Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) basics: who gets it, how much, and when

Summer EBT, branded SUN Bucks by USDA, is a separate program from SNAP that puts grocery money on a card for school-age children during the summer break, when free school meals stop. Congress made it permanent in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and it launched in summer 2024. It is the first new federal food benefit in decades, and the rules are simple compared with SNAP.

How much

$120 per eligible child for the summer, issued once, usually in one deposit. The amount is set in law and adjusted for inflation in later years; it was $120 in 2024 and 2025. A family with three eligible children receives $360. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands receive higher amounts tied to their SNAP allotment factors.

Who is eligible

A child qualifies if, during the school year, he or she:

• is in a household that receives SNAP, TANF or (in most states) Medicaid with income under 185 percent of poverty, or lives in a household with income under that level;
• is approved for free or reduced-price school meals through an application; or
• is in foster care, homeless, migrant, or in Head Start.

The child must be school-age and attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program, or be eligible to. Children enrolled through SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, foster care or a meal application are usually enrolled automatically; families whose income qualifies but who have never applied for school meals must submit a short Summer EBT application to the state.

Which states take part

States choose each year whether to run the program and pay half of the administrative cost. In 2024, 37 states, the District of Columbia and all five territories took part; in 2025 a few more states joined and a few left. Several states, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska, did not participate in one or both years; some tribal nations run the program in states that do not. Participation for 2026 and 2027 is decided state by state in the preceding winter. Your state agency’s or education department’s SUN Bucks page is the authoritative list.

How and when it is loaded

Most states load SUN Bucks onto the household’s existing SNAP EBT card if it has one; otherwise a separate Summer EBT card is mailed in the child’s or parent’s name. The deposit arrives in June or early July in most states, independently of the household’s regular SNAP deposit day. SUN Bucks can be spent on the same foods as SNAP at the same stores. The benefit expires 122 days after it is issued, so money loaded in June is gone by late October if unspent, a shorter window than SNAP’s nine-month dormancy rule.

Common questions

Does SUN Bucks count against SNAP? No. It is not income for SNAP, Medicaid or housing programs, and receiving it does not change your SNAP amount.

My child was eligible but nothing arrived. Check that the household’s address is current with the school and the SNAP office; most problems are returned mail. States have a Summer EBT hotline separate from the SNAP line, listed on their SUN Bucks page.

We moved states over the summer. Benefits follow the state that enrolled the child; a new state will not issue a second benefit for the same summer.

Sources: USDA FNS, “Summer EBT” program pages and implementation guidance; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, section 502.