Short answer: South Carolina DSS runs a 130% gross income test ($3,575 for four) and no asset test.
Benefits land on your EBT card between the 1st and 19th, keyed to your case number's last digit.
The calculator above applies DSS's own FY 2027 standards and returns a monthly estimate in about two minutes.
South Carolina runs SNAP through the Department of Social Services and county offices across 46 counties.
The state keeps the federal structure: a 130% gross income test, a net test after deductions, and categorical eligibility.
More than 520,000 South Carolinians received SNAP in December 2025 — about 48% of them children under 18.
Benefits arrive monthly on a South Carolina EBT card, and Healthy Bucks stretches SNAP dollars at participating farmers markets.
The card works at every authorized grocer, including markets across the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry.
It never covers alcohol, tobacco, vitamins, hot deli meals, pet food, or other non-food household items.
Balance checks happen through the ConnectEBT app and portal, or the 1-800-554-5268 phone line.
This guide covers FY 2027 income limits, the no-asset-test rule, deductions, Healthy Bucks, deposit dates, and 2026 work-rule changes.
From Myrtle Beach tourism towns to Upstate mill towns, these rules apply the same way statewide.
South Carolina SNAP at a glance — fiscal year 2027, running October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027
State agency: South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), Columbia
Apply online: the DSS Benefits Portal — applications, renewals, uploads, real-time status
Gross income limit: 130% FPL ($1,729 single / $3,575 family of four)
Max monthly benefit: $306 – $1,841 (+$225 per additional member)
Asset test: none under South Carolina's categorical eligibility policy
Deposit schedule: 1st–19th, by last digit of your case number
EBT help: 1-800-554-5268, 24 hours · DSS Connect Call Center 1-800-616-1309
What this guide covers:
Income limits for FY 2027 · Savings and the no-asset-test rule · Deductions that move your number · A worked benefit example · Healthy Bucks at farmers markets · Applying through DSS · When your EBT card loads · Work rules for adults without children · Non-citizen eligibility after April 2026 · SUN Bucks in South Carolina · What changes October 1, 2026 · South Carolina SNAP FAQ
South Carolina Income Limits for FY 2027
DSS states the rule plainly: a household's gross monthly income cannot exceed 130% of the federal poverty level.
Most households must also keep net income — after deductions — at or below 100% of poverty.
The official figures, including the $616 addition for each member beyond eight, look like this:
| People in household | Gross income ceiling (130% FPL) | Net income ceiling (100% FPL) | Top monthly benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| One person | $1,729 | $1,330 | $306 |
| Two people | $2,345 | $1,804 | $562 |
| Three people | $2,960 | $2,277 | $808 |
| Four people | $3,575 | $2,750 | $1,023 |
| Each additional | +$616 | +$474 | +$225 |
Larger households: gross ceilings run $4,191 (five), $4,806 (six), $5,421 (seven), and $6,037 (eight).
Net ceilings run $3,224, $3,697, $4,170, and $4,644, and the eight-person benefit reaches $1,841. Figures match the USDA adjustment DSS publishes.
Your SNAP household means everyone you buy and prepare food with, plus your spouse and children under 22.
Income paid weekly multiplies by 4.33 and biweekly pay multiplies by 2.17 for the monthly figure.
Households with a member 60 or older, or disabled, follow a different track under federal rules.
If countable assets stay under $4,750, only the net income test applies — the gross screen disappears entirely.
DSS's own eligibility FAQ confirms the 100% FPL net limit for households with elderly or disabled members.
Under the state's BBCE policy, gross ceilings can stretch to 200% FPL — $2,660 single, $5,500 family of four.
That wider door mostly helps elderly and disabled households whose circumstances sit between the two tracks.
South Carolina also issues the federal $25 minimum monthly benefit to qualifying one- and two-person households.
Want the arithmetic behind every row? Our SNAP maximum allotments guide breaks it down, and the income limits guide explains the 130% test.
Resources: What Counts in South Carolina
Here is the correction most old guides miss: South Carolina has no asset limit for most households.
The state runs broad-based categorical eligibility, which removes the resource test altogether for the vast majority of applicants.
Bank balances, retirement accounts, and vehicle values generally cannot disqualify an otherwise-eligible household on their own.
One vehicle per adult driver plus any income-producing vehicle stay exempt; value above $4,650 on others can count.
