Summer EBT 2026: $120 per Child, 13 States Not Participating + State Application Deadlines

Summer EBT in 2026 puts $120 per eligible child onto an EBT card for grocery purchases while school is out. The program, also called SUN Bucks in California and several other states, runs in 37 states, Washington DC, five Tribal Nations, and all five US territories this year, per USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. Thirteen states opted out, leaving roughly 10.1 million children without the benefit their families would otherwise qualify to receive.

This guide breaks down exactly how the 2026 program works: who qualifies, how much you get, which states are in and out, how to apply if you have not been auto-enrolled, when the deadlines close, and what you can actually buy with the card. Every figure below traces to USDA or the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), retrieved 2026-07-24.

What is Summer EBT in 2026?

Summer EBT is a federal nutrition program that provides $120 per eligible school-age child in one-time grocery benefits each summer, loaded onto an EBT card that works at any SNAP-authorized retailer. Congress made the program permanent in 2022 after successful pandemic-era trials, and 2026 is the third full year of nationwide implementation.

The program is designed to replace the free and reduced-price school meals that children lose access to when school ends. Federal research shows the $120 per child benefit measurably reduces child food insecurity during the summer months, particularly in rural areas where summer meal sites are hard to reach.

USDA runs the program at the federal level and pays 100% of the benefit costs plus 50% of administrative costs. States, Tribal Nations, and territories decide whether to opt in each year by January 1, then handle enrollment, EBT card issuance, and eligibility verification through their own systems.

Summer EBT is separate from and stacks on top of these programs your family may already receive:

• SNAP (regular monthly food benefits): Summer EBT does not replace or reduce SNAP
• WIC (women, infants, and children under 5)
• The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP, the sit-down meal sites at libraries, schools, parks)
• Free and reduced-price school meals (which end when the school year ends)

Families are encouraged to use Summer EBT alongside summer meal sites, not instead of them.

How much is Summer EBT and who qualifies?

The 2026 benefit is $120 per eligible child, per summer, delivered as a single one-time load on an EBT card between May and August depending on the state. The amount is set annually by USDA and did not change from 2025. A family with three eligible children receives $360 total for the summer.

Eligibility works one of two ways in every participating state:

Automatic (adjunctive) eligibility

Your child is enrolled automatically without any application if they are already certified for free or reduced-price school meals, OR if your household receives any of the following:

• SNAP (food stamps)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Medicaid (in states with income limits at or below 185% FPL for children)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

Auto-enrolled families receive the EBT card in the mail without doing anything. Most eligible children are enrolled automatically through streamlined certification, with no application needed.

Application-based eligibility

If your child does not meet the auto-enrollment criteria but you believe you qualify, you can apply directly through your state agency. The income limits for 2026-2027 (effective July 1, 2026) are 185% of the federal poverty level, matching the school meals eligibility line. For a family of four in the 48 contiguous states, that works out to $61,050 in gross annual income.

For the full income tables by household size and how they compare across nutrition programs, see the guide on WIC income limits, which uses the same 185% FPL formula.

Which states are participating in Summer EBT 2026?

Thirty-seven states, Washington DC, five Tribal Nations, and all five US territories opted in for 2026. Iowa joined for the first time this year. The thirteen states that chose not to participate leave an estimated $1.2 billion in benefits unclaimed for their residents, per FRAC.

Here are the thirteen states NOT participating in 2026:

• Alaska
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Mississippi
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Wyoming

If you live in one of these thirteen states, your children are not receiving Summer EBT this summer, though they may still be eligible for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at local meal sites. State legislatures make the participation decision each year, and 2027 decisions are being negotiated in state capitols right now.

All other states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and five participating Tribal Nations (Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Otoe-Missouria Tribe) run Summer EBT in 2026.

How do I apply for Summer EBT in 2026?

If your child is auto-enrolled, you do not need to apply. Look for an EBT card and a notification letter in the mail between mid-May and late August. If you have not received a card by mid-July and your child is on free or reduced-price school meals, contact your school district first because the school district submits the enrollment file to the state.

