Food stamp income limit NC: Food and Nutrition Services limits for 2026–27

North Carolina food stamp income limits by household size

North Carolina’s gross income limit for Food and Nutrition Services is 200% of the federal poverty level, and the table below shows it for each household size from October 1, 2026, with the net limit and the maximum benefit.^[1][2][3] The state calls this “Expanded (200%) Categorical Eligibility”: a household at or below 200% that gets the notice of TANF-funded services printed on every application automatically passes the resource test.^[1]

USDA’s chart, updated November 12, 2026, also lists North Carolina at 200% with no limit on assets for all households.^[2] The maximum benefits in the last column are the federal amounts for October 2026 through September 2027; NCDHHS’s public FNS page still showed the older $298 one-person maximum when checked in November 2026.^[3][4]

What counts toward the North Carolina limit

The 200% test uses gross monthly income, meaning wages before taxes plus unearned income such as Social Security, unemployment or child support received, with one North Carolina twist: legally obligated child support that a household member pays is subtracted before the gross income screen.^[5][6] A parent who earns $3,800 and pays $400 in child support is therefore screened on $3,400.^[5]

• Gross limit (200%). Decides whether you qualify at all under expanded eligibility.^[1]
• Net limit (100%). Not applied to expanded-eligibility households; the benefit formula sets the amount, and an eligible household of one or two people gets at least $25.^[6][3]
• 130% line. After approval, a household whose income was at or below 130% of poverty has to report an increase that takes it over 130% ($2,960 for three people).^[7]

Here is a family of three with $2,450 in wages and $300 of child support received, paying $975 rent plus heating or cooling:

The family’s $2,750 gross income is well under the $4,554 limit for three, and the estimate is $419 a month. A couple earning $3,300 shows why the 200% rule matters: they are over the 130% line for two ($2,345) and would be turned away in a 130% state, but in North Carolina they qualify for about $25.

North Carolina utility allowances: SUA, BUA and TUA

North Carolina’s utility allowances depend on household size: from October 1, 2026, the heating and cooling SUA is $659 for one person, $723 for two, $795 for three, $866 for four and $944 for five or more.^[8] The basic utility allowance (BUA), for households with utility costs but no heating or cooling bill, is $406 for one person, $446 for two, $491 for three, $536 for four and $584 for five or more, and the telephone allowance (TUA) is $43 for every size.^[8]

• Internet is not a utility. Since the 2025 federal law, North Carolina lists internet charges as a non-allowable utility expense.^[5]
• LIEAP and the SUA. A Low Income Energy Assistance payment in the past 12 months gives a household the SUA automatically only if it includes an elderly or disabled member who was part of the LIEAP household.^[5]
• Medical costs. For elderly or disabled members, NC FAST allows a medical deduction only for the amount above $35 a month.^[5]
• Federal amounts. The standard deduction is $217 for one to three people and $229 for four, and the excess shelter deduction is capped at $769 for households without an elderly or disabled member.^[8][3]

How to apply for Food and Nutrition Services in North Carolina

You can apply online through ePASS, in person at your county Department of Social Services, or by mailing a paper application to your county DSS office.^[9] ePASS also handles recertifications and change reports, and you may need to create an account first.^[9] For questions, the NCDHHS Customer Service Center is 1-800-662-7030.^[9]

1. Interview. Every application needs one, held in person, by phone or by video conference.^[9][10]
2. Expedited benefits. When a household qualifies for expedited service, the county must approve it by the fourth calendar day so the household has its EBT card and benefits no later than the seventh day.^[11][12]

Certification, reporting and NC EBT deposit days

North Carolina certifies households made up only of elderly or disabled members without earned income for 12 months and all other households for 6 months, and NC FAST assigns the period automatically.^[7] Almost every household is on simplified reporting, which means reporting income that rises above 130% of poverty and, for able-bodied adults under the time limit, work hours that drop below 80 a month.^[7]

Benefits land on your NC EBT card on the same day each month, after 6 a.m., based on the last digit of your Social Security number, even when that day is a weekend or holiday; without an SSN they come on the 3rd.^[4] NCDHHS points cardholders to the ebtEDGE mobile app, and the NC EBT Call Center is 1-866-719-0141.^[4]

Work rules and 2025–2026 changes in North Carolina

North Carolina applies the 3-month time limit to able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64 without a child under 14 in the household, under rules that took effect December 1, 2025, with the current period running from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.^[13][14] The state manual notes that the 2025 federal law ended the exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth.^[13][15] An adult under the limit keeps benefits past 3 months by working, volunteering or training at least 80 hours a month.^[16]

• Non-citizen rules. New federal rules on which non-citizens can get FNS took effect in North Carolina on February 1, 2026.^[4]
• SUN Bucks. North Carolina paid a one-time $120 per child for summer 2026, with most children enrolled automatically; the deadline to apply was August 15, 2026.^[17]

Official North Carolina links

• ePASS (apply, recertify, report changes) NC Department of Health and Human Services
• NCDHHS Food and Nutrition Services page NC EBT Call Center 1-866-719-0141
• NC FNS policy manual Section 220, expanded categorical eligibility

For the federal 130% and 100% figures that apply in other states, see the SNAP income limit by household size page; for citizenship, student and work rules, read the requirements to be on food stamps. Nearby guides: New York City food stamps, New York State food stamps and Oklahoma food stamps, or start over at the SNAP calculator.

Quick table: North Carolina SNAP amounts by income

These amounts come from the same calculator as above, using North Carolina’s figures from October 1, 2026, a $1,000 rent and only wages as income; a dash means no benefit (over the income limit, or 30% of net income uses up the whole maximum). Your own rent, utilities, child care or medical costs can raise the amount, so enter your numbers above for an estimate that fits you.

Payment error rate and the 2028 state cost share

North Carolina’s SNAP payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 was 7.36%, against a national rate of 10.62%.^[18] Under the 2025 law, from October 2027 each state pays a share of benefit costs based on that rate (for 2028 the state may elect its 2026 rate instead).^[15] That puts North Carolina in the 5% tier: the state would pay 5% of SNAP benefit costs and the federal government the rest. This does not change how benefits are calculated for a household; it changes who pays for them, so watch for state budget decisions.