Montana pays out SNAP benefits over a period of five days, starting on the second and concluding on the sixth of each month. Depending on their SNAP case number, account number, Social Security number, or last name, recipients’ payment dates can vary.
In Montana, a single-person household’s net monthly income cannot exceed $1,215, and an eight-person household’s net monthly income cannot exceed $4,214 in order to be eligible for SNAP benefits.
The size of the recipients’ households determines the state’s SNAP payment amount. Households with eight people can receive up to $1,751 per month, while households with just one person receive $291. For every extra person in a household larger than eight, $219 is added.
Participating establishments, such as grocery stores and farmers markets, accept SNAP benefits. Monthly automatic reloads of benefits are made to an electronic benefits transfer card.
One of President Lyndon B. Johnson‘s Great Society initiatives, the 1964 Food Stamp Act, established SNAP with the goal of enhancing the nutritional status of the underprivileged by covering their food expenses.
SNAP is available in every state as well as Washington, D.C., though the programs differ.
Montana SNAP program overview
For the convenience of our clients who would like to settle their SNAP or TANF overpayment claim, we are providing an online payment process. Clicking the following link will take you to a different website where you can pay for your repayment claim with a credit card (VISA, Mastercard, or America Express) or an electronic check. You have the option to pay the entire claim amount or just a portion of it.
There is a transaction fee associated with the services provided by this provider.
Digital Check: $1.19
If you decide to use this service, after you select the suitable payment option and enter the repayment amount, the total transaction amount will be shown. It could take up to two weeks for process a payment after it has been entered and submitted before it appears in your account.
Who is eligible to participate?
- For SNAP purposes, a group of people who live together, shop for food, and cook meals together is referred to as a “household.” A household consists of a husband and wife, their children under 22 who live with their natural, adoptive, or stepparents, and their pets.
- In order to be included, household members must be legal immigrants or citizens of the United States.
- Any members of the household who would like to be included must provide or apply for a social security number.
- The resource and income requirements outlined in this overview must be fulfilled.
- Unless a specific exemption is met, able-bodied household members between the ages of 16 and 59 are required to register for work and may also be required to participate in SNAP
- Employment and Training Program
How do you apply for the benefits?
- Register online at apply.mt.gov.
- Dial 1-888-706-1535 to reach the Public Assistance Helpline.
- See the Office of Public Assistance in your community.
- Send a PDF application via email.
Expedited Services
The goal of expedited services is to provide food benefits to qualifying households that meet the following requirements within seven calendar days of the application date:
- households with monthly gross incomes of less than $150 and liquid resources of $100 or less; or
- households headed by migrant or seasonal farm workers with less than $100 in liquid assets; OR
- households whose monthly rent (or mortgage) and utility bills are less than their combined gross monthly income and liquid assets.
Financial Criteria
Earnings
SNAP is available to households that satisfy the gross and net income requirements stated below. Once allowable deductions have been made, households that satisfy the gross monthly income standard are assessed for the net monthly income standard.
Households that meet Expanded Categorical Eligibility Criteria
| People in Household | Gross Monthly Income Standard | Net Monthly Income Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,430 | $1,215 |
| 2 | $3,288 | $1,644 |
| 3 | $4,144 | $2,072 |
| 4 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
| 5 | $5,858 | $2,929 |
| 6 | $6,714 | $3,357 |
| 7 | $7,570 | $3,785 |
| 8 | $8,428 | $4,214 |
| Each Additional Member | + $858 | + $429 |
All Other Households
| People in Household | Gross Monthly Income Standard | Net Monthly Income Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,580 | $1,215 |
| 2 | $2,137 | $1,644 |
| 3 | $2,694 | $2,072 |
| 4 | $3,250 | $2,500 |
| 5 | $3,807 | $2,929 |
| 6 | $4,364 | $3,357 |
| 7 | $4,921 | $3,785 |
| 8 | $5,478 | $4,214 |
| Each Additional Member | + $557 | + $429 |
Materials
- Excluded are the resources of people who satisfy the expanded categorical eligibility requirements. Every resource in your home is excluded if every member satisfies the requirements for expanded categorical eligibility.
- Countable household resources are limited to the following amounts if the household does not meet the Expanded Categorical Eligibility criteria:
- $4,250 for households with a member who is 60 years of age or older, or a household member who is disabled, and
- $2,750 for every other family.
- Resources do not include your residence, automobiles, tax-favored retirement and education funds, or military compensation related to combat.
- There is no resource cap on households where every member receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash assistance from Tribal TANF, or cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Deductions
The following is a list of SNAP-eligible deductions. When computing a household’s SNAP benefits, the following deductions can be deducted from countable income:
Twenty percent (20%) of each household’s gross earned income;
- a typical deduction from the maximum net income determined by the size of the household
- specific costs for dependent care;
- owed and paid child support as per law;
- a portion of the price of housing; and
- For the portion of non-reimbursable medical expenses that exceed $35 per month per household, a medical expense deduction may be permitted. Household members who are elderly or disabled are eligible for this deduction.
