EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer. It is the debit-card system that federal and state governments use to deliver public assistance, most commonly food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cash aid through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). About 42 million people receive SNAP through EBT each month. The card replaced the paper food stamps and mailed benefit checks that agencies used to hand out.
What the Card Actually Carries
An EBT card is one piece of plastic, but the money on it can come from more than one program, and those balances stay separate.
- SNAP food benefits, the largest program on the platform. For fiscal year 2026, the maximum monthly allotment ranges from $298 for a one-person household to $1,789 for a household of eight in the 48 contiguous states and D.C.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustments
- TANF cash assistance for expenses like rent, utilities, and clothing. TANF sits in a separate account on the same card.
- WIC benefits for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, also delivered by electronic transfer.2Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) and Management Information Systems
The card system tracks each balance independently so food dollars cannot be spent on things only cash can cover, and cash cannot be applied where only food benefits are allowed.3eCFR. 7 CFR 274.1 – Issuance System Approval Standards
How You Use the Card at Checkout
The card has a magnetic stripe or chip and behaves like a bank debit card. You swipe or insert it at the store’s terminal and enter a four-digit Personal Identification Number that only you should know. The terminal connects to your state’s benefit database, checks that you have enough in the right account, deducts the purchase amount, and prints a receipt showing your remaining balance.
You can also use SNAP online. Online SNAP purchasing is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with major retailers including Amazon and Walmart among the participants.4Food and Nutrition Service. Stores Accepting SNAP Online One catch worth knowing: SNAP can pay only for eligible food in an online order. Delivery fees, service charges, and convenience fees have to come out of a different payment method.
What SNAP Benefits Can and Can’t Buy
SNAP is for food meant to be prepared and eaten at home. Eligible items include fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereals, snack foods, and seeds or plants that grow food for the household.
SNAP cannot be used for:5Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy?
- Beer, wine, and liquor.
- Cigarettes and tobacco products.
- Hot foods that are hot at the point of sale.
- Vitamins, supplements, and medicine, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
- Cannabis and CBD products.
- Live animals, with narrow exceptions for shellfish, fish taken from water, and animals slaughtered before pickup.
- Pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products, hygiene items, and cosmetics.
TANF cash on the card is not limited to food. It can go toward general household expenses and can be withdrawn as cash.
Cash Benefits and ATM Withdrawals
If your card carries TANF or other cash aid, you can use it at ATMs and at stores that accept debit cards. Federal law requires states to make sure cardholders can withdraw cash “with minimal fees or charges,” including at least one no-fee option.6Administration for Children and Families. TANF Program Instruction – Additional Guidance on Adequate Access Provisions
How that plays out varies by state. Some join surcharge-free ATM networks for EBT cardholders; others allow a set number of free withdrawals each month before small fees kick in. Third-party ATM surcharges are separate from any state transaction fee and are harder for a state to control. Your state’s EBT materials list the current fee schedule and which ATMs in your area are surcharge-free.
Checking Your Balance, and the Nine-Month Rule
You can check your EBT balance three ways: read the receipt from your last purchase, call the customer service number printed on the back of the card, or log into your state’s EBT cardholder website. Food and cash balances appear separately.
Unused SNAP benefits do not sit on the card forever. If your account has no activity, meaning no purchases or returns, for nine months (274 days), the state agency permanently removes benefits from your account. Expungement happens at the monthly allotment level: as each month’s deposit ages to nine months without any account activity, that month is removed and cannot be reinstated.7eCFR. 7 CFR 274.2 – Providing Benefits to Participants After three months of inactivity (91 days), the state may move your benefits to offline storage, but they are not lost at that stage. Making any transaction resets the clock.
If Your Card Is Lost, Stolen, or Skimmed
Report a lost, stolen, or damaged card right away by calling the customer service number on the back of the card or listed on your state’s EBT website. Reporting quickly limits unauthorized use.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Should I Do If My EBT Card or PIN Is Lost or Stolen, or I See Unauthorized Charges The state will send a replacement card. Replacement fees range from nothing to a few dollars depending on where you live. Once the new card arrives, you pick a new PIN and regain access to whatever balance is still in your account.
Card skimming, in which criminals attach devices to payment terminals to copy account data and drain benefits, has become a serious problem for EBT users. Federal law temporarily let states use federal funds to replace SNAP benefits stolen through skimming for thefts between October 1, 2022, and December 20, 2024. That authority was not renewed. SNAP benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024, are not eligible for federal replacement, though a state may choose to replace them with its own funds.9Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Sunset of Replacement of Stolen Benefits Plans There is no guarantee of reimbursement.
Basic precautions help. Keep your PIN private, never share your card, cover the keypad when you enter your PIN, and check your balance often. If you see a transaction you didn’t make, call your state’s EBT customer service line the same day.