Food and Nutrition Services is a federal food assistance program that provides low-income families the food they need for a nutritionally adequate diet. Benefits are issued via Electronic Benefit Transfer cards (EBT cards). There are three ways to apply for Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps): The NC FAST ePASS website now includes a Spanish translation option, as well as the ability to complete the full application process in Spanish online, previously only possible using a paper form. These improvements will remain in place beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and do not impact previously submitted applications.
Watch this video to learn about ePass in Spanish.
Call your county DSS office if one of these methods will not work for you. Watch the video below to learn about applying online through ePass.
Apply for Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps) in NC
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed)
Food and Nutrition Services Employment and Training Program (FNS E&T)
Simplified Nutritional Assistance Program SNAP
North Carolina State Nutrition Action Coalition
Food and Nutrition Services Brochure - English
Food and Nutrition Services Brochure - Spanish
Eligibility
Income: You may be eligible for Food and Nutrition Services if your total income falls below the appropriate gross income limits for your household size. Eligibility workers determine which income limit applies to your household.
The maximum benefit amount for households receiving Food and Nutrition Services increased by 25% for the period of October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.
| 1 | $1,396 | $2,148 | $250 |
| 2 | $1,888 | $2,904 | $459 |
| 3 | $2,379 | $3,660 | $658 |
| 4 | $2,871 | $4,418 | $835 |
| 5 | $3,363 | $5,174 | $992 |
| 6 | $3,855 | $5,930 | $1,190 |
| 7 | $4,347 | $6,688 | $1,316 |
| 8 | $4,839 | $7,444 | $1,504 |
| Each Additional Member | (+492) | (+758) | (+188) |
Household Composition: Some individuals must participate in Food and Nutrition Services as one household even though they purchase and prepare their meals separately.
Individuals who must participate as one household include:
- Individuals living together who purchase/prepare their food together
- Spouses living together or individuals representing themselves as a married couple
- Individuals under the age of 22 living with a parent
- Individuals under 18 under the parental control of an adult living in the home
- Two unmarried adults living in the same home who are parents of a mutual child
Citizenship/Immigration Status: All individuals receiving Food and Nutrition benefits must be US citizens or immigrants admitted to the United States under a specific immigration status.
Public charge rules that relate to determinations about certain legal resident statuses changed in March 2021. Immigrants should know that they and their families can access many public benefits without concern, if they are eligible, and are encouraged to get information about public charge rules in English and Spanish on the NC Justice Center website.
Resources: Some households may be subject to a resource test.
- Households may have $2,500 in countable resources.
- Households may have $3,750 if at least one person is age 60 or older or disabled.
- Certain resources are not counted, such as homes, buildings and land.
Contact
NC EBT Call Center: 1-866-719-0141. Contact the Division of Social Services.
Complaints
You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form to:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Fax: (202) 690-7442 or Email: .
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Nondiscrimination statements
English
የማዳላት ተግባርን ላለመፈጸም የወጣ መግለጫ - Amharic
تصريح عدم التمييز - Arabic
非歧视声明 - Chinese Simplified
非歧視聲明 - Chinese Traditional
Deklarasyon Kont Diskriminasyon - Creole
Izjava o nediskriminaciji - Croatian
میثاق (بیانیه) عدم تبعیض - Farsi
Déclaration de non-discrimination de l’USDA - French
Antidiskriminierungserklärung des US-Landwirtschaftsministeriums USDA - German
भेदभाव मुक्त संबंधी वक्तव्य - Hindi
Nqe Lus Teev Kev Tsis Kheev Ntxub Ntxaug - Hmong
សេចក្តីថ្លែងការណ៍ស្តីពីការមិនរើសអើង - Khmer
ຖະແຫຼງການບໍ່ເລືອກປະຕິບັດ - Laotian
Oświadczenie odnośnie niedyskryminacji - Polish
Declaração de não-discriminação - Portuguese
Заявление o недискриминации - Russian
Warbixinta Takoor La’aanta - Somali
Usted no sera discriminado - Spanish
ประกาศเก่ ียวกับการไม ่กีดกันเลือกปฏิบัต - Thai
غیر امتیازی سلوک کے بارے میں بیان - Urdu
Tuyên Văn Không Kỳ Thị - Vietnamese
SNAP helps people buy the food they need for good health. People also can buy garden seeds with SNAP benefits.
