Summer EBT is a new income-based food support program that provides families with $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries when school is out for the summer. When children no longer receive free meals at school, their households might need extra help putting food on the table. The Summer EBT program is designed to meet this seasonal need.
Services/Topics EligibilityChildren may qualify if they're enrolled in certain public assistance programs or meet household income requirements.
Children get $120 on a Summer EBT card for the summer to spend on approved groceries.
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Children are automatically enrolled in Summer EBT if they are eligible for any length of time between Jul. 1, 2023 – Aug. 31, 2024. There are two ways a child can be eligible for Summer EBT:
How a child qualifies based on household income:
This chart reflects updates effective July 1, 2024. The income requirements for qualifying for the free and reduced-price meal program are the same.
Household size
Annual
Monthly
Twice per month
Every two weeks
Weekly
For each additional family member, add
Families with children who are not automatically enrolled (see above for how a child would be automatically enrolled) and haven’t already applied for the free and reduced-price meal program for the 2023-2024 school year can take a few steps to find out if they qualify:
For change of address requests or other questions about Summer EBT please fill out and submit a Summer EBT help form.
For each eligible child, families will receive a new Summer EBT card pre-loaded with $120 for the summer period ($40 per month for June, July and August). Summer EBT cards can be used just like an EBT card. Learn more about where to shop with a Summer EBT card, what participants can buy and more on the Minnesota EBT card webpage.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families will never ask for a PIN or Summer EBT card number by text.
There has been a rise in EBT card benefit theft in Minnesota and across the United States. Summer EBT cardholders can protect their benefits by keeping their PIN private, changing their PIN often, and never giving their card number or PIN information over the phone or text.
Many children rely on free and reduced-price meals during the school year to meet their nutritional needs. Summer EBT eligibility requirements were designed to capture this group and help these families meet their children’s nutritional needs over the summer.
There are two ways a child is automatically enrolled in Summer EBT:
If a child does not receive these benefits and the family believes they qualify based on household income, the family can apply through the Application for Educational Benefits or Alternative Income Application for Community Eligibility Provision schools, commonly known as the application for free and reduced-price meals, through the child’s school or school district. If a family is unsure if their child’s school participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, they can inquire with the school or the school district’s nutrition coordinator.
Federal guidelines state that the family income must be 185% or less of the federal poverty limit. Please see the household income chart above for exact numbers.
Most children will receive their Summer EBT cards in August, including all those who are:
Some children will receive their Summer EBT cards mid-October to early November, including:
Generally, families do not need to fill out a Summer EBT application.
Children who receive SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, or Medicaid benefits will be automatically enrolled by the Department of Human Services and Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Children who attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and are approved for free and reduced-price meals are automatically enrolled by their school. Families should contact their child’s school to determine if they are eligible for Summer EBT.
Children who cannot be certified through any of the pathways listed above may apply for Summer EBT benefits through an online application. Summer EBT applications are processed by the Minnesota Department of Education and will be required to have the same eligibility components, including household income requirements.
To fill out an application directly with the Minnesota Department of Education click here. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2024.
Yes. If the child qualified at any point between July 1, 2023 – Aug. 31, 2024, they are eligible for Summer EBT in 2024. If the family would like to opt-out of Summer EBT benefits, they can fill out a Summer EBT helpform or call the helpline at 651-431-4608 and request that their benefits be removed. The family should then cut up the card and dispose of it.
Non-school aged childrenChildren under the age of 7 would qualify only if they are enrolled at a school participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program and were approved through the free or reduced-price meal application. This is the case whether the child is in preschool, kindergarten or elementary school.
Children under age seven will qualify only if they attend a preschool or elementary school participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program and were approved through the application for free or reduced-price meals. Please contact the school to ask if the meals are provided under the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. Please be aware that most private preschools do not participate in these programs.
Every child needs to meet the eligibility criteria individually to receive Summer EBT benefits. The school-aged child will need to be approved for free and reduced-price meals with their school district or participate in another program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Most private daycares do not participate in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, and these children will likely not qualify for Summer EBT.
If the student was approved for the free and reduced-price meal program between July 1, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024, they should be enrolled in the Summer EBT program automatically by the school district. Alternatively, if they already participate in the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Medical Assistance or are placed in foster care, they will automatically be enrolled to receive Summer EBT benefits.
Children not currently attending a school participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program
If the child was approved for the free or reduced-price meal program between July 1, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024, the school district should automatically enroll the child in the Summer EBT program, even if the child no longer attends school in that district. Check with the student’s previous school’s nutrition coordinator to ask if they sent all student information to the Minnesota Department of Education.
If the student was approved for the free or reduced-price meal program between July 1, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024, the school district should automatically enroll them in the Summer EBT program, even if they graduated early. Contact the Summer EBT helpline at 651-431-4608 to confirm the child was enrolled in Summer EBT.
If the child was approved for the free or reduced-price meal program through a Minnesota school, they will receive their Summer EBT card from Minnesota. Please update the mailing address by filling out a Help Form. If the child was officially unenrolled from their school in Minnesota and enrolled in a different state, they may need to qualify for Summer EBT through their new state of residence. Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sun Bucks page to see which states participate in Summer EBT.
Any child aged 7-17 who participates in the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Medical Assistance or is placed in foster care qualifies automatically for Summer EBT. Homeschooled children who are not currently enrolled in any of those programs are not eligible for Summer EBT.
