Summer EBT (SUN Bucks): $120 per Child, State by State

"SUN Bucks" was USDA's name for Summer EBT, and many states still use it: California SUN Bucks, Ohio SUN Bucks, Maryland SUN Bucks. Other states say Summer EBT or SEBT. USDA's old SUN Bucks web address now forwards to its Summer EBT page (opens in a new tab), which notes that the program "may be known by a different name in your location." Whatever your state calls it, the rules below are the same.

How Much Summer EBT Pays in 2026

Summer EBT pays $40 a month for three summer months, or $120 per eligible child, in the 48 contiguous states and DC, according to USDA's 2026 Summer EBT benefit level notice (opens in a new tab). The notice says the cost index rose 0.49%, which left the contiguous-state benefit unchanged from 2025 after rounding down.

Source: USDA Summer EBT 2026 benefit levels (opens in a new tab). Alaska didn't take part in 2026, so its rates apply only if it joins.

What you can buy: USDA's Summer EBT household page (opens in a new tab) lists fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and fish, dairy, breads and cereals, and snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks. You can't buy hot foods, pet food, cleaning or household supplies, personal hygiene items, or medicine. Many grocery stores, farmers markets, convenience stores, and online retailers that take SNAP and WIC take Summer EBT too.

Timing and expiration. Under 7 CFR 292.15 (opens in a new tab), children who are automatically certified or already approved must get benefits at least seven days before the summer period starts. Late applicants must get them within 15 operational days of a complete application. The same rule requires agencies to remove unused benefits "122 calendar days after their issuance," with at least 30 days' notice first. A common mistake is treating the card as a savings account. Spend it during the summer.

Who Qualifies and Who's Enrolled Automatically

Most eligible children never fill out a form. According to USDA's household page (opens in a new tab), school-age children whose families receive SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, or certain other income-based benefits "will be automatically enrolled" in participating areas. Children at a school that offers the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program whose household income makes them eligible for free or reduced-price meals "may also be automatically enrolled."

Summer EBT income limits for 2026-27

Summer EBT uses the same income guidelines as school meals. USDA's 2026-27 income eligibility notice (opens in a new tab) covers July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 and explicitly includes Summer EBT. It sets the free-meal limit at 130% and the reduced-price limit at 185% of the federal poverty guideline. Grantsights multiplied the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab) by those percentages, the method the notice describes:

Figures are annual gross income for the 48 contiguous states and DC; Alaska and Hawaii have higher guidelines. Your state agency makes the final call.

How to tell which group you're in:

Which States Have Summer EBT in 2026

USDA's 2026 participating areas map (opens in a new tab) shows 38 states plus DC running Summer EBT this past summer, along with all five U.S. territories. Grantsights checked each state's entry on the map on October 28, 2026.

Participating in summer 2026 (38 states plus DC): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The territories are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Not participating in summer 2026 (11 states): Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

Oklahoma: the state didn't run it, but USDA lists five Tribal Nations (Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe) issuing benefits "to all eligible children residing on Tribal land, regardless of Tribal membership."

What's known about summer 2027

USDA's map still shows 2026, and it says it's updated as agencies finalize plans. Two states have said something official:

• Tennessee: a June 10, 2026 Tennessee Department of Human Services release (opens in a new tab) says that, following approval by the General Assembly, Tennessee will move to the federal Summer EBT program beginning in 2027. For 2026, the state paid a one-time $120 to eligible SNAP or Families First children in 13 counties instead.
• Wisconsin: the state's Summer EBT page (opens in a new tab) says its 2027 application is already live, that the 2026 deadline was August 27, 2026, and that the 2027 issuance date hasn't been set.

Grantsights didn't find official 2027 announcements from the other states that sat out 2026. If you live in one, check your state human services agency in the spring.

How to Apply for Summer EBT in Your State

Applying for Summer EBT is free and takes one state form, if you need to apply at all. Start at USDA's participating areas map (opens in a new tab), choose your state, and follow the link to the agency that runs it. Each entry lists the official website and a hotline. A few examples from the map: California's SUN Bucks hotline is 1-877-328-9677, New York's Summer EBT hotline is 1-833-452-0096, and Ohio's SUN Bucks hotline is 1-866-244-0071.

What the form asks for, per USDA: your child's name and date of birth, school, home address, and household income.

Practical steps:

1. Check whether you're already enrolled. If you get SNAP or TANF, call the hotline on your state's entry before applying again.
2. Apply during the state's window. Deadlines vary. Under 7 CFR 292.13 (opens in a new tab), a late application approved after the deadline can count toward the next summer, which is how Wisconsin is handling applications now.
3. Watch the mail. States send benefits to a SNAP card or a separate Summer EBT card. A new card usually comes with PIN instructions from the state.
4. Update your address. A card mailed to an old address is the most common reason families miss benefits they qualified for.

If your family also needs year-round food help, our SNAP food stamps guide explains the main program, and families with children under 5 can see our WIC program guide.

SUN Meals: Free Summer Meals, Including Rural To-Go Meals

According to USDA, kids 18 and under can get free meals and snacks at schools, parks, and other community sites through the Summer Food Service Program, whether or not their state runs Summer EBT. USDA's old "SUN Meals" web address now forwards to its Summer Food Service Program page (opens in a new tab), so you'll still see both names.

