SNAP in New Hampshire for immigrants

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — food stamps) is available in New Hampshire for eligible individuals. Federal rules changed on July 4, 2025: section 10108 of P.L. 119-21 limited SNAP to US citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA citizens. Refugees, asylees, and parolees are no longer eligible. The five-year bar still applies to permanent residents, with the same long-standing exceptions (under 18, 40 work quarters, blind or disabled, among others).

Official SNAP limits — New Hampshire

Source: USDA FNA — SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustments · FY2027 COLA memo (PDF)

Fiscal year: FY2027 amounts apply Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027 · Verified: 2026-10-07

Gross income limit (130% FPL) — New Hampshire

Maximum gross monthly income (130% of the federal poverty level)
Household sizeFY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027)
1$1,729
2$2,345
3$2,960
4$3,575
5$4,191
6$4,806
7$5,421
8$6,037
Each additional person+$616

Source: USDA FNA income eligibility standards — FY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027).

Maximum monthly benefit — New Hampshire

Maximum monthly benefit (48 states + DC)
Household sizeFY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027)
1$306
2$562
3$808
4$1,023
5$1,217
6$1,463
7$1,616
8$1,841
Each additional person+$225

Source: USDA FNA cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) — FY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027).

Resource limit

  • Households with a member age 60+ or disabled: $4,750 — FY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027)
  • Other households: $3,000 — FY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027)

How to apply for SNAP in New Hampshire

  1. Start at the agency that actually runs SNAP in New Hampshire. Its official portal, phone number and walk-in office list are in the Official New Hampshire SNAP contacts block further down this page, taken from the USDA FNA state directory. The agency name is different in almost every state, so use that block rather than searching for a “Department of Human Services”.
  2. Complete the SNAP application (online, paper, or in person)
  3. You’ll have an interview (phone or in person)
  4. Decision in 30 days (or 7 days for emergencies)
  5. If approved, receive monthly EBT card

Typical benefits in New Hampshire

  • Average: about $188 per person per month. The national average monthly benefit per person in fiscal year 2025 was $188.30 (USDA FNA, SNAP Participation and Costs, data as of August 14, 2026); FY2024 was $186.76.
  • Household of 4: the federal maximum for the 48 states and DC is $1,023/month from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 (FY2027), up from $994 in FY2026 (USDA FNA COLA tables, and the maximum-benefit table above) — most households get less than the maximum, because the allotment falls as counted income rises.

Critical rules for mixed-status families

If your household has mixed status (undocumented parents + citizen children):

  1. Only the eligible members apply — for example the citizen children. Everyone who lives together and customarily buys and prepares food together is one SNAP household (7 CFR 273.1(a)), so the others are still written on the form; they are simply not counted in the household size used to set the benefit.
  2. The non-applicants’ income and resources are still counted. 7 CFR 273.11(c)(3)(i): the State agency “must count all or, at the discretion of the State agency, all but a pro rata share, of the ineligible alien’s income and deductible expenses and all of the ineligible alien’s resources.” Leaving that income off the application is not a way to qualify — it breaks the reporting rule and can produce an overpayment the state may seek to recover later.
  3. You do not have to document the immigration status of a household member who is not applying. 7 CFR 273.4(b)(2): when a household “indicates inability or unwillingness to provide documentation of alien status” for a member, the state “must classify that member as an ineligible alien” and “must not continue efforts to obtain that documentation.” Read that together with 7 CFR 273.4(b)(1), which requires the state to notify USCIS when its certification staff “determine that any member of a household is ineligible to receive SNAP benefits because the member is present in the U.S. in violation of the INA.” If anyone in the household has an immigration case, talk to an immigration legal-services provider before you file.

Does it affect my green card? — Public Charge

SNAP received before September 18, 2026 does not count under the 2022 public-charge rule. ⚠️ That rule is rescinded effective September 18, 2026 (91 FR 45324), and under USCIS guidance published August 18, 2026, SNAP received on or after that date can be considered as a factor; SNAP received before that date is still judged under the 2022 rule. DHS says the new rule applies to applications for admission made on or after September 18, 2026, and to adjustment-of-status applications postmarked or electronically submitted on or after that date. Benefits received by your US-citizen children are not attributed to you as receipt. USCIS adds one caveat: if a relative you are legally obliged to support qualifies because your own income or assets fall below a threshold, the officer may weigh that low income under the assets, resources and financial status factor (PA-2026-09).

Last verified: 2026-09-29.

Official New Hampshire SNAP contacts

Source: USDA FNA SNAP state directory. Official state entry.

Federal maximum monthly benefit

The USDA adjusts SNAP maximums every October 1. The table shows the FY2027 amounts, which apply from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 — your actual benefit depends on household income and deductions:

Maximum monthly benefit (48 states + DC)
Household sizeFY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027)
1$306
2$562
3$808
4$1,023
5$1,217
6$1,463
7$1,616
8$1,841
Each additional person+$225

Source: USDA FNA cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) — FY2027 (Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027).