An EBT card is a debit-style card that holds government benefits from two separate programs: SNAP, which pays for groceries, and TANF, which gives cash for rent, utilities, transportation, and other household costs. So what EBT cards are used for depends on which benefit is loaded on yours. Many households have only SNAP. Some have both, and each account has its own rules about where and how you can spend it.
Buying Groceries With SNAP
SNAP covers food meant to be prepared and eaten at home. Eligible purchases include fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned), meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, breads, cereals, snack foods, and non-alcoholic beverages. Seeds and plants that produce food for your household also qualify, so tomato seedlings or herb starts ring up the same as a bag of apples.1Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
The list of things SNAP won’t buy is just as specific:
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements (anything with a Supplement Facts label is automatically excluded)
- Hot foods, meaning any item that is hot at the point of sale
- Live animals, with narrow exceptions for shellfish and fish
- Cannabis and CBD products
- Cleaning supplies, paper products, pet food, hygiene products, and cosmetics
The hot-food rule is the one that catches people. A rotisserie chicken under a heat lamp is ineligible; the same chicken sold cold from the refrigerated case is fine.1Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy? Delivery fees, service fees, and convenience fees also cannot come out of SNAP, even for online grocery orders.2Food and Nutrition Service. Stores Accepting SNAP Online
One narrow exception exists. A handful of states run a Restaurant Meals Program that lets SNAP recipients buy prepared meals at authorized restaurants, but every member of the household must be elderly (60 or older), disabled, or homeless to qualify. Nine states participate as of mid-2025: Arizona, California, Illinois (limited counties), Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia.3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program Everywhere else, the hot-food ban applies.
Spending TANF Cash
TANF cash sits on the same EBT card but isn’t restricted to food. Families use it for rent, utilities, transportation, diapers, clothing, and any other household need. You can withdraw it as cash from ATMs or run the card at point-of-sale terminals that accept it.
TANF carries a federal lifetime limit of 60 months of federally funded benefits, and some states set shorter windows. ATM fees vary by state and by machine, so pulling larger amounts less often preserves more of the benefit.
Federal law bars EBT transactions on TANF funds at three types of businesses: liquor stores, casinos and gambling establishments, and adult entertainment venues. The ban covers ATM withdrawals, purchases, and online transactions at these locations, regardless of what you’re actually trying to buy there.4Administration for Children & Families. Q and A – TANF Requirements Related to EBT Transactions
Where the Card Works
More than 250,000 retailers nationwide are authorized to accept SNAP, from supermarket chains to smaller grocery and convenience stores that meet federal stocking standards.5Food and Nutrition Service. Retailer Many farmers’ markets accept EBT too, and some run nutrition incentive programs that match SNAP spending on produce, effectively doubling what you get for fruits and vegetables.6National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) SNAP/NAP Policy The USDA’s SNAP Retailer Locator will show authorized stores near any address.7Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Retailer Locator
SNAP also works for online grocery orders through participating retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and several regional chains. The same food-eligibility rules apply, and delivery or service fees still have to be paid with another method.2Food and Nutrition Service. Stores Accepting SNAP Online
Traveling or moving? EBT is interoperable nationwide. A card issued in one state must be accepted at any authorized SNAP retailer in any other state as long as you have a valid PIN, and that holds even if your card has a photo on it. A store that refuses your out-of-state card is violating federal rules.8eCFR. 7 CFR 274.8 – Functional and Technical EBT System Requirements TANF cash access across state lines is less uniform and depends on your state’s arrangements.
Using the Card at Checkout
The mechanics feel like any debit card. You swipe or insert the card, enter your four-digit PIN, and the terminal deducts the purchase from your account.9Food and Nutrition Service. Facts About SNAP When a single cart has both SNAP-eligible food and other items, the terminal automatically splits the total. SNAP pays for the food; you cover the rest with cash, debit, or credit. Your receipt shows both your remaining SNAP balance and any cash balance.
Keep the PIN private, and don’t write it on the card. Four wrong PIN attempts within 24 hours lock the card, and you’ll have to call your state’s customer service line to unlock it.
How Much You Get and How Long It Lasts
SNAP amounts depend on household size and income. For fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026), the maximum monthly allotment in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. runs from $298 for one person to $994 for a household of four, with $218 added for each additional person. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have higher amounts.10Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 COLA Memo Those are ceilings; what actually lands on your card reflects your household’s income and deductions.
Unused SNAP benefits carry over month to month, but not indefinitely. Benefits generally expire 12 months after they were issued. If the card goes completely unused for roughly three months, most states take it offline and you’ll need to call your local benefits office to reactivate it. After nine months of total inactivity, benefits start coming off the account on a rolling basis.
What Counts as Misuse
Trading SNAP benefits for cash is called trafficking, and it’s a federal crime. Penalties scale with the dollar value involved, running from a misdemeanor with up to a year in prison for amounts under $100 to a felony with up to 20 years for $5,000 or more, plus fines. A conviction can also cost you up to 18 months of SNAP eligibility on top of any mandatory disqualification.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 US Code 2024 – Violations and Enforcement Store owners caught trafficking face permanent disqualification from the program or civil fines up to $40,000.12Government Accountability Office. Food Stamp Program – Information on Trafficking Food Stamp Benefits
Lost, Stolen, or Skimmed Cards
Report a lost, stolen, or damaged card immediately through your state’s 24-hour EBT customer service hotline. Once you call, a hold goes on the account so nobody else can spend from it, and the state must make a replacement card available for pickup or mail it within two business days.13eCFR. 7 CFR Part 274 – Issuance and Use of Program Benefits Any transactions before the report are your responsibility; anything after belongs to the state. Frequent replacements may carry a small fee (commonly around $5).
Card skimming and cloning have become a serious problem. Congress authorized states to replace SNAP benefits stolen electronically between October 2022 and December 2024, but that federal replacement authority has since expired and FNS has not extended it. State-level protections vary, so call your local SNAP office if you suspect electronic theft.14Food and Nutrition Service. Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits
Keeping the Card Active
To stay enrolled in SNAP, you have to report certain changes within 10 days of learning about them: a change of more than $100 per month in income, starting or losing a job, someone moving into or out of the household, or a change of address and shelter costs. Missing these reports can trigger overpayment claims (where the state demands the money back) or termination of benefits.15eCFR. 7 CFR 273.12 – Reporting Requirements Your state will also require periodic recertification, commonly every 6 to 12 months. Miss the recertification deadline and benefits stop until you reapply.