Rural to-go meals. USDA's non-congregate meal service page (opens in a new tab) says certain rural areas "can distribute nutritious meals to kids outside of the typically required group (congregate) settings." Approved operators in low-income rural areas can offer options such as parent or guardian pick-up, and in some places delivery. States decide which sites get approved.

How to find meals:

• USDA Summer Meals Site Finder. USDA's parent page (opens in a new tab) says the site finder includes some rural pick-up locations but doesn't list delivery sites. It also says that, as of September 15, 2026, it had data for only 11 states (Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming), so outside those states, check with your school district or state agency.
• USDA National Hunger Hotline. 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, run by Hunger Free America.
• 211. Your local 211 can point you to summer meal sites and food pantries.

Summer meals and Summer EBT aren't either-or. In participating states, a child can get both.

What the SUN Bucks Page Doesn't Tell You

Grantsights checked USDA's Summer EBT pages against the federal rule and state pages. The honest picture has five gaps worth knowing:

1. The benefit expires. USDA's household page doesn't mention it, but 7 CFR 292.15 requires agencies to remove benefits 122 days after issuance.
2. "Automatic" depends on your address on file. Automatic enrollment uses SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, and school meal records. If those have an old address, the card goes there. Updating your address is the single most useful thing you can do.
3. The participation map changes every year. Utah has FY2025 Summer EBT obligations but wasn't on the 2026 map, while Iowa and Wyoming had none in FY2025 and were on it for 2026. Don't rely on a last-year article.
4. Free meals can be harder to find than the program suggests. USDA's site finder had data for only 11 states as of September 15, 2026.
5. Scammers copy the name. USDA's SNAP scam alerts page (opens in a new tab) warns about phony texts claiming an EBT card is locked and says not to give your EBT card number or PIN by phone or text. Treat any "claim your SUN Bucks" text, social post, or fee request as a red flag. The FTC's government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) describes the same pattern for "free government money." Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

There's no fee to get Summer EBT, and no website other than your state agency can enroll your child.

Summer EBT Money by State, FY2025

Alabama received $19.03 per resident in FY2025 Summer EBT obligations, the highest of any state, according to USAspending.gov (opens in a new tab) FY2025 data. Grantsights analysis of USAspending.gov FY2025 obligations for Assistance Listing 10.646 found $2.79 billion going to recipients in 41 of the 50 states and DC, or $8.16 per resident nationally. For example, California received $655 million, about $16.66 per resident, the largest total of any state. States not listed below with a dollar figure had no FY2025 obligations in the data, which matches not taking part.

Source: USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab), Assistance Listing 10.646, FY2025 obligations by recipient state; per-resident figures divide by all residents (not just children), using Census Bureau July 1, 2025 estimates. The national total including territories was $2.86 billion.

How to read it: a federal fiscal year doesn't line up with one summer, so a state's FY2025 figure can include adjustments to earlier awards. Tennessee's negative figure is a net downward adjustment (deobligation), not a summer program; the state ran its own 13-county payment in 2026 instead. Oklahoma's figure reflects recipients located in Oklahoma, and USDA's 2026 map shows only Tribal Nations operating there. Per-resident numbers also run lower in states with fewer children or fewer families below 185% of poverty, so they aren't a measure of how generous a state is.

A Simple Summer EBT Checklist

The whole process fits in about five steps:

1. Find your state on USDA's participating areas map (opens in a new tab) and save its hotline.
2. If you get SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR, confirm your address and watch for the benefit.
3. If you don't, check the income table above and apply through the state's official site.
4. Use the benefits within 122 days of when they arrive.
5. If your state isn't taking part, use summer meal sites and rural to-go meals, and check your state's plans for 2027.

Grantsights' free eligibility checker doesn't enroll anyone in Summer EBT. For a parent who picks "Individual" and then "Personal financial help," it shows the official routes (the USA.gov benefit finder, rental help, help with bills, and food help) and the 211 line, not grants. For other household help, see our guides to child care assistance programs, TANF cash assistance, grants for single mothers, and LIHEAP energy assistance.

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Sources

1. USDA: Summer EBT (opens in a new tab) and Summer EBT household page (opens in a new tab) - $120 benefit, automatic enrollment, what you can buy, how to apply
2. USDA: Summer EBT 2026 participating areas (opens in a new tab) - 2026 state, territory, and Tribal participation, state hotlines
3. USDA: Summer EBT 2026 benefit levels (opens in a new tab) - $120 contiguous states; Alaska, Hawaii, and territory amounts
4. USDA: Child Nutrition income eligibility guidelines, 2026-2027 (Federal Register) (opens in a new tab) and HHS 2026 poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab) - 130% and 185% income limits
5. 7 CFR 292.13 (opens in a new tab) and 7 CFR 292.15 (opens in a new tab) - late applications, issuance timing, 122-day expungement
6. USDA: Summer Food Service Program (opens in a new tab), parent page (opens in a new tab), and non-congregate meal service (opens in a new tab) - summer meals, site finder coverage, rural to-go meals
7. Tennessee Department of Human Services, June 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - 2026 county payments and 2027 Summer EBT plans
8. Wisconsin DHS: Summer EBT (opens in a new tab) - 2027 application status
9. USDA: SNAP scam alerts (opens in a new tab) and FTC: Government grant scams (opens in a new tab) - EBT phishing and fee scams
10. USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab) - FY2025 Summer EBT obligations (Assistance Listing 10.646)
11. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab) - July 1, 2025 population used for per-resident figures