ATLANTA — Starting in October, Georgians who receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see a bit more help coming through.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits, also referred to as food stamps, will see cost of living increases starting in October.
The change happens Oct. 1, and depending on your family size and where, you’ll get between $25 to $50 added to the benefits you receive.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
As of June this year, there were about 2.35 million Georgians receiving SNAP benefits from the federal government, according to the USDA. The federal agency also said 589,416 Georgia households received assistance from the program in June.
While benefits are increasing, the State of Georgia will be taking on more of the program’s costs.
TRENDING STORIES:
- $3M won on Georgia Lottery scratch-off
- Nearly 5,000 Georgians to get relief under $694M auto finance settlement
- Atlanta USPS employee, former college football standout, dies at 35
Specifically, those changes are for who pays the administrative costs of the program, not the actual dollars spent for families to buy food.
As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill’s budget changes in U.S. Congress, states will take on more of the costs for administering the program, meaning paperwork, processing, etc.
Under the current version, states and the federal government split those costs evenly.
Starting in October, states will cover 75% instead.
SNAP beneficiaries are low-income families or individuals in extreme need, sometimes also facing challenging medical conditions that make working difficult.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
