Food stamp recipients in Alabama will see their monthly benefits drop by almost $180 a household as pandemic-era programs end.

Emergency allotments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, were put in place two years ago to provide a financial boost during COVID. The changes were temporary, however, and the latest government spending bill ended the program for Alabama and 31 other states where the special allotments remained.

The change will go into effect with March benefits.

“The end of the temporary (emergency allotments) will be a significant change that will increase food hardship for many individuals and families, given the modest amount of basic SNAP benefits and high recent inflation in food prices,” the analysis noted. “Without the EAs, SNAP benefits will average only about $6.10 per person per day in 2023.”

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The emergency allotments allowed SNAP households to receive an additional $95 in benefits each month, or, if greater, the difference between what they had been getting and the maximum allowed for their household size.

An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Procedures found the average reduction per household in Alabama will be $179, roughly $85 per person. That’s slightly lower than the national average of $90 per person per month cuts.

In 2022, an average of 761,100 people in Alabama from 377,000 households, received SNAP benefits. More than 70% of SNAP recipients in Alabama are households with children; 38% are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled.