Food News

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers help to Americans struggling with money to find valuable food they need in the form of electronic benefits cards with monthly installments. But the question is what happens if SNAP recipients do not use all their benefits in one month?

SNAP rollovers refer to the process in which unused benefits will be carried from one month to another. This means that if SNAP recipients do not use all their benefits in one month, then the benefits are transferred to the next following month.

But this is not an endless cycle. If the recipient is repeatedly failing to use his/her entire benefits, then the state can block or withdraw the funding. For instance, California gives time up to 135 days of inactivity before blocking the card. Then after 180 days, the person has to call their county to get it reinstated but the benefits will end up permanently expiring after a year.

This ability of rollover benefits ensures that recipients have access to adequate nutrition especially if their food needs keep on changing from one month to another. Individuals and families tend to have flexibility to manage their food budget effectively which in turn will be beneficial during times of emergencies.

But SNAP rollover policies are not the same in every state and vary greatly. So the recipients must go through the specific rules and regulations in the area following the rollovers.

SNAP benefits are paid every month but this can vary depending on factors like in which state the recipient resides and also the recipient’s case number.

The dates run between the first and the 28th of February. Also, only 16 states wait until the 20th to continue their payments.