SUN Bucks: How to Apply for Summer EBT in 2026

Summer EBT — the federal program that sends eligible families grocery money while school cafeterias are closed — was made permanent by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and rebranded SUN Bucks by USDA for the 2024 summer.² For summer 2026, eligible children receive $40 per month for three months ($120 total) loaded onto an EBT card and spent like SNAP at grocery stores and authorized farmers markets.¹

Most families don't have to apply at all — if your child already gets free school meals through NSLP, or you get SNAP, TANF, or (in some states) Medicaid, enrollment is automatic. For everyone else there's a streamlined state application. Here's exactly how it works for 2026, state by state.

Is SUN Bucks Available in My State in 2026?

SUN Bucks is federal-funded but state-administered, and every state (plus DC, US territories, and eligible tribal nations) had to decide by January 2026 whether to operate the program this year. For 2026, the approved-operating list covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and multiple tribal nations — up from 37 states in the 2024 launch summer and 44 in 2025.⁴

A small number of states initially opted out for 2024 and have since joined — Iowa, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Florida rejoined for 2026 after sitting out the first year. Tribal nations that opted to administer their own SUN Bucks program (rather than going through their state) include the Chickasaw Nation, the Cherokee Nation, and several Bureau of Indian Education schools operating their own state plans.¹

The USDA maintains a live state-plan-approval page, and FRAC + DC Hunger Solutions publish a tracker with launch dates, portal URLs, and help numbers for every state.⁴⁷ If you want to confirm your state's status before reading any further, start there.

How Much Money Is It, Really?

Federal rule 7 CFR 292.15 sets the benefit at $40 per eligible child per summer month, for a maximum of three months ($120 per child).³ Tribal-administered programs have the same amount but may issue as a single summer-lump payment rather than monthly.

$40 / month — June, July, and August (the three summer months when school is out in most states)
$120 total per child for the summer
Family of four with two eligible children: $240 total
Family of six with four eligible children: $480 total

Benefits stay on the card for a minimum of 122 days after issuance (about four months), so cards received in June are good through at least late October.³ A small number of states extend the spendable window further. You don't have to spend the full $40 in a single month — unused balance rolls to the next month.

Who Is Auto-Enrolled (No Application Needed)

The federal regulation requires states to auto-enroll children who fall into specific certification categories.³ If your child is auto-enrolled, a SUN Bucks card will arrive in the mail in June or early July — you don't need to do anything. These categories are:

Categorical Eligibility (Auto-Enrolled)

Children in a household currently receiving SNAP benefits
Children in a household currently receiving TANF cash assistance
Children in a household currently receiving FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations)
Children currently certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
Children attending a school that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at above-threshold levels (varies by state — many CEP schools auto-enroll all students)
Children who are homeless, migrant, runaway, or foster children as certified by liaisons at their school under the McKinney-Vento Act
In some opted-in states: children in a household currently receiving Medicaid at income levels below a state-specified threshold (typically 185% of the federal poverty level)

The Medicaid auto-enrollment category is the single most expansive path — states that chose to implement it in their 2026 plan reach significantly more children than states relying on SNAP/TANF/NSLP alone.⁶ Check your state's plan to see whether Medicaid auto-enrollment is active.

School-Age Range

All school-aged children ages 5 through 18 are eligible; most states also cover 6-month-old infants and pre-kindergarteners who attend a Summer EBT-participating school or Head Start program, though eligibility for the youngest kids varies by state.¹ A 19-year-old senior who hasn't graduated by the summer still qualifies if still enrolled.

When Auto-Enrollment Doesn't Happen: The Streamlined Application

Two groups of children routinely aren't auto-enrolled even though they're eligible:

Children in income-eligible households that don't currently receive SNAP/TANF/Medicaid — for example, a family earning 170% of FPL that never applied for any program.
Children at a school that doesn't use the standard NSLP application — charter schools, private schools with scholarships, and some CEP schools in weird half-participating districts.

Both groups can apply directly. Federal rule 7 CFR 292.16 requires states to offer a "streamlined application" that collects only the information needed to determine eligibility — typically household size, household income, and the child's name, date of birth, and school.³ Most states publish the application as a single-page online form.

How to Apply for SUN Bucks in 2026 — Step by Step

Step 1: Find Your State's SUN Bucks Portal

Each state runs its own portal. A few 2026 examples:

North Carolina: NC DHHS SUN Bucks page (searchable at "summer EBT NC")
Alabama: Alabama State Department of Education Child Nutrition Programs
Pennsylvania: Department of Human Services COMPASS portal (apply alongside SNAP/Medicaid)
Washington: Washington OSPI Summer EBT page
Virginia: Virginia Department of Education Summer EBT portal
Illinois: Illinois State Board of Education Summer EBT application
California: CDSS Summer EBT page (different from CalFresh)

If you don't know your state's URL, start at fns.usda.gov/summer/sunbucks and click the state dropdown — USDA links to each state's portal directly.¹

Step 2: Gather Your Documentation

The streamlined application asks for:

The child's name, date of birth, and school (if enrolled)
Household size (everyone who shares meals, not just tax-dependent children)
Household income for the previous month (or the state's chosen reference month — usually April)
An address where the card can be mailed
A parent/guardian name and signature (e-signature accepted in most states)

Some states ask for proof of income (one recent pay stub or benefits letter) at the application stage; others collect it only for a subset of randomly selected applications.³ You don't need a Social Security number for the child — a state-issued child ID or birth certificate number works.

