like a credit or debit card.

SNAP benefits in Louisiana distribute on the 1st through the 23rd of the month for most, but elderly or disabled recipients will continue to receive their payments between the 1st and 4th. SNAP benefits are divvied out based on the last two numbers of individual’s Social Security number. Here’s when you’ll receive your payment if you don’t fall within the elderly or disabled category:

Read more on Louisiana SNAP payments for April 2022 here.

Two Major Tax Credits and How They Impact Social Security

The end of tax season draws near, but if you haven’t filed yet, there are two common credits in the news that you’ll want to take into consideration if you’re an eligible Social Security recipient.

The child tax credit will not affect your Social Security, according to the Social Security Administration. SSI recipients won’t have any of the CTC payments counted as income or resources for 12 months after receiving them when considering income eligibility for SSI.

As far at the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is concerned, Social Security benefits and SSI won’t affect eligibility, but your disability insurance or SSI payments could count as earned income for the EITC (but it would depend on a number of factors).

For more on these two credits and how to properly claim on your taxes, read more.

SNAP Schedule April 2022: When Illinois Distributes Link Card Payments

If you’re a recipient of Link Card payments in Illinois — which are the equivalent of SNAP payments, but go by different names in various states — your benefits schedule largely depends on how long you’ve had an account.

If your SNAP case was converted from a legacy case, availability date of either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 17th or 20th still apply.

However, those with new cases on the Link system will have benefits deposited between the 1st and 10th of April, depending on the last number of your individual identification number, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services:

Get a more detailed rundown of how Link Card benefits operate.

Social Security COLA Increase Not a Gimme Each Year Like Many Think

Many believe cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increases are automatic each year when it comes to Social Security benefits, but AARP pointed out in a recent article that there’s no requirement that the SSA must do this.

As COLA is linked to inflation, there have been several years in recent memory — 2010, 2011 and 2016 — where there was no increase at all. While this will unlikely be the case in 2023, it’s still important to keep in mind during years of low to no inflation.

Get the full rundown on Social Security COLA here.

Incorrect Work Record Could Lessen Your Social Security Benefits

When the average recipient’s Social Security check is merely 40% of the maximum, it pays to double-check your records.

Errors or missing information from your work record could greatly impact your monthly benefits, as the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your highest 35 years of earnings as the base to calculate payments.

Learn what you can do to ensure your payments are correct, and how much time there is to act.

When Does California Disburse SNAP Benefits in April 2022?

California’s SNAP distribution, which is referred to as CalFresh in the state, is distributed monthly via the Golden State Advantage EBT card. If you’re a low-income individual or family deemed eligible, your benefits will drop on the following dates in April, depending on the last digit of your case number:

For more on what it takes to qualify, read the full story.

Texas Lone Star Card Payments (SNAP Benefits) Start Dropping on Apr. 1

Texas SNAP benefits are distributed onto Lone Star card — the state’s equivalent of a SNAP EBT card — monthly, with the last digit of recipients’ SNAP Eligibility Determination Group number (EDG) determining the day benefits are loaded.

Here is the full breakdown:

How the SNAP Schedule for New York City’s 5 Boroughs Breaks Down

For SNAP recipients in New York, especially those living in one of the five boroughs of New York City (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island), when benefit payments will be issued can be confusing. The SNAP payment scheduling in the state is broken down into two parts: NYC, and then the rest of the New York.

If you live in one of the boroughs that encompass NYC, your SNAP payment schedule in April 2022 is as follows:

Get the schedule for the remainder of New York state here, or scroll to the previous post below.

New York SNAP Benefits Schedule: April 2022 (Excludes 5 Boroughs of New York City)

Applying for SNAP benefits in New York is the only way to learn if you’re eligible, according to the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. However, once eligibility is approved, the next big hurdle is figuring out when you’re receive monthly benefits.

When it comes to the state of New York specifically, the scheduling can be a bit complicated, as it’s broken into two schedules: one covering New York City and the other encompassing the rest of the state. April’s payment schedule for New York (excluding the five boroughs of New York City) looks like this:

Click here to see how New York City’s five boroughs schedule lays out.

These States Extended Emergency Allotment Money to SNAP Recipients in April

Due to the pandemic, SNAP recipients have been given emergency allotments (EA allotments) equal to their maximum benefit for household size (minus their monthly base benefit) since March of 2020. State SNAP agencies have the option to issue said allotments on a month-to-month basis.

Since U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the COVID-19 federal public health emergency on Jan. 16, 2022, some states are still extending the allotments. These states are:

• Alabama
• Illinois
• Maine
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

For full details, learn more here.

When To Expect Your April 2022 Social Security Check

Here’s how April’s Social Security scheduled payments lay out:

• If you were born on the 1st through the 10th, payment distributes Apr. 13.
• If you were born on the 11th through the 20th, payment distributes Apr. 20.
• If you were born on the 21st through the 31st, payment distributes Apr. 27.

For full details, click here.

When Do SNAP Benefits Disburse in April 2022?

SNAP, which stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the US, providing eligible low-income individuals and families assistance with purchasing food. Benefits are commonly paid through an EBT (electronic benefits transfer) card.

Your specific state of residence will have a SNAP program/provider website. To find your monthly SNAP benefits schedule, type the name of your state and SNAP into your search engine to find the link to the agency that administers your benefits.

Get the full rundown on SNAP benefits and April schedules here.