Food stamps (SNAP) in
Maryland.

Apply online at MarylandBenefits.gov: sign in, choose Services, then Food Assistance, then Apply. The same account lets you apply for cash, medical and energy help and check your case. You can also file the DHS/FIA 9701 paper application by mail, by fax or in person at your local department of social services.

Local departments will give or mail you an application the same day you ask, and a signed form is accepted the same day even if you cannot be interviewed then. Fill in at least your name, address and phone number and sign it, and a case manager can help with the rest at your interview.

You get SNAP within 7 calendar days if your gross monthly income is under $150 and your liquid resources are $100 or less, or if your income and liquid resources together are less than your monthly rent or mortgage and utilities. Destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker households with $100 or less also qualify.

DHS screens your application the same day. For expedited SNAP you need only an interview and proof of identity, which does not have to be a photo ID. If you are denied expedited service, the local department must offer an agency conference within two working days.

Maryland gives broad-based categorical eligibility to every household under 200% of the poverty line. DHS's October 2026 table is $2,660 a month for one person, $5,500 for four, and $947 for each extra person. Your benefit is still figured from net income, so a household near the line may get a small amount.

Categorically eligible households do not have to meet resource limits, and DHS does not check vehicle or bank account ownership. The manual says almost all SNAP households are categorically eligible.

Maryland law says that if a household includes someone at least 60 years old and its federal SNAP is under $50 a month, the State pays a supplement to raise the total to $50. A household with $30 in federal SNAP, for example, gets $20 from the State.

You do not apply for it. The system checks eligible households each month, and the supplement posts to your Independence Card on your regular issuance day as a separate SNAP deposit.

Call Maryland EBT at 800-997-2222, any hour, to check your balance, change your PIN or order a new card, or use the ebtEDGE website or app. In ebtEDGE, tap Freeze Card under Account Services and unfreeze it only when you shop. You can also sign up for text or email alerts on every transaction.

Maryland still replaces stolen SNAP. Federal replacement ended December 20, 2024, and DHS says benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024 are replaced with State funds. File the EBT Stolen Benefits Attestation Claim Form on MarylandBenefits.gov or at your local department.

File within 45 days of learning about the theft. DHS decides within 10 business days and will not replace benefits if you willingly gave someone your card and PIN. Check a claim at 833-330-7328. One replacement card a year is free, then each costs $2.

H.R. 1 work rules took effect in Maryland on November 1, 2025. They apply right away to new applicants, and to people already on SNAP at their next recertification. DHS says up to 80,000 more Marylanders must now report work hours. Maryland has no ABAWD waivers, so the rules apply statewide.

Adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the home must work, volunteer or join job training at least 80 hours a month, or earn at least $217.50 a week. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth are no longer exempt. Otherwise SNAP stops after three months.

Exceptions include caring for a child under 14 or an incapacitated person; getting SSDI, SSI, VA disability, TDAP or TCA; getting or applying for unemployment; drug or alcohol treatment; and being unfit for work on DHS Form 500. The current 36-month period runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029.

DHS says most Marylanders get a $572 Standard Utility Allowance, which raises their benefit. Under H.R. 1, if no one in your home is 60 or older or disabled, you must show a utility bill from the last 30 days, or your SNAP could be reduced.

H.R. 1 also limits SNAP for immigrants to green card holders, Cuban or Haitian entrants, and people from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. DHS says refugees and people granted asylum lose SNAP until they get a green card, with no waiting period after that.

Maryland SUN Bucks gives $40 a month for June, July and August, $120 in all, for each eligible school-age child. Most children are enrolled automatically through free or reduced-price school meals, or a household on SNAP, TCA or Medicaid. Others apply on MarylandBenefits.gov, and applications are taken year-round.

Benefits load in the last week of each summer month onto your existing EBT card, or a white Maryland SUN Bucks card. They expire 122 days after they are issued. For help, call 800-332-6347 and choose the SUN Bucks option.

Ask your local department for a hearing in writing, in person or by phone within 90 days of the action. The form is DHS/FIA 334, and the hearing is held by the Office of Administrative Hearings in Hunt Valley. You can also ask at any time in your certification period if you disagree with your benefit amount.

To keep benefits unchanged until the decision, ask within 10 calendar days of the notice. If the judge rules against you, you repay benefits you should not have received. A decision is due within 60 days of your request.