November 2025 SNAP Updates

What do these court rulings mean? 

• The recent court rulings mean that judges decided USDA must send some November SNAP benefits, and USDA was directed to make a plan to do so. 

USDA agreed to send partial November SNAP benefits. Why isn’t DTA sending SNAP benefits right away?  

• Following court orders, USDA agreed to send partial November SNAP benefits and issue a plan to states directing them how to do this.
• This week, USDA sent states guidance that decided that partial November SNAP is to lower the maximum SNAP households can get to 65%. This does not mean that all SNAP households will get 65% of their normal benefit – about 50% of households will get 65% of their normal monthly SNAP benefit amount. The other half will get less, some getting zero SNAP right now.
• We estimate it will take approximately 1 week to for DTA and the EBT vendor to make systems changes to send November SNAP to client’s cards.
• DTA is working as quickly as possible to ensure clients receive their benefits promptly.

When will I get my next SNAP benefits?   

• DTA is working as quickly as possible to ensure clients receive their benefits promptly.
• At this time, we expect to be able to issue partial November SNAP benefits sometime during the week of November 10.
• This week, USDA sent states guidance that defined partial November SNAP as cutting the maximum SNAP households can get to 65% of the normal maximum. This does not mean that all SNAP households will get 65% of their normal benefit . We estimate it will take approximately 1 week to for DTA and the EBT vendor to make systems changes to send November SNAP to client’s cards.
• DTA will continue to share additional information as it becomes available.

What does partial November SNAP benefits mean for me? 

• Partial November SNAP benefits means that SNAP households will get some November SNAP benefits sent even though the federal government is still shut down.
• USDA defined partial SNAP benefits by cutting the maximum amount SNAP households can get to 65% of the normal maximum. This does not mean that all SNAP households will get 65% of their normal benefit – about 50% of households will get 65% of their normal monthly SNAP benefit amount. The other half will get less, some getting zero SNAP right now.
• The amount of SNAP benefits a household will get depends on household circumstances like household members, income, and expenses. Households with income will see the greatest reduction in their November SNAP benefits.
• This will greatly reduce the amount of SNAP benefits that people will get, and will bring tens of thousands of SNAP clients benefits to zero.

If I apply for SNAP in November, will I get benefits?  

• New SNAP applicants who are approved will have the same changes to maximum SNAP available as current active SNAP clients.
• Newly approved SNAP households will be paid until federal funding runs out. At this time, we don’t know exactly when that will be.   

Why are some clients getting zero SNAP benefits when they received benefits last month? 

• The amount of SNAP benefits a household will get depends on household circumstances like household members, income, and expenses. Households with income will see the greatest reduction in their November SNAP benefits.

Will I get my full amount later? 

• We expect that November SNAP will be paid in full, but we do not know when.

If the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed in July, why are changes only happening now?

The Trump administration waited months to issue guidance implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's provisions on Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) work rules, non-citizen eligibility, and the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA). DTA has been preparing while awaiting federal direction for consistent implementation across all states.  

Will immigrants lose benefits immediately?

Certain non-citizens who newly apply starting November 1st will not be eligible for SNAP based on eligibility changes made by the Trump Administration and the OBBB. Certain non-citizens who already receive SNAP but are impacted by these changed rules through DTA will be ineligible as of their next recertification period.

What about the new work requirements?

Beginning November 1, more people must meet ABAWD work rules at application or recertification. This includes parents with teens 14+, homeless individuals, veterans, and people up to 65. Over the next year, DTA expects up to approximately 99,000 more people to be required to meet strict work requirements to keep benefits. Because of the confusing and administratively burdensome nature of these rules, many of these people could lose their SNAP eligibility.  

DTA will check if you have to meet the work rules during your Recertification. Before then, you do not need to contact DTA about the work rules. You can also talk to community partners near you to help understand the changes. Find a list of SNAP Outreach Partners here: SNAP outreach partners |Mass.gov.

How will Massachusetts handle the Payment Error Rate penalties?

On top of continuous quality improvement efforts, DTA is implementing technology upgrades and enhanced training to maintain accuracy while protecting service quality, with potential penalties of $131-394M annually starting in Fiscal Year 2028. The Department is recruiting additional caseworkers to identify and correct errors more efficiently, expanding staff training in high-impact areas like eligibility determination and income verification, and strengthening partnerships with the Department of Unemployment and Department of Revenue to ensure access to the most current and accurate income data available.