Key Takeaways
- Texas SNAP has a $5,000 asset limit, but the first $22,500 of your main car doesn't count.
- Since April 1, 2026, Texas SNAP can't buy candy or sweetened drinks.
- Deposits land on the 1st-15th or 16th-28th, depending on when you were first approved.
- The family-of-four maximum rises from $994 to $1,023 a month on October 1, 2026.
Texas (TX) is one of the few states that still counts what you own, not just what you earn, when you apply for SNAP. Your household can have up to $5,000 in countable resources, and the first $22,500 of your main vehicle’s value doesn’t count.
Two other Texas-only rules catch people out: since April 1, 2026, SNAP can’t buy candy or sweetened drinks here, and your deposit date depends on when you were first approved. On October 1, 2026, the maximum for a family of four also rises from $994 to $1,023 a month. For the national rules, see my SNAP benefit amounts guide.
The Texas Car and Savings Rule
Most states dropped the SNAP asset test years ago. Texas kept one: countable resources, meaning cash, bank balances and the “excess” value of vehicles, can’t total more than $5,000.
Vehicles are treated generously since a 2023 state law, HB 1287. The first $22,500 of fair market value on one vehicle is excluded, and $8,700 on each additional vehicle. Before September 2023, the limits were $15,000 and $4,650, and tens of thousands of Texans were denied every year over car values alone.
Here’s how the math works. Maria and her husband have $3,000 in savings and a pickup worth $21,000. The truck is under $22,500, so it doesn’t count, and their $3,000 is under the $5,000 limit. They pass.
If the same truck were worth $25,000, the extra $2,500 would count as a resource. Add their $3,000 in savings and they’d be at $5,500, over the limit. If you’re close to the line, ask HHSC how your specific vehicles are valued before you assume you don’t qualify.
What Texas SNAP No Longer Covers
Since April 1, 2026, your Lone Star Card can’t pay for candy or sweetened drinks. Soda counts as a sweetened drink. Regular groceries, milk and plain water are unaffected; for edge cases like flavored drinks, HHSC’s list is the final word.
Texas’s waiver wasn’t part of the June 2026 court ruling that struck down restrictions in five other states, so it remains in force. My tracker of SNAP soda and candy bans by state follows the appeal and every state’s status.
When Your Lone Star Card Gets Loaded
Texas uses two schedules, and which one you’re on depends on when your household was first certified:
- Approved before June 1, 2020: benefits load between the 1st and 15th, based on the last digit of your EDG number.
- Approved on or after June 1, 2020: benefits load between the 16th and 28th, based on the last two digits of your EDG number.
| Last digit of EDG number (pre-June 2020 cases) | Deposit day |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1st |
| 1 | 3rd |
| 2 | 5th |
| 3 | 6th |
| 4 | 7th |
| 5 | 9th |
| 6 | 11th |
| 7 | 12th |
| 8 | 13th |
| 9 | 15th |
One catch: if an older case has a break in benefits of six months or more and you reapply, you move to the newer 16th–28th schedule. Your EDG number is on your approval notice and in your Your Texas Benefits account.
How Much You Can Get, Before and After October 1
Texas uses Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility at 165% of the poverty line. Here’s the new fiscal year 2027 schedule that starts October 1:
| Household size | Max benefit through Sep 30, 2026 | Max benefit from Oct 1, 2026 | Gross income limit from Oct 1 (165% FPL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $298 | $306 | $2,195/mo |
| 2 | $546 | $562 | $2,976/mo |
| 3 | $785 | $808 | $3,757/mo |
| 4 | $994 | $1,023 | $4,538/mo |
| 5 | $1,183 | $1,217 | $5,319/mo |
| 6 | $1,421 | $1,463 | $6,100/mo |
| 7 | $1,571 | $1,616 | $6,881/mo |
| 8 | $1,789 | $1,841 | $7,662/mo |
Through September 30, the gross limit for a family of four is $4,421 a month. The $5,000 asset test above applies on top of these income limits.
Things can move quickly with SNAP right now. I update this page when Texas’s rules change, so subscribe here if you want a heads-up.
Applying in Texas
Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) runs SNAP. You can apply at YourTexasBenefits.com, through the Your Texas Benefits app, or by calling 2-1-1. HHSC has 30 days to decide, or 7 days if you qualify for expedited benefits.
If you lost a job, file for Texas unemployment benefits too. Unemployment pay counts as income for SNAP, but you can receive both.
Where Texas Differs from Other States
- No Summer EBT. Texas skipped SUN Bucks in 2026. Lawmakers put $60 million in the budget to join in 2027, but Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed it in June 2025, citing uncertainty about federal costs. My Summer EBT guide lists the free summer meal options that remain.
- The asset test. Covered above, and a common reason for denials that people don’t see coming.
- Its error rate. USDA measured Texas’s SNAP payment error rate at 9.34% for fiscal year 2025, up from 8.32% the year before. That’s below the national 10.62%.
What Changes for Texas SNAP After October 1
October 1, 2026: the new amounts in the table above take effect. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) also makes states cover 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs, up from 50%.
October 1, 2027: the OBBB starts charging states part of benefit costs based on error rates. At 8% to 10%, Texas would pay 10% of its benefit costs, using its fiscal 2025 or 2026 rate. If the rate crept above 10%, that would jump to 15%.
That doesn’t change your benefit directly. It does give HHSC every reason to double-check income and assets at recertification, so keep bank statements and vehicle paperwork current. I’ll also watch USDA’s court appeal, since its outcome could shape how long restrictions like Texas’s last.
