Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Rules, Limits, and How to Apply

How the Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program works

SNAP is a federal program paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but each state runs its own office, forms, and some of its own rules. In Texas, that is HHSC. HHSC takes your application, interviews you, decides whether you qualify, and loads benefits each month onto a Lone Star Card, which works like a debit card at grocery stores and other approved retailers.

A Texas SNAP household is usually the people who live together and buy and cook food together. Roommates who shop separately can be separate households. Spouses, and parents with children under 22 who live with them, are generally counted together even if they shop apart. This matters because the size of the household sets both the income limit and the amount of help.

The benefit is meant to supplement your grocery budget, not cover it all. HHSC expects households to spend about 30 percent of their own net income on food, and SNAP fills the gap up to the maximum for your household size. People with very little income get close to the maximum. People nearer the limit may get a small amount, and some approved households get the federal minimum.

Income limits and benefit amounts

For the federal year that began October 1, 2026, USDA's standard SNAP gross income limit for one person is $1,729 a month and the largest benefit for one person is $306. You can see the full federal tables and estimate your own amount with our SNAP calculator.

Texas posts its own table on the HHSC SNAP page, and its income column is higher than the federal 130 percent standard, which reflects how Texas screens most households. When we checked on November 4, 2026, that HHSC table still showed the figures for October 2025 through September 2026, so expect it to be updated. These were the posted Texas figures at our check:

Two points to keep in mind. First, the maximum benefit rose on October 1, 2026, so the benefit column above is lower than what USDA now allows (for one person, $306 rather than $298). Second, the income column is only a screen. HHSC still subtracts allowed costs such as a share of earned income, child care, child support you pay, high rent and utilities, and medical costs over $35 a month for people 60 and older or with a disability. If you are close to any limit, apply anyway and let HHSC do the math.

Texas vehicle and savings rules

Texas is one of the states that still looks at what you own, not only what you earn. Under the Texas rule, your household's countable liquid resources (cash, checking, savings) plus any vehicle value above the exclusion must be $5,000 or less.

Cars used to be the reason many working families were turned down. A Texas law passed in 2023 told HHSC to raise the vehicle exclusions, and the updated rule (1 TAC §372.355) took effect on February 12, 2026, according to the adoption notice in the Texas Register.

Here is how that works in practice. If your only car is worth $20,000, none of its value counts. If your second car is worth $10,000, only $1,300 counts toward the $5,000 limit. Some vehicles are excluded entirely, such as one used to transport a household member with a disability, so tell the worker how each vehicle is used. Homes you live in, most retirement accounts, and household goods are not counted.

Households where every member is 60 or older or has a disability may qualify for the Texas Simplified Application Project (TSAP). HHSC says TSAP uses a simpler application and gives benefits for three years at a time instead of six months.

Work rules and the three-month limit

Texas has two layers of work rules, and they are easy to mix up.

Basic work rules

HHSC says most people ages 16 to 59 who can work must reply to letters from the Texas Workforce Commission about SNAP Employment and Training, take a suitable job if offered, and not quit or cut hours below 30 a week without a good reason. People caring for a child under 6, already working 30 hours a week, receiving or applying for unemployment, in school at least half time, in drug or alcohol treatment, or unable to work for health reasons are exempt. Breaking these rules can mean no SNAP for at least a month.

The ABAWD time limit

Able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 with no one under 14 in the SNAP household can get benefits for only three months in a three-year period unless they work, volunteer, or join a work program for at least 80 hours a month. HHSC lists exemptions, including pregnancy, living with someone under 14, being physically or mentally unfit to work, living in a waiver area or a county without SNAP Employment and Training, and being an American Indian or Alaska Native. If you lose benefits under this rule, you can regain them by meeting the 80-hour standard for 30 days.

The local Workforce Solutions office can count training, job search classes, and volunteer hours toward the 80. Ask it before your third month runs out.

Ways to apply in Texas

All of these are free. You only need one.

You can turn in an application with just your name, address, and signature. That date starts the clock, and benefits for an approved case are usually counted from it, so send it in even if you are still gathering papers. The same application can ask about Medicaid and TANF cash help. For a general checklist of what to have ready, see our guide to gathering required documents.