The federal $3,000 and $4,750 caps surface only for elderly or disabled households choosing the net-test-only route — the FY 2027 resource standard.
Homes, personal belongings, and most retirement savings stay out of the count in every scenario.
Answer the asset questions honestly anyway — the application screens what matters and skips the rest.
If your household holds a car, a rented apartment, and a modest checking account, the resource rules rarely complicate anything.
Curious how this compares nationally? Our eligibility rules guide maps which states still test assets.
Deductions That Lower Countable Income
The gap between gross and net income is where South Carolina applications are won. These are the levers:
20% EARNED INCOME EXCLUSION
All reported wages get a 20% reduction before any other deduction applies. Work literally lowers your countable income.
STANDARD DEDUCTION — $217–$308
Households of one to three receive $217; four receive $229; five get $268; six or more receive $308.
DEPENDENT CARE COSTS
Child care or adult care costs that make work, school, or training possible subtract dollar for dollar.
MEDICAL EXPENSES — 60+ OR DISABLED
Out-of-pocket medical costs above $35 monthly deduct without a cap — prescriptions, premiums, transport, dentures all qualify.
SHELTER DEDUCTION — $769 CAP
Rent or mortgage plus utilities above half your countable income deduct, up to the $769 FY 2027 cap.
HOMELESS SHELTER — $205.66
Households without a fixed nighttime residence claim the flat $205.66 homeless shelter deduction — no receipts required.
Keep every Dominion Energy or electric co-op bill from the last month when you apply.
South Carolina folds a utility allowance into the shelter deduction, pushing most renting households toward the cap.
That pairing is the simplest way to raise a monthly benefit without any change in income.
Charleston-area rents reach the $769 cap almost immediately — the deduction maxes out fast there.
Self-employed applicants take a 40% standard deduction from gross self-employment income instead of business expenses.
The SNAP deduction amounts guide covers every deduction with FY 2027 figures.
A Worked Benefit Example
Worked example — a Greenville family of three. One parent earns $2,600 a month and the family pays $1,050 rent plus $200 in utilities.
$2,600 gross clears the $2,960 screen. The $217 standard deduction plus the 20% earned exclusion ($520) leave $1,863.
Shelter costs of $1,250 exceed half of $1,863 by $318.50 — under the $769 cap, so the full excess deducts.
Net income lands at $1,544.50, and thirty percent of it is $464. The $808 maximum minus $464 leaves about $344.
Your own numbers will differ — deductions are where the variance lives, every time.
The food stamp calculator guide explains each formula step in more detail.
Healthy Bucks: Extra Dollars at Farmers Markets
Healthy Bucks is South Carolina's signature SNAP incentive, and it triples your produce buying power instantly.
Spend at least $5 of SNAP dollars at a participating market and DSS hands you $15 in Healthy Bucks tokens.
The tokens buy additional South Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables from the same participating vendor.
DSS runs Healthy Bucks year-round, though some vendors close during winter months — ask before you shop.
Participating sites span Aiken, Anderson, York, Union, Williamsburg, and other counties across all three regions.
Ask the market manager whether they accept EBT and Healthy Bucks before assuming — participation changes seasonally.
Program questions go to the official Healthy Bucks page or the DSS Connect Call Center during business hours.
Applying Through DSS
South Carolina gives you three doors, and the online door moves fastest by far.
STEP 1 — APPLY ONLINE
File at the DSS Benefits Portal — applications, renewals, document uploads, and real-time status texts live there.
STEP 2 — CALL DSS
The DSS Connect Call Center at 1-800-616-1309 handles applications information, case status, and change reports.
STEP 3 — VISIT A COUNTY OFFICE
County DSS offices accept walk-in applications statewide, and caseworkers schedule eligibility interviews directly, mostly by phone.
After filing, expect an eligibility interview — most are by phone — and a decision within 30 days.
Newly approved households see benefits on the card the day after case approval — faster than the monthly cycle.
The Benefits Portal also sends real-time text and email notifications as your application moves through each stage.
Have identification, income proof, rent records, and utility bills ready; photo uploads through the portal satisfy most requests.
Prefer paper? DSS also accepts applications by mail or fax — download the form from dss.sc.gov.
Once approved, you keep benefits for a certification period, then file a recertification before it ends.
