How Quickly Will SNAP Benefits Return?

On November 12, President Donald Trump signed funding legislation to end the government shutdown, which had lasted 43 days, making it the longest shutdown in United States history.

Now, not only will the government reopen, but Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will have their full benefits restored, providing vital food assistance to those who need it. And according to Trump, they could receive those payments at lightning speed. Here’s what you need to know.

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How did the government shutdown affect SNAP benefits?

On October 1, the U.S. government shut down after a funding bill failed to pass in the Senate. That meant that federal agency operations deemed “nonessential” were halted, and many government employees — like TSA agents at airports around America — went without paychecks but were still expected to show up to work.

“It should be noted that most shutdowns happen because of budget disagreements, but the current one is different,” Linda Bilmes, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance at Harvardshared in an interview with the university in early October.

Bilmes explained at the time that “Republicans now control a trifecta of the House, the Senate, and the presidency — so their goal is to stay aligned with President Trump and what he wants. The Democrats are drawing a line to protect some core programs that were enacted under prior Democratic leadership, including the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.”

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As part of the shutdown, Trump’s administration also paused all funding to SNAP beneficiaries. than two dozen states sued the administration to compel it to discharge payments using emergency funds. The states initially won their lawsuit, but the Supreme Court blocked the full payments just before the shutdown ended.

What does the end of the shutdown mean for food assistance programs?

The new bill, signed by Trump, will fund most of the federal government through January 2026 and provides funding for some agencies — including the United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP — through the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2026.

Grocery Dive reports that the USDA funding encompasses $107.5 billion for SNAP, representing an approximately 8% increase from fiscal year 2024. The funding also provides an almost 8% increase in the allotted budget for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), bringing its funding to $8.2 billion. SNAP and WIC will both be reimbursed for the contingency reserves they relied on for expenditures during the shutdown.

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Beyond SNAP, the government funding designates $37.84 billion for the USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs. This marks a $4.5 billion increase in budget for the programs and includes “mandatory funding for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Summer Food Programs.”

“We are extremely pleased that Congress has reopened the government and that federal funding of SNAP benefits will be fully restored,” Jennifer Hatcher, the chief policy officer of the Food Industry Associationshared in a statement. “Reopening the government and passing the Agriculture Appropriations legislation provides clarity and food for families in need. It also ensures that for the next year, the federal hunger and food security program remains dependable for those who rely on SNAP, school meals, or WIC to get through difficult times.”

How quickly will SNAP benefits return?

According to the Trump administration, SNAP recipients should see money in their accounts very soon. The USDA has told several news outlets that recipients in most states will get their benefits within 24 hours.

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However, this timeline may differ from state to state, according to Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, who told CBS News that “States that did not issue full benefits earlier will need to resubmit their files to their EBT vendors for processing, which may take a few additional days.”

According to the Associated Press19 states and the District of Columbia were able to issue full SNAP benefits in the short period of time between the November 6 court ruling that called for the government to issue full payments and the Supreme Court’s November 7 order to block full funding.

Jessica Garon, a spokesperson for the American Public Human Services Association, also noted to the Associated Press that most states will be able to issue full benefits within three days, although some may take up to a week.

While this is good news for the nearly 42 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits, it doesn’t necessarily undo the damage that was caused over the last month and a half. As Victoria Negus, a senior economic justice advocate at the nonprofit Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, shared with CBS News, “You can’t eat retroactively when your SNAP was delayed.”

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Those looking to understand when their benefits may be reinstated should check with their state government. You can find information on timelines as well as direct links to information via the Food Research & Action Center’s government shutdown tracker.