The 41.7 million Americans who rely on the currently-paused Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shouldn't expect relief immediately.

Partial November payments are set to be distributed after the Trump administration agreed to comply with a court order demanding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown.

A Nov. 4 Truth Social post from President Donald Trump appeared to contradict that, saying his administration would not pay food assistance benefits until the federal shutdown ends. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the post didn't reflect plans to violate the rulings, saying, "The administration is fully complying with the court order."

"The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand, it’s going to take some time," Leavitt cautioned.

Recipients can expect partial payments

Getting payments out in November is a multi-layered issue, in part due to an apparent lack of funds.

The USDA said it currently has $4.65 billion in SNAP contingency funds, which is about half of the $9.2 billion Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said SNAP will cost in November. This money will only be able to cover “50% of eligible households’ current allotments,” the administration told Rhode Island federal Judge John McConnell, meaning partial payments will have to be distributed.

As this has never been done in the history of the program, it will likely take states days, weeks or even months to reprogram their systems and work with contractors to enable partial payments, USDA official Patrick Penn told the court.

Additionally, the actual distribution of SNAP funds to recipients is handled by states, which do not operate under one universal timeline or framework. The unprecedented nature of such a disruption to the program continues to leave a lot of questions, despite the court orders and the Trump administration's promises to release the funds.

When will SNAP benefits be paid in November?

There isn't a national distribution date for SNAP benefits. SNAP recipients will have to look to their state governments for information about when their next benefits could be sent out.

While the first of the month is often associated with the payment of government benefits, payment dates differ by state. Even within states, the dates vary by recipient, with some using Social Security numbers, last names or case numbers to determine who receives money on which day of the month.

In Arizona, for example, payments are made between the 1st and 13th of the month, depending on the first letter of the recipient's last name. In Arkansas, payments come between the 4th and 13th and are determined by the final digit in Social Security numbers.

How to find out when SNAP will be paid in your state

Your state government, specifically the departments of health and human services, family and social services, disability services or similar agencies, will have the most updated information about SNAP payments where you live. Many states are still figuring out the path ahead.

Here's how a few states are handling the situation.

  • The North Carolina DHHS said on Nov. 4 it was updating its payment system to enable partial payments at the direction of the USDA. The payments will be loaded onto Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards "by next week" if federal funds are provided as expected, it said.

Other states were less specific.

  • Pennsylvania said on Nov. 3 that it was not clear when payments would be made and advised that the state's Department of Health Services "will notify SNAP recipients when SNAP payments can resume."
  • Ohio's Department of Job & Family Services similarly said on Nov. 4 that it would "notify SNAP recipients regarding when they will receive their partial November benefits and the recalculated amount under the new federal guidance."

A handful of states have mitigated the disruption by taking action with their own funds.

  • California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Mexico, New York, Vermont and Virginia, among other states, announced plans to supplement SNAP funding in some capacity or use state money to purchase food for food banks.

How are SNAP benefits paid?

Usually, SNAP benefits are issued to EBT cards, which work like debit cards that can be used to buy groceries at authorized retailers, including supermarkets and convenience stores.

Each state must send data about eligible households' SNAP benefits to its EBT vendor each month. This data allows vendors to load benefits onto EBT cards for the upcoming month and, if not filed in time, results in delays or missed payments. Typically, the USDA coordinates and authorizes these state transmissions, but its ability to do so is limited by furloughs and a lack of funding during the shutdown.

The actual process of receiving funds automatically loaded onto EBT cards isn't likely to change. How long it will take, however, is unclear.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will SNAP benefits be paid? What to know for November

Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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