The interview and your proof

Nearly every new Texas SNAP case needs an interview, usually by phone. HHSC sends a notice with a date and time, or a number to call. Miss it without rescheduling and the application can be denied, so watch your mail and your Your Texas Benefits inbox.

The worker will ask who lives with you, what everyone earns, and what you pay for rent, utilities, child care, and medical bills. HHSC may then send Form H1020, a request for information, listing what it still needs. Common items in Texas cases are:

• Pay stubs for the last 30 days, or a letter from an employer.
• Award letters for Social Security, SSI, unemployment, or child support.
• A lease, rent receipt, or mortgage statement, and a recent utility bill.
• Proof of identity, and immigration papers for noncitizens who are applying.
• Vehicle details, such as year, make, and model, if HHSC needs to value a car.

Upload what you can through the app and keep the confirmation. If you cannot get a document, tell the worker. HHSC can sometimes check it another way or accept a signed statement.

How long does Texas take to approve SNAP?

Federal rules, which Texas follows in its administrative code, give the state 30 days from the application date to decide a regular case. Households in urgent need can get expedited service, with benefits within about 7 days. You may qualify if any of these is true:

• Your monthly gross income is under $150 and you have $100 or less in cash and bank accounts.
• Your rent or mortgage plus utilities is more than your monthly income plus cash on hand.
• You are a migrant or seasonal farmworker with $100 or less and little or no income this month.

The application form screens for this, but say it out loud in the interview too. If you are approved on an expedited basis, you may still owe some papers afterward. If you have not heard anything after 30 days, call 2-1-1, option 2, and ask for the status.

Certification periods and renewals

A certification period is how long you are approved before you must renew. HHSC describes six months as the usual length for Texas SNAP, while TSAP households of seniors and people with disabilities get three years. Your approval notice shows your exact end date, and some households get a shorter period.

Before your period ends, HHSC sends a renewal packet and often schedules another interview. Return it by the date on the notice to avoid a gap. Between renewals, report changes that HHSC tells you to report, such as income going over the limit or someone moving in or out. Reporting a drop in income or a new rent bill can raise your benefit, so it is worth doing.

Using your Lone Star Card

Your benefits go on a Lone Star Card. You choose a PIN and swipe or insert the card at checkout like a debit card. HHSC says you can manage your PIN and request a new card in the Your Texas Benefits app, or call the Lone Star Help Desk at 800-777-7328. Texas loads SNAP on a set day each month based on your case number, and the date shows in your account.

The card works at most supermarkets and many corner stores, farmers markets, and approved online grocers. Our guide to the Texas EBT card covers balances, lost cards, and stolen benefits. To learn whether and where Texas SNAP can pay for hot restaurant meals, see our guide to the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program in Texas.

Candy and sweetened drink restriction

Texas received a USDA food restriction waiver. Both HHSC and USDA's waiver table list April 1, 2026 as the Texas start date. Since then, Texas SNAP cannot be used for:

• Candy, including candy bars, gum, taffy, and candied or coated nuts, raisins, or fruit (chocolate, yogurt, or caramel coatings count).
• Sweetened drinks, meaning drinks made with water that have 5 grams or more of added sugar or any artificial sweetener.

HHSC says drinks with milk or milk substitutes, such as soy or rice milk, and drinks that are more than 50 percent fruit or vegetable juice are still allowed. Long-standing federal rules also still apply: no alcohol, tobacco, vitamins, medicine, or non-food items. If your cart mixes allowed and restricted items, the register should split the bill so you can pay the rest another way.

These waivers are newer and some have faced court challenges in other states. USDA's table, last updated November 3, 2026, still listed Texas as approved. Check HHSC's SNAP page if you hear otherwise.

When something goes wrong

• Denied for a missed interview or missing papers: call 2-1-1, option 2, and ask whether you can still complete the interview or send proof. If not, reapply the same day.
• You disagree with a decision: you can ask for a fair hearing. The deadline is on your notice, and acting within the shorter window on that notice can keep benefits going while you wait.
• Lost or stolen card: call 800-777-7328 right away to freeze it, then order a new one.
• Food runs out before the month ends: call 2-1-1 for food pantries, and see if you also qualify for WIC if you are pregnant or have a child under 5.

Related guides

• SNAP calculator
• Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program
• Texas utility assistance
• Free iPad for low-income families

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. HHSC decides every case and its rules can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with HHSC, USDA, or any government agency.