Food stamps Washington: Basic Food income limits and estimate

Basic Food income limits in Washington

Washington’s Basic Food income limit is 200% of the federal poverty guidelines: a household whose countable gross income is at or under that line is categorically eligible and does not have to pass the separate gross and net income tests.^[1][2][3] Those households also have no resource limit.^[4] Households that are not categorically eligible face an asset limit under the federal rules.^[4][5]

The table uses the poverty-based standards that took effect for SNAP on October 1, 2026.^[11] Washington measures your household’s income after its exclusions, not every dollar it receives.^[2] When you list your expenses, DSHS also deducts child support you are legally required to pay to someone outside your household.^[6]

Applying through Washington Connection

The quickest way to apply for Basic Food is online at Washington Connection, and you can also apply by phone at 877-501-2233, in person at your local DSHS Community Services Office, or by mail to the DSHS Customer Service Center, P.O. Box 11699, Tacoma, WA 98411-6699.^[1]

• Interview. Everyone has one at the first application and at least once every 12 months after that, either at a Community Services Office or over the phone.^[7][6]
• Expedited service. DSHS checks every application for help within seven calendar days, counting from the day after you file. You qualify with gross income under $150 and $100 or less in cash, or if your income and cash are less than your rent or mortgage plus the utility allowance, or as a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker household. Only proof of identity is needed first.^[8] DSHS says households that meet these requirements are eligible to get benefits the same day.^[6]
• Everything else is decided within 30 days of the filing date, using the proof you send of income, rent and bills.^[9]

Worked example: a family of five in Washington

Two parents and three children with $3,900 a month in wages, $1,750 rent and their own heating bill would get about $592 a month in Basic Food. The amount is the maximum for five people minus 30% of the family’s net income.^[10][11]

Their rent and utility allowance exceed half of their adjusted income by more than the $769 cap, so the deduction stops there. Washington has no standard medical deduction: a household with a member who is 60 or older or disabled deducts actual out-of-pocket medical costs above $35 a month.^[6] A 68-year-old on $1,100 of Social Security with $900 rent, a heating bill and $120 in monthly medical costs would get about $306.

Utility allowances and Heat and Eat

Basic Food uses three flat utility allowances instead of your actual bills: the standard utility allowance (SUA) of $533 for households that pay for heating or cooling, a limited utility allowance (LUA) of $420 for households with other utility costs, and a telephone allowance (TUA) of $60.^[19][10]

Washington also pays a small annual energy assistance payment of $20.01 that qualifies a household for the full SUA, a policy called Heat and Eat. It now applies only to households with an elderly or disabled member.^[20] DSHS warned that other households could see the effect starting in May 2026.^[18]

Reviews, the EBT card and deposit days

Basic Food benefits arrive on a Washington Quest EBT card on the same day each month, a date between the 1st and the 20th that is printed on your approval letter, and they are available by 6 a.m. Pacific time even on weekends and holidays.^[15] For card problems, call EBT customer service at 888-328-9271.^[15]

Most households are certified for up to 12 months.^[12] In the sixth month there is a mid-certification review: the letter comes in month five, it is due by the 10th of month six, and there is no interview. The full eligibility review usually falls in month 12. In between, report when your income goes over the gross limit shown on your approval letter.^[14] Households in the Elderly Simplified Application Project are certified for 36 months, but since an October 2026 manual revision every member must be 65 or older or an adult with a disability.^[12][13]

Work rules, immigrant food benefits and other 2026 changes

Since February 1, 2026, the SNAP time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents applies in every part of Washington; no area is waived.^[16][17] The current 36-month period runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026, and a new one begins January 1, 2027.^[17] The rule now reaches age 64, and DSHS lists who is exempt: people under 18 or 65 and older, American Indians and Alaska Natives, pregnant people, people with a disability, and adults with a child under 14 in the home. Veterans, people who are homeless and former foster youth are no longer exempt under the 2025 federal law.^[18][24] DSHS says nobody will lose food benefits over work requirements before their eligibility review and screening.^[18]

• State-funded food for immigrants. Washington’s Food Assistance Program (FAP) pays the same amount as Basic Food to lawfully present immigrants who are ineligible for SNAP only because of their immigration status.^[21] In May 2026, DSHS moved refugees, asylees and immigrants with humanitarian protections to these state-funded benefits automatically, with no change in amount.^[18]
• SUN Bucks. Washington ran Summer EBT in 2026 at $120 per child; applications received before September 4, 2026 were considered.^[22]
• SNAP-Ed. The federal nutrition education program officially ended in Washington on January 31, 2026.^[18]
• November 2025 shutdown. With nearly 1 million Washingtonians relying on SNAP, about $37 million a week in federal benefits, the Governor moved $2.2 million a week to food banks.^[23]

Official Washington links

• Washington Connection (apply for Basic Food, check your case) Washington State DSHS
• DSHS Basic Food page apply by phone at 877-501-2233
• Basic Food FAQs interviews, deductions, expedited service
• EBT card information EBT customer service 888-328-9271

See how Basic Food compares with Florida food stamps, Indiana food stamps and Louisiana food stamps, check the national food stamps income limit tables, or read the requirements to be on food stamps that apply in every state. The SNAP calculator on our home page works for any state.

Quick table: Washington SNAP amounts by income

These amounts come from the same calculator as above, using Washington’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

Washington’s SNAP payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 was 6.98%, against a national rate of 10.62%.^[25] 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).^[24] That puts Washington 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.