DSS mails a renewal notice before the deadline — missing it ends benefits even if circumstances never changed.
Seasonal work is common across the Lowcountry and the Grand Strand, and the rules account for it.
Households with fluctuating income report at application and renewal, and caseworkers average income over your designated period.
When a tourism job ends in the fall, report it — many Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head households qualify for more.
Migrant and seasonal farm workers may qualify for even faster handling under the federal expedited rules.
ESAP: Income Guidelines and the Shorter Application for Seniors
South Carolina runs ESAP — the Elderly Simplified Application Project. It serves households where every member is 60 or older or lives with a disability, and nobody earns wages. If that describes your home, the income guidelines match regular SNAP exactly: the same gross test, the same deductions, the same FY 2027 benefit amounts. Nothing about ESAP changes the math.
What changes is the paperwork. ESAP trims the application to a shorter form and drops the recertification interview. It gives caseworkers flexibility on verification and stretches the certification period to 36 months instead of the usual 6 to 12. Fixed-income seniors keep benefits rolling three years at a stretch with far fewer letters to answer.
Ask for ESAP by name when you apply through the DSS Benefits Portal, or mention it to the worker at any county DSS office. The screener confirms your household fits the profile and switches your case to the simplified track.
Emergency SNAP: Benefits in Seven Days
Households in immediate crisis receive expedited benefits within seven calendar days of filing an application.
DSS's own FAQ lists the three federal triggers — meeting any single one qualifies your household:
1. Gross income under $150 with liquid resources of $100 or less.
2. Monthly gross income plus cash on hand is less than rent or mortgage plus utilities.
3. A destitute migrant or seasonal farm worker in the household with resources of $100 or less.
Expedited cases still complete the full application later — the seven-day clock just starts benefits first.
When Your EBT Card Loads Each Month
South Carolina spreads deposits between the 1st and the 19th, keyed to the last digit of your case number.
DSS publishes the mapping in its own SNAP FAQ, and the pattern repeats every month.
| Last digit of your case number | Benefits load on |
|---|---|
| 1 | 11th of the month |
| 2 | 2nd of the month |
| 3 | 13th of the month |
| 4 | 4th of the month |
| 5 | 15th of the month |
| 6 | 6th of the month |
| 7 | 17th of the month |
| 8 | 8th of the month |
| 9 | 19th of the month |
| 0 | 10th of the month |
The pattern: odd digits load ten days later than the digit itself, even digits load on the digit.
Case numbers ending in 0 load on the 10th. Source: DSS SNAP FAQ (dss.sc.gov).
Deposits land on the same calendar day monthly, including weekends and holidays, because transfers are electronic.
Track balances in the ConnectEBT portal, lock your card instantly, or review purchase history anytime.
Unused benefits roll over month to month, so nothing disappears if you skip a grocery run.
The card works at authorized retailers in all fifty states — travel does not interrupt benefits.
Guard your PIN with your hand at every checkout terminal, and change it if anyone glances.
DSS urges anyone who spots unfamiliar transactions to call 1-800-554-5268 immediately and cancel the card.
Lost or stolen cards freeze fastest through that same 24-hour line — replacements arrive by mail within about a week.
One warning worth repeating: selling benefits or trading them for cash is trafficking, and DSS disqualifies violators permanently.
Work Requirements
New federal work rules took effect in South Carolina on February 2, 2026, under the OBBBA benefits law.
DSS announced the change itself: able-bodied adults without dependents, ages 18 through 64, face the federal time limit.
That age ceiling rose from 54 to 64, sweeping older adults into the work rules for the first time.
ABAWDs can receive benefits for only three months in any 36-month span unless they average 80 hours monthly.
Work, a work program, or any combination averaging 80 hours a month — about 20 weekly — satisfies the rule.
The caregiver exemption narrowed: children under 14 keep parents exempt, while caring for teens aged 14 through 17 does not.
Exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults aged out of foster care were removed entirely.
Households regain eligibility by averaging 80 hours in any single month or joining a work program.
DSS runs a free Employment and Training program of its own — every hour there moves you closer to the bar.
College students face extra screens: half-time enrollment generally requires a work exception, a work-study slot, or caring for a young child.
Students on state or federal work-study during the term count as employed under the 2026 rules.
The details come from DSS's February 2026 announcement, worth reading if you sit near the line.
