The District of Columbia will begin sending out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit payments for September in four days.
Approximately 145,800 people, or 22% of the Washington, D.C., population, receive food stamps — the highest percentage among the 50 states and territories. The average payment per household member per month is $188.
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SNAP benefits are delivered on a rolling basis, with the exact dates depending on when a household becomes eligible and the first letter of a recipient's last name. Washington, D.C., sends out SNAP benefits beginning Sept. 1 and going until Sept. 10.
If a last name begins with A or B, a Washington, D.C., recipient will receive their SNAP payment on the 1st of the month. C last names receive their payments on the 2nd; D, E, and F last names receive payments on the 3rd; G and H last names receive payments on the 4th; I, J, and K last names receive payments on the 5th; L or M last names receive payments on the 6th; N, O, P, and Q last names receive payments on the 7th; R and S last names receive payments on the 8th; T, U, and V last names receive payments on the 9th; and W, X, Y, and Z last names receive payments on the 10th.
The maximum payment for a household of one is $281, followed by $740 for a household of three and $1,691 for a household of eight. For each additional household member over eight, a maximum of $211 is added to the payment.
Payments are reloaded onto electronic benefit transfer cards each month. Recipients of food stamps are expected to spend about 30% of their resources on food.
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SNAP benefits can be used to purchase fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, bread, cereal, snack foods, nonalcoholic beverages, and seeds and plants. Food stamps cannot be used for alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco products, vitamins, prepared foods, hot foods, or nonfood items (pet food, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, etc.).
Food stamps can be used at most stores that sell grocery items. District SNAP recipients can use the U.S. Department of Agriculture's SNAP retail locator to find a store that accepts food stamps near them. Food stamps can also be used for eligible food items online and can be delivered from Amazon, Aldi via Instacart, Giant, and Safeway.