Food stamps (SNAP) in
South Carolina.

Apply online on the DSS Benefits Portal, in person at your county DSS office, or by mail or fax to your county office using the paper application, DSS Form 3800, in English or Spanish. The portal's Am I Eligible tool gives a rough idea first, but only your county office makes the final decision.

DSS accepts an application once it has your name, your address and a household member's signature, so fill in the rest as best you can. Have ID, Social Security numbers, the last four weeks of pay stubs, and your lease, rent or mortgage receipts and utility bills ready.

Track your application on the portal, which sends status updates by text and email, or call the DSS Connect Call Center at 800-616-1309. DSS asks you to allow up to 30 days.

DSS starts expedited benefits within seven days of your application. You qualify if your gross monthly income is under $150 and your cash and bank money is $100 or less, or if your gross income plus cash on hand is less than your rent or mortgage and utilities.

A household with a destitute migrant or seasonal farm worker and $100 or less in liquid resources also qualifies.

Under the South Carolina Combined Application Project (SCCAP), people who get SSI can get SNAP without applying at a DSS office. You qualify if you get SSI, have no earned income, and live alone or buy and cook your food separately from others. SCCAP pays a set amount each month.

The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) is for households where everyone is 65 or older, with no earned income and no one on SCCAP. You still complete an interview when you apply and reapply. Call 888-898-0055 for ESAP help.

Mail either form to SCCAP or ESAP, South Carolina Department of Social Services, PO Box 100203, Columbia, SC 29202. If you are eligible, benefits count from the date your application is filed.

Starting November 1, 2026, SNAP cannot buy candy, soft drinks, energy drinks or sweetened beverages at stores in South Carolina. USDA approved the waiver on December 10, 2025 for two years, first effective August 31, 2026; DSS and USDA now list November 1, 2026. All SC households are included.

Diet and zero sugar sodas stay allowed. So do protein and granola bars, baking items, bakery goods, milk drinks, drinks that are at least 50% juice with no added sweetener, sports drinks, plain carbonated water and infant formula. Coffee and tea do not count as energy drinks.

The limits apply at every SNAP store in South Carolina, including to cards from other states. At checkout, the register asks you to pay for a restricted item another way. The change does not affect WIC foods or your benefit amount.

Since April 28, 2026, every SC EBT card is set to block high-risk transactions, so it cannot be used online or outside South Carolina. To shop online or out of state, unlock it on ConnectEBT.com, the ConnectEBT app, or by calling 800-554-5268, and pick a 30, 60 or 90 minute auto re-lock.

Set text or email alerts for new transactions in ConnectEBT, and change your PIN often, at least once a month before your benefits load. A replacement card needs a new PIN, because your old PIN does not carry over.

If benefits are stolen, call 800-554-5268 to cancel your card. Federal replacement of SNAP stolen by skimming, cloning or other electronic theft ended December 20, 2024, so set alerts and lock your card.

DSS announced on February 2, 2026 that the H.R. 1 work rules had taken effect. Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) aged 18 to 64 must work or join a work program for at least 80 hours a month, about 20 hours a week, or SNAP stops after three months in a 36-month period. The old upper age was 54.

Adults with a child under 14 in the household are still exempt, but caring for a child 14 to 17 no longer is. The exemptions for veterans, homeless people and young adults 24 or younger who aged out of foster care were removed. Waivers are now allowed only where unemployment is over 10%.

SNAP2WORK, South Carolina's voluntary SNAP Employment and Training program, counts toward the work rule. It offers job readiness, GED and literacy classes, and free training for certificates such as CDL, CNA, phlebotomy and welding, with help for transportation and up to 52 weeks of child care.

Ask for a fair hearing within 90 days of the action. Call 800-311-7220 toll free, 803-898-8080 locally, or TTY 800-311-7219. You can also ask at any time during your certification period if you disagree with your current benefit amount.

The DSS Office of Administrative Hearings tells your county office, which sets up a prehearing conference, and mails you a schedule letter and an evidence packet. Federal rules say a decision is due within 60 days of your request.

To keep your benefits at the old amount while you wait, ask before the change on your notice takes effect, which is at least 10 days after the notice is mailed. If you disagree with the order, you can ask for reconsideration within 10 days or go to the SC Administrative Law Court within 30 days.