Comparing the Carolinas is common: North Carolina opens eligibility to 200% FPL, wider than South Carolina's 130% test.
Georgia holds the standard 130% test, while Mississippi's food stamp program and the Oklahoma SNAP calculator page also run 130% rules.
Our who qualifies for SNAP guide covers the rules both Carolinas share, from student exemptions to immigrant eligibility.
Immigrant Eligibility: The April 2026 Rules
Federal non-citizen rules narrow considerably starting April 2026 under the same federal law.
Refugees, asylees, and parolees lose eligibility; lawful permanent residents, Cuban-Haitian entrants, and COFA nationals keep it.
Households with mixed immigration statuses should still apply — eligible members can receive benefits for citizen children.
Applying for SNAP does not count against a green card application under current public-charge rules.
Our who-qualifies-for-SNAP guide walks through immigrant eligibility category by category, with the April 2026 changes explained.
SUN Bucks in South Carolina
Here is the honest answer: South Carolina is not participating in Summer EBT for 2026.
That means no $120 SUN Bucks deposit per school-age child this summer, unlike North Carolina.
Neighboring North Carolina served about a million children $120 each in its first 2026 round.
The state could join in a future year, but families should not expect a 2026 deposit.
Summer meal sites, WIC for young children, and congregate feeding programs fill part of the gap locally.
What Changes October 1, 2026
The annual cost-of-living adjustment takes effect October 1, 2026, and USDA has already confirmed FY 2027 figures.
Three numbers change the South Carolina benefit picture directly when the new year starts:
$1,023
New max benefit, family of four (from $1,023)
$306
New max for a single person (from $306)
$25
New minimum benefit (from $25)
Deductions rise too: the standard deduction becomes $217, and the shelter cap climbs to $769.
Gross ceilings rise to $1,729 for one person plus $616 per additional member; net ceilings to $1,330 plus $474.
The USDA COLA announcement carries every FY 2027 figure, and our COLA guide explains the mechanics.
Re-run the calculator each October — a small COLA bump occasionally flips marginal cases to eligible.
South Carolina SNAP FAQ
What exactly is Healthy Bucks?
Healthy Bucks is the state's farmers market incentive: spend $5 in SNAP at participating vendors and receive $15 in tokens.
Tokens buy extra South Carolina-grown produce at the same market, year-round where vendors operate.
How do I check my application status?
Use the DSS Benefits Portal for real-time updates, or call 1-800-616-1309 with your case number ready.
Status checks work best mid-month; the first week after deposits is the busiest.
Does SNAP hurt my chances at other benefits?
No. SNAP does not reduce Social Security, SSI, or VA payments.
Many households approved for SNAP are screened for Medicaid and WIC in the same file.
What if my card is lost or stolen?
Call 1-800-554-5268 immediately to freeze the card and request a replacement.
Report stolen benefits promptly — replacement rules have tightened, so timing matters.
How much does a single person get in South Carolina?
A one-person household tops out at $306 monthly, with a $25 minimum for the smallest qualifying cases.
Actual amounts depend on net income after deductions — the calculator above runs your numbers.
Is there an asset limit in South Carolina?
No — South Carolina's categorical eligibility policy removes the asset test for most households entirely.
Only elderly or disabled households using the federal net-test-only route face the $4,750 cap.
Did the SNAP work rules change in 2026?
Yes — effective February 2, 2026, the ABAWD age range rose to 18 through 64.
The 80-hour monthly standard continues, and several exemptions — including veterans and homeless individuals — disappeared.
When exactly does my EBT card refill?
Between the 1st and 19th by case number's last digit: ending 9 loads the 19th, ending 2 loads the 2nd.
The full ten-digit mapping table appears in the deposit section above.
Estimate First, Apply Second
Run your household through the calculator above — it applies South Carolina's gross and net tests exactly as DSS does.
If the estimate holds up, file online at the benefits portal or dial 1-800-616-1309 to start the official process.
Our Georgia SNAP calculator covers the western border, and the all-states index is one click away.
The payment schedule guide explains when each month's deposit lands on your card.
Two quick pointers before you file.
First, re-run the estimate whenever your household changes — jobs, babies, and rent increases all shift the math.
Second, report changes promptly through the portal; clean cases avoid overpayment claims later.
