Formerly referred to as food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a government welfare program that provides assistance to families and individuals suffering from food insecurity. As many as 41.5 million U.S. citizens, or about 1 in 8 Americans, participated in the program in fiscal year 2021.

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Although the broad strokes of the SNAP program remain the same from year to year, certain details change annually. Here are some of the biggest changes that are on tap for the SNAP program in 2023.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment

SNAP benefits are adjusted annually based on the rate of inflation. The announced increase in payments for 2023 — which technically started Oct. 1, 2022 — was 12.5%. This means that households receiving $500 in SNAP benefits from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sep. 30, 2022, will see an increase to $562.50 for the next year.

Higher Top Payouts

Starting Oct. 1, 2022, and running until Sept. 30, 2023, SNAP recipients will see higher maximum benefit amounts. The values vary depending on the size of the qualifying household, as follows:

• One-person: $281 vs. $250 from (Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022)

• Two-person: $516 vs. $459 from (Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022)

• Three-person: $740 vs. $658 from (Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022)

• Four-person: $939 vs. $835 from (Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022)

• Five-person:…