A government benefit card is a prepaid debit card that delivers public assistance funds electronically, taking the place of paper food stamps and mailed government checks. Two cards cover most recipients. The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card carries food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cash from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The Direct Express card carries federal payments like Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and veterans’ benefits for people who don’t want them deposited into a bank account. Whether you qualify depends entirely on which program you’re applying to, since the rules for a need-based food card and a payment-delivery card share almost nothing.
The Two Cards and What They Deliver
An EBT card is issued by your state after you’re approved for SNAP, TANF, or both. Most EBT cards carry two separate accounts on the same piece of plastic. The SNAP account only pays for food. The TANF cash account can be spent more broadly and used at ATMs, subject to some federal location restrictions.1Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP EBT
The Direct Express card is a prepaid Mastercard issued through the U.S. Treasury. Federal law requires benefit payments to arrive electronically, so if you don’t want direct deposit to a bank or credit union, Direct Express is the alternative. There’s no cost to sign up, no monthly fee, and no charge for purchases. Cardholders get one free ATM withdrawal per deposit each month, though out-of-network ATM operators may charge their own fee.2Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Direct Express
Who Qualifies for SNAP
SNAP eligibility turns on household income, assets, and size. For October 2025 through September 2026, your gross monthly income (before deductions) can’t exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level, and your net income (after allowable deductions for shelter, dependent care, and similar expenses) can’t exceed 100 percent. A household of four in the contiguous 48 states can have gross monthly income of no more than $3,483 and net monthly income of no more than $2,680.3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility Alaska and Hawaii have higher thresholds.4HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
Countable resources like bank accounts generally can’t exceed $3,000, or $4,500 if someone in the household is 60 or older or has a disability. Your home, personal property, retirement savings, and most vehicles don’t count. Most states have raised or eliminated these limits through broad-based categorical eligibility, so the actual asset threshold where you live may be higher.
Everyone applying must have a Social Security number or show proof of having applied for one.5Food and Nutrition Service. Facts About SNAP Members without an SSN can be left off the application, though their income and resources still count toward the household’s eligibility.
College Students
Students enrolled at least half-time in college face extra restrictions. You must meet at least one exemption: working 20 or more hours per week in paid employment, participating in a federal or state work-study program, being a single parent caring for a child under 12 while enrolled full-time, or receiving TANF benefits.6Food and Nutrition Service. Students Students under 18 or 50 and older are also exempt. If you get most of your meals through a campus meal plan, you’re ineligible regardless of income.
Work Requirements
All physically able SNAP recipients must accept a suitable job if one is offered and can’t voluntarily quit without good cause. A stricter rule applies to able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) between ages 18 and 54: you must work, volunteer, or participate in a training program for at least 80 hours per month, or your benefits stop after three months.7Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements To get back on after losing benefits under this rule, you have to meet the 80-hour requirement for a full 30 days or qualify for an exemption. Otherwise you wait until your three-year clock resets.
Who Qualifies for TANF Cash
TANF is delivered on the same EBT card as SNAP, but eligibility is set by each state within federal guidelines rather than by a single national income table. Programs generally target low-income families with children, and applications are handled through the same state social services agency that runs SNAP. Approval for one program doesn’t guarantee approval for the other; you can qualify for SNAP without qualifying for TANF, and vice versa.
Who Qualifies for Direct Express
Direct Express is not need-based. If you already receive Social Security retirement, SSI, veterans’ benefits, or another federal payment and you want that payment loaded onto a card instead of deposited to a bank, you’re eligible. You enroll through the Treasury’s Go Direct service. Signing up costs nothing and doesn’t affect the amount of your benefit.2Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Direct Express
How to Apply
Every state runs its own SNAP and TANF application, but all follow the same federal framework. You can apply through your state’s online benefits portal, in person at a local social services office, or by mail. Each state uses its own application form; there is no single nationwide form. You’ll report household size, gross monthly income, shelter costs, and liquid assets, and provide pay stubs, bank statements, and identification. The process includes an interview with a caseworker, by phone or in person.
Federal law requires states to process SNAP applications within 30 days. If your household has very low income or almost no resources, you may qualify for expedited service and receive benefits within seven days.8Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Application Processing Timeliness After approval, your EBT card arrives in the mail within a few business days, along with a PIN and activation instructions.
Benefit amounts scale with household size. For the current fiscal year, the maximum monthly SNAP allotment ranges from $298 for one person to $1,789 for a household of eight, with $218 added for each additional member.3Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
What You Can Buy
The SNAP account is restricted to food intended for home consumption: fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, breads and cereals, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages, and seeds and plants that produce food for your household.9Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy The exclusions trip people up more than the eligible list does:
- Alcohol, including beer and wine sold at grocery stores.
- Tobacco products.
- Any food that is hot at the point of sale, including rotisserie chicken and prepared soup bars.
- Vitamins and supplements (anything labeled “Supplement Facts” rather than “Nutrition Facts”).
- Non-food items like cleaning supplies, paper products, pet food, and hygiene products.
- Cannabis-infused food or drinks, including CBD products.
A cold deli sandwich is eligible; a heated one from the same counter is not. Two limited exceptions expand where SNAP works. In states running a Restaurant Meals Program, SNAP recipients who are 60 or older, have a disability, or are homeless can use their benefits at participating restaurants; the state codes eligibility onto your card automatically.10Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program And SNAP now works for online grocery orders in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, at retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi, though delivery and service fees have to be paid with a separate card.11Food and Nutrition Service. Stores Accepting SNAP Online
The TANF cash account works more like a standard debit card. You can spend it on clothing, transportation, utilities, and other necessities, and withdraw cash at ATMs. Federal law does bar states from letting EBT cash be accessed at liquor stores, casinos and gambling establishments, and adult entertainment businesses.12Administration for Children and Families. TANF Requirements Related to EBT Transactions
Direct Express has no purchase restrictions. It works anywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted.
Keeping Your Card and Benefits Active
SNAP benefits are not permanent. Your state assigns a certification period at approval, running anywhere from a few months to three years depending on your household. Before it ends you must recertify by submitting updated income, household, and expense information and completing another interview. Miss the deadline and benefits stop. Your state sends a notice before the period expires, but recertification can take weeks, so starting early avoids a gap.
Unused SNAP benefits also expire. Federal rules require states to remove benefits from any account that has had no transaction activity for nine months, after 30 days’ written notice. Check your balance before assuming money you haven’t touched is still there.
Checking a balance is straightforward. It prints on the bottom of every store receipt, and you can also call the customer service number on the back of the card, log into your state’s EBT website, or use the free ebtEDGE mobile app. Direct Express cardholders can get deposit and balance alerts through the DX Mobile App at no charge.2Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Direct Express
If your card is lost or stolen, call the customer service number on the back of the card right away. Most states let you freeze the account through their website or app while you wait. A replacement is mailed to the address on file, commonly arriving within seven to ten business days, and some states charge a small fee deducted from your benefit balance.
If You’re Denied
If your SNAP application is denied, your benefits are reduced, or your case is closed, you can request a fair hearing. Federal regulations give you 90 days from the date of the action to file.13eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings If you file within the time period specified on the adverse action notice, before the reduction or termination takes effect, your benefits continue at their current level while the appeal is pending. Unless you tell the state to stop them, they keep flowing.
Hearings are conducted by an impartial adjudicator, typically by phone or video. You can present evidence, bring witnesses, and review the state’s case file before the hearing. Requesting a hearing costs nothing, and legal aid organizations can help you prepare. If the decision goes against you, you’ll owe back any benefits you received during the appeal. If it goes your way, the state must restore any benefits you were owed.