Frequently Asked Questions

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps you pay for food. It is Colorado’s part of the federal SNAP program. SNAP used to be known as Food Stamps.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is for people who can’t afford all their food. Most households have to meet income limits to qualify for the program.

Learn more about SNAP income limits.

For people with disabilities, the SNAP resource limit is $4,500. This does not include your primary car or the home you live in.

If you have a disability that began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $18,000 each year (or more if you work). The money you have in this account will not count for the SNAP resource limit. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

If you are not sure if you’ll meet the income and resource limits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), go ahead and apply for SNAP benefits to see if you qualify.

The amount you get depends on your household income, what deductions you have, and the number of people in your household.

Learn more about how SNAP decides how much you get in benefits.

You can apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

• Online using Colorado PEAK. You can also use Colorado PEAK to see if you are eligible for SNAP and other benefits.
• Using the MyCOBenefits app available from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
• Using a paper application for benefits: print it, fill it out, and then either mail or fax it to your local county human services department. There are application forms in English, Spanish, and large print.
• In person at your local county human services department.

When you get SNAP, you get an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that looks and works like a debit card. Colorado puts money on the EBT card each month and you use the card to pay for food. You can use your EBT card at grocery stores, some restaurants, and farmers markets.

To avoid problems with your SNAP benefits, report any changes in your household by the 10^th of the month following the month that the change occurred. When you start getting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, you get instructions on how to report changes in your household and what to report, including how to report changes online or to your county human services department.

SNAP is the same program as what you knew as Food Stamps. It got its name from giving paper “stamps” to buy food. Now, SNAP uses an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card.