Hawaii low-income households will begin receiving payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program tomorrow.

SNAP-participating households in the Aloha State receive benefits on the 3rd and 5th of the month, one of the shortest payment periods in the country. A household’s payment date depends on the first letter of the recipient’s last name.

About 169,000 people, or 12% of the population, receive SNAP benefits in Hawaii. The average payment per household member per month is $175.

Last names beginning with A-I should collect benefits on Friday, and last names beginning with letters J-Z will receive payments on Sunday.

Maximum allotments increased for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Guam, and the Virgin Islands in August 2022 due to cost-of-living adjustments. Maximum SNAP payments in Hawaii increased substantially compared to those from 2020. Hawaii and Alaska are the only two states that have different maximum payments compared to the other 48.

In Hawaii, a household of one can receive a maximum payment of $538, a household of four can receive as much as $1,794, and a household of eight can receive up to $3,230. The program adds a maximum of $404 to the food stamps payment for each additional household member.

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SNAP benefits are reloaded on an electronic benefit transfer card each month. Food stamps are intended to be used for healthy foods at participating grocery stores, farmers markets, and some online retailers.

The money should be used to purchase groceries, snacks, fresh food, seeds, and plants. Benefits cannot be used to buy alcohol, tobacco products, vitamins, live animals, prepared foods, or any nonfood household items.