Step 3: Submit Before the State Deadline

States set their own deadlines, but most fall between mid-August and mid-September 2026. Late applications can still be processed and paid (federal rule gives states 90 days after the fourth summer month to close out), but the card will arrive later in the calendar.³

Tip: apply early in summer, not late. States process applications in the order received. Applying in June typically results in a card by mid-July; applying in August can push the card into October.

Step 4: Wait for Your SUN Bucks Card

Cards mail in plain envelopes from the state EBT vendor (not USDA directly) — they look like a standard EBT card with "SUN Bucks" or "Summer EBT" printed on the front.¹ The envelope will include:

The card
PIN activation instructions (most states use an automated phone line)
A summary of the benefit amount and spendable dates
Customer service contact if the card doesn't work

If you already get SNAP and your children are auto-enrolled, most states load the SUN Bucks benefit onto your existing SNAP EBT card rather than issuing a second card — check your state's FAQ. The funds appear as a separate balance but spend the same way.

Step 5: Activate and Use

Call the activation number on the envelope; you'll be asked for the child's date of birth and the last four digits of your ZIP code. The PIN you set at activation is permanent — write it down somewhere safe, because changing it requires a phone call.

The card can be used anywhere SNAP EBT is accepted:¹

Grocery stores, supermarkets, superstores (Walmart, Target, Costco with membership)
Most convenience stores and ethnic markets if they accept SNAP
Online at Amazon, Walmart.com, and several regional grocers with online SNAP
Authorized farmers markets (often with a 1:2 match — $10 SUN Bucks = $20 in tokens)

Eligible purchases are the same as SNAP: groceries, not hot prepared food, not alcohol, not household supplies. A rule of thumb: anything that goes in a grocery basket for cooking at home is allowed.

What If My Card Is Lost or Stolen?

Call the EBT customer service line printed on the envelope or on the state's SUN Bucks portal. Under federal rule, lost-card replacement is free and the funds are not lost — unused benefits transfer to the new card.³ Typical replacement time is 5–7 business days, faster in urban areas.

If benefits were spent fraudulently before you reported the card lost, most states now offer replacement under the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act anti-theft provisions — check your state's reporting form.

Opt-Out States: What If My State Doesn't Participate?

For 2026, every US state has a state plan approved by USDA, but a small number joined late and won't operate the program for the full summer.⁴ If your state falls into that category, alternatives that do operate everywhere:

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP / SUN Meals) — free on-site breakfast and lunch at parks, libraries, churches, schools, and community centers in every state regardless of SUN Bucks status. No registration, no ID, open to any child 18 or under.
SUN Meals Ready — the permanent non-congregate rural option where kids in rural areas get meals to take home (bulk 10-day bags) instead of eating on-site.¹
SNAP — for families not currently enrolled, summer is a good time to apply. SNAP doesn't pause for summer and generally pays more per month than SUN Bucks, just with stricter eligibility.
WIC — for families with children under 5.
Local food pantries — search PantryPath for pantries that extend hours in summer.

SUN Bucks vs SFSP vs SNAP: Can I Use All Three?

Yes — these programs stack and don't conflict:⁵

SNAP and SUN Bucks — SNAP continues year-round; SUN Bucks adds $120 per child on top of SNAP for the summer. Using SNAP doesn't reduce SUN Bucks, and vice versa.
SUN Bucks and SFSP (SUN Meals) — SUN Bucks is grocery money for home cooking; SFSP is free prepared meals at sites. They serve different purposes and most families use both.
SUN Bucks and WIC — WIC serves children under 5 with formula, cereal, and fresh produce; SUN Bucks reaches the 5-to-18 school-age range. Many families use WIC for the youngest child and SUN Bucks for older siblings.

There is no coordination problem — the USDA's 2024 implementation reports specifically call out stacking as the expected pattern.⁵

Rollout Status Snapshot for 2026

Early analyses of the first two summers (2024 and 2025) showed roughly 21 million children received SUN Bucks in the launch year, growing to around 29 million in 2025 as more states joined.⁶ FRAC's 2024 Summer Nutrition Status Report found that states running SUN Bucks alongside SFSP cut their summer-hunger gap by about 40% compared to states offering SFSP alone.⁵

For the 2026 summer, USDA projects around 30 million children will receive the benefit — about 1 in 4 school-age children nationwide, and close to 1 in 2 children living in households below 185% of the federal poverty level.⁶

State-level participation varies. Propel's state implementation analysis highlights common-issue patterns — delayed card mailing in states that insourced the EBT contract, higher application-denial rates in states without a clear FAQ, and a strong correlation between auto-enrollment-via-Medicaid adoption and overall reach.⁸

Quick Checklist

Check the USDA SUN Bucks state page for your state's 2026 status and portal link.¹
Confirm your child's auto-enrollment category (currently getting SNAP? NSLP free/reduced meal? Medicaid in an opt-in state?).
If not auto-enrolled, submit the state's streamlined application online.
Watch the mail in June and July for a plain envelope with an EBT-style card.
Activate the card by calling the number on the envelope; set a PIN you'll remember.
Spend the funds between June and October at any grocery store that accepts SNAP EBT.
Stack SUN Bucks with SFSP on-site meals and SNAP/WIC — they don't compete.

For a broader look at every summer food program operating in your state (SFSP sites, school-district mobile meal routes, SUN Meals Ready rural distribution, and local food pantries with extended summer hours), see the PantryPath Summer Meals Guide.