SNAP food benefits are put on a Lone Star Card and can be used just like a credit card at any store that accepts SNAP.
SNAP can’t be used to:
- Buy tobacco.
- Buy alcoholic drinks.
- Buy things you can't eat or drink.
- Pay for food bills you owe.
Who is it for?
- People who don’t have a lot of money and meet program rules.
- Most adults ages 18 to 49 with no children in their home can get SNAP for only three months in a three-year period. The benefit period might be longer if the person works at least 20 hours a week or is in a job or training program. Some adults might not have to work to get benefits, such as those who have a disability or are pregnant.
- Households in which all members are either older adults (age 60 and older) or people with disabilities are eligible to participate in the Texas Simplified Application Project (TSAP), which makes the SNAP application process easier and provides three years of benefits at a time instead of six months.
Maximum Monthly Income Limits
| 1 | $ 1,775 |
| 2 | $ 2,396 |
| 3 | $ 3,020 |
| 4 | $ 3,644 |
| 5 | $ 4,268 |
| For each additional person, add: | $ 625 |
Other Rules
Most people ages 16 to 59 must follow work rules to get SNAP benefits. Work rules mean a person must look for a job or be in an approved work program. If the person has a job, they can’t quit without a good reason.
Maximum Monthly SNAP Amount
| 1 | $250 |
| 2 | $459 |
| 3 | $658 |
| 4 | $835 |
| 5 | $992 |
| 6 | $1,190 |
| 7 | $1,316 |
| 8 | $1,504 |
| For each additional person, add: | $188 |
Learn More
The following describes considerations for SNAP eligibility:
Residency. Applicants must be living in the State of Tennessee to receive SNAP benefits in the state.
Age and Relationship. There are no specific age limits to receive SNAP benefits. Parents and their children 21 years old or younger living together are considered one household. Minors who apply on their own must be living without their parents. Individuals living together and who purchase and prepare food together are treated as one household.
Citizenship and Social Security Numbers. An applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. National, or a qualified alien to get SNAP benefits. Some legal immigrants are ineligible for SNAP benefits; however, dependents of an ineligible immigrant are often eligible. To be eligible, all SNAP household members must have a social security number or proof of having applied for one.
Work. To receive SNAP benefits, most able-bodied people between 16 and 59 years old must register for work, participate in the Employment & Training Program if offered, accept offers of employment, and cannot quit a job. Able-bodied adults without dependents aged 18 to 49 can receive only a limited number of benefit months in 3 years, unless working 80 hours per month or otherwise determined exempt from the rule.
Other Factors. Strikers must be resource and income eligible before the day of the strike. Most college students must be working an average of 20 hours per week, enrolled in work-study, caring for young dependents, or receiving Families First. Felons convicted of certain drug-related offenses are not eligible for SNAP benefits. Individuals disqualified for fraud are ineligible for one year for the first offense, two years for the second offense, and permanently for the third. Dependents of disqualified or ineligible individuals may be eligible.
Resource Test. The asset limit is $2,500 for most households and $3,750 for households containing a member who is disabled or 60 years of age. Assets not counted are the home the applicant is presently living in and its lot, household goods, income producing property, real estate that is up for sale, cash value of life insurance, personal property, retirement accounts such as IRA and 401k plans, and vehicles with equity value under $1,500. Other vehicles not counted are those used for family transportation, to go to and from work, to produce income, for subsistence hunting and fishing, as the household’s home, to transport a disabled household member, and to carry the household’s primary source of heating fuel or water. Countable assets include cash on hand, money in checking, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, property not up for sale, and lump-sum payments.
Income Tests. The SNAP program does not count scholarships, grants and loans used for tuition and fees, reimbursements, heating assistance, earnings of children age 17 and younger who are in school and most loans. Countable income may include but is not limited to such things as: employment, self-employment, alimony, child support, disability benefits, Social Security/SSI, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment benefits, pensions, stipends, and interest income. Households which contain an elderly or disabled member do not have to pass the gross income standards but are subject to the net income standards. To see if you might be eligible, click here for the most current income limits to the program.
Deductions. Food stamp rules allow income deductions, including a 20% deduction on earnings, a standard deduction given to all households, dependent care expenses incurred, a shelter/utility deduction for a non-special household not to exceed $597, and medical expenses over $35 for elderly or disabled household members.