Pandemic EBT has ended. Congress created the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program in March 2020 as temporary food assistance for families whose children lost access to free or reduced-price school meals during COVID-19 closures, and its legal authority expired with the federal public health emergency in 2023. No new P-EBT benefits are being issued. What replaced it is a permanent program called Summer EBT, marketed as SUN Bucks, which loads grocery benefits onto a card each summer for children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
Why P-EBT Ended
P-EBT was authorized by Section 1101 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed on March 18, 2020.1Federal Register. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) Integrity The law let USDA approve state plans to feed children who would have received free or reduced-price meals “but for school closures lasting at least five consecutive days during a public health emergency declaration.”2GovInfo. Families First Coronavirus Response Act Congress extended the program through later appropriations acts and the American Rescue Plan Act, but its authority was always tied to the public health emergency. When that declaration ended in 2023, so did P-EBT.
Families still holding an old P-EBT card may be able to spend any remaining balance, but no new benefits will be loaded. The rest of what you need to know is about SUN Bucks.
Who Qualifies for SUN Bucks
Eligibility follows the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. A child qualifies if they’ve been individually certified for free or reduced-price meals at a participating school.3Food and Nutrition Service. SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) Children at Community Eligibility Provision schools, where every student eats free, are covered too, as are children at schools using Provision 2 or Provision 3.
Private school students qualify only if the school participates in the NSLP or School Breakfast Program and the child has been certified for free or reduced-price meals. Not every private school participates, so check with the school first.
Homeschooled and virtual school students who aren’t enrolled in any participating school can’t apply directly. They can only receive SUN Bucks through “direct certification,” meaning the household already participates in SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. Some states also directly certify children in foster care or households on Medicaid. If your household doesn’t participate in any of those programs, a homeschooled child won’t qualify, though applying for SNAP could open the door to both.
How Children Get Enrolled
Most eligible children are signed up automatically. States match school meal records against SNAP, TANF, and other assistance program data to identify who qualifies. Federal rules require states to use SNAP data, and most also pull from TANF, foster care, homeless and migrant student records, and Head Start.4Food and Nutrition Service. Summer EBT Q&As
Children at NSLP or School Breakfast Program schools who aren’t picked up through data matching can apply through their state’s Summer EBT agency. The state has to verify the child’s enrollment in a participating school when the application is approved.4Food and Nutrition Service. Summer EBT Q&As Applications must be submitted by the last day of the summer operational period, which generally runs from the end of one school year to the start of the next.5eCFR. 7 CFR Part 292 – Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program Late applications can carry over to the following summer.
Cards are mailed to the address on file with the school district or the state benefits agency. A wrong address is the single most common problem: the card goes somewhere else, and sorting it out takes weeks. Update your address with both your child’s school and the state agency before summer if anything has changed.
2026 Benefit Amounts
For 2026, the total summer benefit per eligible child works out to a monthly rate multiplied by three months:6Federal Register. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program; 2026 Benefit Levels
- 48 states and Washington, D.C.: $120 per child ($40 per month)
- Hawaii: $189 per child ($63 per month)
- Alaska (urban): $162 per child ($54 per month)
- Alaska (rural): $207 to $252 per child, depending on location
- U.S. territories: $180 per child ($60 per month)
Benefits are per child. A family with three qualifying children in most states would receive $360 for the summer. The 2026 levels apply from January 1 through December 31.6Federal Register. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program; 2026 Benefit Levels
What the Card Buys
SUN Bucks follows SNAP’s rules. Eligible food means any food or food product for home consumption, along with seeds and plants for growing food.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 U.S.C. 2012 – Definitions Fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread, cereal, and snacks are all covered.
You can’t use the card for:8Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligible Food Items
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Hot prepared foods sold ready to eat
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements (anything with a Supplement Facts label)
- Non-food items like cleaning products, paper goods, hygiene items, and cosmetics
Grocery stores, farmers markets, convenience stores, and many online retailers accept SUN Bucks, generally the same places that take SNAP and WIC.3Food and Nutrition Service. SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) Not every farmers market has an EBT terminal, so check before you go.
Benefits Expire After 122 Days
Federal regulations require states to pull Summer EBT benefits off the card 122 calendar days after they were issued.9eCFR. 7 CFR 292.15 – General Standards The clock starts when the benefits are loaded, not when you activate the card. Any balance left after 122 days is gone, with no extension process. Use the money as soon as you can after the card arrives; don’t save it for later in the year.
Not Every State Participates
Summer EBT is a federal program, but state participation is voluntary. For 2026, more than a dozen states opted out, so children in those states won’t receive SUN Bucks even if they’d otherwise qualify. Participants for 2026 include 37 states, Washington, D.C., five Indian Tribal Organizations, and all five U.S. territories.3Food and Nutrition Service. SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) The USDA’s SUN Bucks page has an interactive map. If your state isn’t in, USDA Summer Meals sites may still operate locally.
Appealing a Denial
If your child is denied or the benefit amount looks wrong, you can appeal. Federal rules give households up to 90 days after the end of the summer operational period to file, which runs well past summer itself.10eCFR. 7 CFR 292.26 – Hearing Procedure for Families and Summer EBT Agencies
The appeal is a fair hearing conducted by someone who wasn’t involved in the original decision. You can ask for the hearing orally or in writing, bring an attorney or anyone else to help, and examine all the documents the agency used. If the hearing finds an agency error, the state has to issue back-benefits for what you should have received.10eCFR. 7 CFR 292.26 – Hearing Procedure for Families and Summer EBT Agencies You can also ask for a less formal conference first without giving up your right to a full hearing. All communications must be in a language you can understand.