For families who need to apply directly, the process varies by state, but the core steps are the same in every participating state:

1. Find your state’s Summer EBT application page on the state Department of Human Services or Department of Education website
2. Gather income documentation (pay stubs, benefits letters, or a signed statement of income for self-employed families)
3. List every school-age child in the household
4. Submit online, by mail, or in person before the state’s deadline
5. Wait 30 to 45 days for the card to arrive if approved

Application deadlines vary by state and close between late August and mid-September in most participating states. California’s deadline is August 31, 2026. New York City closes September 8, 2026. Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Jersey all publish their deadlines on the state Summer EBT landing pages. Applications received after the deadline are considered for the following summer, so file early even if you are unsure.

How do I use Summer EBT benefits in 2026?

Summer EBT works exactly like SNAP EBT at checkout. Swipe or tap the card at any SNAP-authorized retailer, enter the PIN, and the benefit amount is deducted from your Summer EBT balance. If the total purchase exceeds your balance, you pay the remainder with cash, card, or SNAP EBT.

Eligible purchases with Summer EBT include:

• Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables
• Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs
• Bread, cereals, and other grains
• Non-alcoholic beverages including juice, milk, and water
• Seeds and plants that produce food (a lesser-known allowed purchase)

Ineligible purchases include prepared or hot foods, restaurant meals, alcohol, tobacco, cleaning supplies, pet food, vitamins, and medicines. The rules match SNAP exactly, so if a store or item takes SNAP EBT, it takes Summer EBT.

Retailers that accept Summer EBT include every major grocery chain (Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons, Aldi, Publix, Safeway, HEB in participating states, Whole Foods, Wegmans), most independents, and many farmers markets that have been WIC-authorized. The EBT card walkthrough covers how the card mechanics work at checkout in more detail.

Unspent balance stays on the card and rolls over month to month within the eligibility year. If you spend less than $120 during the summer, the remaining balance is available through the winter. Balances that go 274 days without any transaction may expire, so use the card at least once every nine months to keep the account active.

Summer EBT vs SNAP: what is the difference?

Summer EBT and SNAP look similar and use the same physical card system, but they serve different purposes and are funded through different mechanisms. A family can and often does receive both, and the two benefits are calculated separately.

Here is how they compare on the questions families ask most:

Feature	Summer EBT (2026)	SNAP
Who qualifies	School-age children (K-12) in low-income households	Any low-income household
Income cap	185% federal poverty level	130% federal poverty level (gross)
Benefit amount	$120 one-time per child per summer	Monthly, based on household size and income
Duration	Summer only (May-Aug typical issuance)	Year-round monthly
Application	Auto for most; direct application for the rest	Direct application every 6-12 months
Where used	Any SNAP-authorized retailer + WIC-approved farmers markets	Any SNAP-authorized retailer
Time limit	Ends when child turns 18 or graduates high school	3 months in 36 for able-bodied adults without dependents
State opt-out allowed	Yes (13 states opted out for 2026)	No (all states operate SNAP)

If your household already receives SNAP, your children are almost certainly auto-enrolled in Summer EBT (in participating states). Check your mail for the separate Summer EBT card during May through August. For a deeper comparison of household benefits, see the SNAP income limits guide and the SNAP application walkthrough.

Why are 13 states not participating and will Summer EBT return in 2027?

State participation in Summer EBT is voluntary. The governor’s office in most states makes the annual decision, though several state legislatures have introduced bills that would require participation. The thirteen states that opted out of 2026 cited administrative costs (states pay 50% of program administration, roughly $10 to $30 million per state depending on eligible child count) and disagreement with the federal program’s design.

The 2027 decision window opens in the fall of 2026 and closes January 1, 2027. Families and advocates in non-participating states have several ways to push for adoption:

• Contact your state legislators to support Summer EBT enabling legislation
• Call your governor’s office directly and ask them to opt in
• Connect with your state anti-hunger organization (FRAC maintains a national directory) to join a coordinated campaign

The federal budget reconciliation law enacted in July 2025 (H.R. 1) reduced SNAP funding significantly, which makes Summer EBT more important as a food-security backstop, per FRAC’s analysis. Whether more states join for 2027 depends largely on state-level legislative and gubernatorial decisions between now and January.

