Great news for households participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Summer EBT, formerly known as Summer P-EBT benefits are back for 2024!
In December, Congress authorized Summer EBT as a permanent program. Unlike Summer P-EBT, which was temporary, the Summer EBT Program is permanent program that will continue each year.
This change will make over 29 million children nationwide eligible to receive Summer EBT benefits for 2024.
To learn more about the Summer EBT Program for 2024, including what states have been approved and how you much you can expect in benefits, continue reading below.
Alert: Get the Food Stamps EBT Schedule for March 2024
What is Summer EBT?
Summer EBT is a program launching in summer 2024 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (SEBTC) program aims to reduce child hunger and improve the diet quality of children during the summer months when they are not in school.
Summer EBT is based on USDA’s Summer EBT for Children demonstration projects and Pandemic EBT.
The program will provide families with low-income children more resources to use at food stores during the summer period.
Summer EBT provides food benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer.
These benefits work together with other available summer nutrition programs and nutrition assistance programs, including summer meal sites, SNAP, and WIC, to help ensure kids have consistent access to critical nutrition.
More than 29 million children across America will benefit from the Summer EBT Program.
Summer EBT benefits will come in the form of pre-loaded cards that families can use to purchase groceries.
Beginning in summer 2024, families will receive $40 per eligible child, per month.
Why does Summer EBT work?
Research shows that providing families with summer grocery benefits reduces child hunger and supports healthier diets.
The USDA completed rigorous evaluations on Summer EBT that showed how it decreased the number of kids with very low food security by about one-third.
Additionally, their testing on the Summer EBT Program also found that:
- Decreased sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
- Increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
- Increased whole grain and dairy consumption.
- Decreased children’s food insecurity by more than 30% after benefits were issued.
- Lifted at least 2.7 to 3.9 million children out of hunger.
As you can see, there is significant evidence behind the benefits of the Summer EBT program.
To learn more about the Summer EBT Program for 2024, including which states have been approved to issue benefits, continue reading below.
States approved for 2024 Summer EBT
Currently, 46 states, territories and tribal lands have been approved for 2024 Summer EBT. The locations approved for 2024 Summer EBT include:
- American Samoa
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Cherokee Nation
- Chickasaw Nation
- Colorado
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Osage Nation
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
All states and territories had until Monday, January 1st, 2024 to enroll in Summer EBT for 2024. We will continue to add to this list as more states are approved for 2024 Summer EBT.
Who is eligible for 2024 Summer EBT Benefits?
There are several ways to qualify for 2024 Summer EBT benefits. The Summer EBT is intended to reduce food insecurity for children who lose access to free and reduced price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the summer when school is not in session.
To be eligible for the 2024 Summer EBT benefits, your child must meet one of the following requirements during the current 2023-2024 school year:
- Approved and participating in the free or reduced-price school meals program at an eligible NSLP/SBP school.
- Attend a NSLP/SBP-participating special provision school (CEP or Provision 2 or 3).
- Attend a NSLP/SBP-participating school and are certified eligible through a Summer EBT application.
- Determined directly eligible (SNAP, TANF or Medicaid benefits), but do not attend a NSLP/SBP school.
Households may establish eligibility for 2024 Summer EBT at any point between the start of the school year through the last day of the 2023-2024 school year summer period.
Children who are certified as eligible for 2024 Summer EBT during the summer will be issued the full summer benefit.
Use the chart below for more details on how you can be eligible for 2024 Summer EBT benefits.
If your child is currently not enrolled in a Free or Reduced-Price Meals Program and would like to see if they are eligible, you can check out the income guidelines here.
If you would like to receive Summer EBT benefits for 2024, we suggest for enrolling your child in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program.
How do you know if my child can be directly certified as eligible for Summer EBT?
To find out if your child can be directly certified as eligible for 2024 Summer EBT benefits, we can help.
If your household participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps), you will automatically be eligible for Summer EBT benefits.
In addition, most states also automatically certify children as eligible who live in households participating in the following programs:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF/cash assistance)
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Medicaid (select states only)
Children that attend a community eligibility or special provision school will not automatically be certified as eligible for Summer EBT benefits.
These children must complete an application to receive 2024 Summer EBT benefits.
Who is not eligible for Summer EBT Benefits?
If a child does not fit the criteria to be automatically eligible for benefits or filling out an application, they may not be eligible for Summer EBT benefits.
There are two groups of children who will not be able to receive benefits:
- Children who attend schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program, but are not income eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
- Children who cannot be directly certified and do not attend a school participating in the National School Lunch Program.
If your child falls into either of these two categories, they will not be eligible to receive 2024 Summer EBT benefits.
How much will my child receive in 2024 Summer EBT Benefits?
Families can expect to receive a minimum of $40 a month per eligible child in Summer EBT benefits for 2024.
This means that each eligible child will receive a set benefit amount of $120 for the entire summer period.
Please note, the 2024 Summer EBT amount may increase due to inflation.
The USDA is still in the process of establishing those guidelines.
We will post more information as it becomes available.
When will the 2024 Summer EBT Benefits be distributed?
Each state will be distributing Summer EBT benefits for 2024 on a different timeline.
However, all states are expected to submit 2024 Summer P-EBT benefits between the months of May and September.
What is the difference between Summer P-EBT and Summer EBT?
The Summer P-EBT used during the pandemic and the new Summer EBT program are very similar.
However, the key difference between the two programs is that children attending a community eligibility or other special provision school will not automatically be eligible for benefits.
These households must submit an application to determine if their household income is eligible to receive Summer EBT benefits.
2024 Summer EBT Summary
We hope this article on Summer EBT for 2024 was helpful to you!
If you have additional questions regarding the Summer EBT Program, including eligibility, how to apply and receiving your benefits, please let us know in the comments section below.
If you found this article helpful, we encourage you to share it with someone may find it valuable.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our other articles on Food Stamps and SNAP EBT:
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