Does SNAP money expire? Yes, but not at the end of the month. Any monthly allotment you leave untouched on your EBT card for nine months (274 days) is permanently removed, and depending on which method your state uses, that clock may run on each allotment individually regardless of whether you have been using the card at all.
The Nine-Month Expungement Rule
Federal regulations require every state to expunge SNAP allotments that go unused for nine months. Each state picks one of two methods and applies it to every household.
Inactive Account Method
Under this approach, the state only expunges benefits from accounts that have been completely inactive for nine months. Make even one purchase during that window and the state cannot expunge anything, even if some of your allotments are older than nine months. If the account stays inactive and the oldest allotment hits nine months, the state begins removing each monthly allotment as it ages to nine months from its issuance date or the last date you used the account, whichever came later. If you make a purchase at any point after expungement has started, the state must stop removing benefits and restart the aging clock for whatever is left.
Unused Benefits Method
This approach is stricter. The state expunges each individual monthly allotment nine months after it was issued, regardless of whether you have been actively using your card. A purchase yesterday will not save an allotment that was issued nine months ago. Regular card use does not protect old balances the way it does under the inactive account method.
Both methods work at the monthly allotment level, not on your total balance. If you received $200 in January and $200 in February, each has its own nine-month clock.
First-In, First-Out Spending Helps
Federal rules require states to apply your EBT purchases against the oldest benefits first. Regular spending naturally burns through the allotments closest to expungement before touching newer ones. If you spend a reasonable portion of your benefits each month, the oldest balances get used up well before the nine-month mark. The households most at risk are those that accumulate large balances over many months without spending.
What Happens at Three Months: Off-Line Storage
Before benefits are permanently removed, your state may take an intermediate step. If your EBT account has been inactive for three months (91 days), the state can move your entire balance to off-line storage. Once benefits are off-line, your EBT card will not work for purchases until they are restored.
The state must send written notice either before or at the same time it takes your benefits off-line. That notice has to explain how to get your benefits back on-line and describe the state’s permanent expungement policy. No notice is required if the account has a zero balance.
Off-line storage is not the same as expungement. Benefits held off-line that have not yet reached the nine-month mark must be reinstated and made available within 48 hours of your contacting the state agency. Even a general request for help or a recertification filing counts as contact.
What Counts as Using Your Card
The federal definition of “account activity” is narrow: it means something that affects the balance of your EBT account, such as a purchase or a return. Checking your balance by phone, logging into an online portal, or swiping your card at an ATM for a balance inquiry does not count. None of those actions change your balance, so none of them reset any inactivity clock.
The simplest way to prevent expungement is to buy something with your EBT card at least once every couple of months. Even a small purchase, like a piece of fruit, qualifies. If your state uses the inactive account method, a single purchase protects your entire balance. If your state uses the unused benefits method, regular purchases combined with the first-in, first-out rule will draw down the oldest allotments before they hit nine months. Either way, the practical advice is the same: use the card, even in small amounts.
The 30-Day Notice Before Benefits Are Removed
Your state must send you a notice at least 30 days before it begins expunging your benefits. The notice has to include the date your benefits are scheduled to be removed and the steps you can take to prevent it, including the option to request that any off-line benefits be restored to your account.
If you get one of these notices, act immediately. Make a purchase with your EBT card. If your benefits have already been moved off-line, contact your state SNAP office and they must restore accessible benefits within 48 hours.
Once Benefits Are Expunged, They’re Gone
Expunged benefits are permanently gone. The federal regulation is unambiguous: expunged benefits “shall be removed from the Account Management Agent and shall not be reinstated.” No state agency has the authority to put expunged funds back on your card, regardless of the circumstances. The money returns to the program’s general funds.
If the State Got It Wrong: Your Right to a Hearing
If your state removes benefits from your account and you believe the action was improper, for example because you never received the required 30-day notice or the state miscalculated your inactivity period, federal law guarantees your right to a fair hearing. You can request one for any state action that affected your benefits within the prior 90 days. The request can be oral or written, and state agencies are prohibited from discouraging or limiting your ability to ask.
Once you request a hearing, the state must give you the specific case materials you need to prepare, at no charge, and inform you about free legal services in your area. You can present your case yourself or through a representative, bring witnesses, and examine documents and testimony the state uses. If you request the hearing within the time frame in your notice of adverse action and your certification period has not expired, your benefits continue at the previous level while the hearing is pending, unless you waive that protection.
Recertification Is a Separate Clock
Expungement from inactivity is not the same as losing benefits because your certification period ended. SNAP eligibility is approved for a set period, and you must recertify by completing an interview and submitting updated household information. If you miss that deadline, your case closes and new benefits stop being issued, but any balance already on your card is still subject to the normal inactivity and expungement rules.
If your case closes because you missed recertification and you act within 30 days of the certification period ending, most states will reopen your case without a new application. After 30 days, you generally need to apply from scratch. The recertification deadline and the expungement clock run independently, so someone who stops engaging with the program entirely can lose benefits for both reasons.
Theft and Skimming Are a Different Problem
Losing benefits to inactivity is not the same as losing them to theft. Congress authorized federal funds to replace SNAP benefits stolen between October 1, 2022 and December 20, 2024. That authority expired on December 20, 2024, and benefits stolen after that date are not eligible for federal replacement. As of 2026, the USDA only reimburses losses from physical card theft, not electronic skimming, though legal advocacy groups are challenging this in court. If your card is compromised, report it to your state agency immediately; some states may offer replacement through their own funds, but there is no federal guarantee.