Even in a participating state, program details can change year to year. Keep an eye on the state Summer EBT landing page during the fall of 2026 for the 2027 application window, and make sure your school district has your current mailing address for auto-enrolled families.

State-by-state Summer EBT calendar for 2026

Every participating state runs Summer EBT on its own schedule, publishes its own application page, and sets its own deadline. Here are the 2026 details for the fifteen participating states with the largest eligible-child populations. If your state is not listed, check your state Department of Human Services or Department of Education website for the local Summer EBT page.

State	Issuance window	Application deadline	State-brand name
California	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	SUN Bucks
New York	Jun-Aug 2026	Sep 8, 2026 (NYC)	Summer EBT
Illinois	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 14, 2026	Summer EBT
Pennsylvania	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
Michigan	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
Minnesota	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	SUN Bucks
Colorado	Jul-Aug 2026	Aug 25, 2026	Summer EBT / SUN Bucks
Massachusetts	Jul-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
Washington	Jun-Aug 2026	Sep 4, 2026	Summer EBT
Oregon	Jun 5-Sep 1, 2026	Sep 1, 2026	Summer EBT
Virginia	May-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
Ohio	Jul-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
New Jersey	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT
Arizona	Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 3, 2026	Summer EBT
Maryland	Late Jun-Aug 2026	Aug 31, 2026	Summer EBT

Deadlines listed above reflect the state-published closing dates on the state agency Summer EBT landing pages as of late July 2026. Applications received after the deadline are typically held for the following summer’s cycle. If you are close to a deadline, submit online rather than by mail because most state portals timestamp the submission instantly, while mail can take five to seven business days to be logged.

Several states let you check enrollment status through the state benefits portal without submitting a new application. If you receive SNAP through your state, log in to the same account and look for a Summer EBT enrollment status or eligibility notice. In California, that portal is BenefitsCal. In New York, it is myBenefits.ny.gov. In Illinois, it is the ABE portal.

What to do if you did not receive Summer EBT this year

Missing benefits are the most common Summer EBT problem parents run into. In the program’s first two years, missed auto-enrollment was reported by families in every participating state, most often because of a school district data-transmission gap or a mailing-address change that did not sync back to the state agency. Here is the troubleshooting sequence to run through in order.

1. Check your school district first. The school district submits the enrollment file to the state agency. If a child is on free or reduced-price meals but never got a Summer EBT card, the district may have missed the file window. Call the district nutrition office and ask them to re-submit or confirm the file transfer.
2. Verify your mailing address on file. Cards are mailed to the address the state has for the SNAP account or the address the school district has for the child. If either is outdated, the card gets returned to the state. Update both simultaneously.
3. Log into the state benefits portal. Every participating state has a portal that shows Summer EBT enrollment status. If it says “eligible but not issued,” your card is probably in transit or was returned. If it says “not enrolled,” go to step 4.
4. Submit a direct application. If you were not auto-enrolled but believe your household qualifies, submit an application through the state Summer EBT landing page. Most portals process within 30 days. Include income documentation and every school-age child’s name and school.
5. Request a replacement card. If your card was mailed but never arrived, or was lost after arrival, call the state EBT customer service line. Replacements typically take seven to ten business days. There is no fee for the first replacement each year, but subsequent replacements may cost around $5.

If none of these resolve the issue, escalate to your state’s ombudsman or a legal aid organization. FRAC maintains a national directory of state anti-hunger organizations that can help push individual cases through. Denial notices must, by federal rule, include the specific reason for denial and instructions for appealing.

Fraud prevention and 2026 program integrity updates

USDA issued policy memo SEBT 01-2026 in the spring outlining stricter integrity measures for the program’s third year. The memo tightens income verification requirements, requires states to validate school-enrollment data against attendance records, and clarifies rules for handling ineligible applications. For families, the practical changes are minor: keep your income documentation from the past 30 days ready if the state asks for verification, and make sure the child’s school-of-record on the application matches what the school district has on file.

Skimming attacks on EBT cards remain the biggest fraud risk families face. Since Summer EBT uses the same card infrastructure as SNAP, the same protections apply: check your balance regularly, use ATMs and card readers you trust, and report any suspicious transactions to your state EBT customer service line within ten days to preserve federal reimbursement rights.