Food stamps (SNAP) in
North Carolina.

Apply on ePASS (you may need to create an account first), in person at your county DSS office, or by mailing paper form DSS-8207 to your county DSS. You can also drop off a paper application at the office. Benefits start from the day DSS gets your application, even if it is not complete.

Bring what you can: ID, Social Security numbers and birthdates for everyone, proof of income, cash and bank amounts, and monthly bills such as child care, child support and disabled adult care. Medical bills count for anyone over 60 or disabled. Missing papers should not stop you from applying.

You qualify for expedited service if your household has less than $150 in monthly gross income and $100 or less in cash and bank accounts, or if your income and cash together are less than your rent or mortgage plus utilities. Destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker households with $100 or less also qualify.

North Carolina sets a tighter clock than the federal 7 days: county DSS offices must approve expedited applications by the 4th calendar day after you apply, so you can use your EBT card and benefits no later than the 7th day.

Activate your card, choose a PIN, check your balance and see your transactions on ebtEDGE, online at ebtedge.com or in the ebtEDGE mobile app. You can also call 1-888-622-7328 at any hour, and report a lost or stolen card to the same number right away.

If you enter the wrong PIN four times in a row, you must pick a new PIN or wait until after 12:01 a.m. the next day. For other FNS questions, the NC EBT Call Center is 1-866-719-0141, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

This demonstration project is for people who get SSI, are 65 or older, live in North Carolina outside an institution, and buy and prepare food separately from others in the home. Every case is a one-person household, and married people living together cannot be separate households.

Income and deductions are not counted. The monthly amount depends only on housing cost: $104 with no rent or mortgage, $145 for $0.01 to $199 a month, and $170 for $200 or more. Cases are certified for 36 months.

NC finds likely applicants through a monthly SSI data match and mails them an application, processed within 30 days. A regular FNS case switches over automatically when the simplified amount is the same or higher.

Since December 1, 2025, adults 18 through 64 (it was 18 through 54) must work, volunteer or take part in a work program 80 hours a month, or qualify for an exemption. Otherwise they can get FNS for only three months in a 36-month period.

Exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who aged out of foster care ended, and the child exemption now covers only a child under 14. Disability benefits from any source, including VA disability at any rating, and pregnancy still exempt you.

If you meet the rule and your hours drop below 80 in a month, report it by the 10th of the next month. More Than a Job NC offers free job training, education and work programs.

Refugees, asylees, people granted withholding of removal and most parolees no longer qualify on those statuses alone. Citizens, U.S. nationals, Cuban and Haitian entrants, citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands or Palau, and green card holders who met (or are exempt from) the 5-year wait can still qualify.

If you get FNS now, you keep it until your next recertification, when DSS reviews your status. Only people applying need to show immigration documents, and eligible members of the household keep their benefits.

SUN Bucks gives each eligible school-age child a one-time $120 on a SUN Bucks card. The 2026 application period closed August 15, and later applications are held for summer 2027. Benefits expire 122 days after they are issued. The SUN Bucks line is 1-866-719-0141, option 2.

After Hurricane Helene, NCDHHS ran Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) from October 18 to 24, 2024, for people not already on FNS in 25 western counties and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians households in ZIP code 28719. NCDHHS planned up to $120 million for more than 150,000 people.

D-SNAP benefits were good for up to nine months. People already on FNS did not need a D-SNAP application and could get extra help without one.

In Western North Carolina, Double Up Food Bucks matches fruit and vegetable purchases made with your EBT card dollar for dollar, and daily match amounts vary by location. It has run since 2018 and lists 17 participating locations, and some stores ask you to sign up at the register first.

You will get a letter that explains why and how to ask for a hearing. You have 90 days from the date on the letter, and you can ask at your county DSS in person, by phone or in writing. If you think you qualify for a work rule exemption, contact your county DSS right away.