Colorado EBT and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

PEAK and the MyCOBenefits app

PEAK is the state's online benefits site at colorado.gov/PEAK. Use it to apply for SNAP and Colorado Works cash help¹⁹, upload the proof your county asks for, and run the pre-screening tool before you apply¹. The LEAP heating program also takes online applications in PEAK from November 1¹⁸.

The MyCOBenefits app, published by the State of Colorado, signs in with your PEAK user name and password. You can apply, recertify, update household members, jobs and contact details, and upload pay stubs. It also shows your EBT balance, changes your PIN, orders a replacement card and freezes the card²⁰.

Colorado PEAK · MyCOBenefits: iPhone, Android

The Quest card, the new card design and stolen benefits

CDHS names FIS as its EBT vendor³. Your balance prints at the bottom of each receipt. You can also check it in the ebtEDGE app or website, or by calling 1-888-328-2656 (TTY 1-800-659-2656)³. You choose a four-digit PIN by phone or online. Four wrong tries can lock the card until the next day⁴. Since August 25, 2026, ebtEDGE runs only on the new app and ebtEDGE.us, with the same user ID and password^2,21. There you can freeze the card, block online or out-of-state purchases, and file a dispute². Report a wrong charge within 90 days³.

From September 1, 2026, EBT Customer Service mails cards in a new design. CDHS says its built-in safety features make it much harder to copy, and it asks anyone still holding an old Quest card to order a replacement². CDHS does not call it a chip card. Order one by phone, in MyCOBenefits or in ebtEDGE; county offices may not have the new cards for pickup².

SNAP skimmed on or after December 21, 2024 cannot be replaced with federal funds, and CDHS stopped taking claims for older thefts on August 31, 2025¹⁶. Colorado's rules do not replace SNAP spent from your card without your knowledge⁵. Stolen Colorado Works or Adult Financial cash may be reissued by the county if the loss was beyond your control; sharing your PIN or lending the card does not count¹⁶. Report theft to your county and the police³.

• Card customer service: 1-888-328-2656
• Cardholder website: ebtEDGE
• Cardholder app: ebtEDGE NEW! (iPhone, Android)
• EBT processor: FIS

Colorado SNAP and EBT phone numbers

Applying through your county human services department

1. Apply in PEAK, the app or on paper. Apply at colorado.gov/PEAK or in MyCOBenefits^1,20. On paper, use the Single Purpose Application from your county office. The shorter SNAP Short Form was retired on May 1, 2026 and is no longer accepted¹⁷.
2. Your county takes the case. The human services department of your county decides eligibility¹. Find it in the CDHS county directory²².
3. Answer the interview call. Colorado's rules recommend a phone interview as the default; you can ask for one in person instead⁵. The county calls the number on your application. If it cannot reach you, a letter sets a date and explains how to reschedule¹.
4. Send proof. Expect to show 30 days of pay, letters for other income, and ID. If someone is 60 or older or disabled, include medical bills. Upload in PEAK or the app, bring them to the county, or mail them¹.
5. Get your decision and card. The county has 30 days to decide. The card comes by mail or in person¹, and you set the PIN before first use⁴.

You may get expedited benefits within 7 days if you have less than $100 in cash and less than $150 in monthly earnings, if housing costs are more than your income, or if you are a migrant or seasonal farmworker¹. If you apply after the 15th and qualify for the first month and the next, both payments arrive together⁵.

If you disagree with a decision, ask the county for a Dispute Resolution Conference; after that you can request a state fair hearing, also filed at the county¹.

Colorado's 200% gross income test for FY2027

Gross limit: 200% of the 2026 HHS poverty guideline divided by 12, rounded up. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

Colorado's rules have three routes. Basic categorical eligibility covers households where everyone gets SSI, Colorado Works, Old Age Pension or Aid to the Needy Disabled or Blind. Expanded categorical eligibility covers households at or below 200% of poverty. Standard eligibility covers the rest, including households with a member disqualified for fraud⁵. CDHS's SNAP page and the rule manual show the FY2026 chart ($2,610 for one person). By October 16, 2026, neither had posted FY2027 dollar amounts, so the table above applies 200% to the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines^1,5.

Colorado uses four mandatory utility allowances: heating and cooling, basic, one-utility and telephone. You cannot claim actual utility bills⁵. The rule's FY2026 amounts were $594, $377, $71 and $97 from October 1, 2025. FY2027 amounts were not published by October 16, 2026⁵.

Net income test. Households that qualify through Colorado's expanded categorical eligibility face only the 200% gross test, with no separate net test⁵. Households that fall back to standard eligibility must meet the 100% net limit ($1,330 a month for one person from October 1, 2026). If no one in the home is 60 or older or disabled, they must also stay under 130% gross ($1,729 for one)^5,25.

Assets. No asset limit applies to households eligible under basic or expanded categorical eligibility^5,6. Standard-eligibility households, including those with a member serving a fraud disqualification and elderly or disabled households over 200%, face the federal FY2027 limits: $3,000, or $4,750 with a member 60 or older or disabled^5,25. The rule text still shows the October 2024 figure of $4,500⁵.

Deposits on the 1st to 10th, by Social Security number

SNAP posts on one of the first 10 days of each month, set by the last digit of the Social Security number on the case: 1 on the 1st through 0 on the 10th^4,5.

Cash assistance on the same card follows a shorter schedule: SSNs ending in 8, 9 or 0 on the 1st, 4 to 7 on the 2nd, and 1 to 3 on the 3rd⁴. If a deposit is missing, call your county or check PEAK; the EBT line cannot fix case issues³.

Unused SNAP carries over month to month. Benefits are removed after 274 days (nine months) unused, or when the account has no food purchases for 274 days^3,5.

Six-month renewals and the 130% reporting line

Most Colorado households are certified for six months. Households where everyone is 60 or older or disabled and no one has earnings get 24 months, with a periodic report form at month 12. They have no interview unless they ask or face denial⁵. The county mails a notice 30 to 60 days before your period ends. Turn in your renewal by the 15th of the last month to avoid a gap⁵.

Between renewals, report changes in person, by phone, in writing or online⁵. If you were approved with income under 130% of poverty, report when gross household income goes over that line ($1,729 for one person in FY2027), within 10 days after the end of that month. Households approved above 130% do not report raises^5,25. Adults on the time limit must report work hours falling below 20 a week⁵.

Rules specific to Colorado

The soft drink ban that never started

USDA approved Colorado's request on August 4, 2025 to remove soft drinks, as defined in state tax law, from SNAP for two years from March 1, 2026⁹. The start was pushed back, and on May 11, 2026 USDA moved it to October 30, 2026⁹. On June 22, 2026, a federal court in Aragon v. Rollins vacated the approval⁹. CDHS has dropped the project and told stores to remove signs; what SNAP buys has not changed¹⁰.

Time limit with no waived areas for FY2027

Adults 18 to 64 who can work and have no child under 14 at home get 3 months of SNAP in 36 unless they work or train 80 hours a month or are exempt⁷. USDA's FY2027 first-quarter list puts Colorado among states with no time limit waiver anywhere⁸. Exemptions include pregnancy, disability, half-time school, working 30 hours or earning $217.50 a week, and identifying as Indian, Urban Indian or California Indian. Volunteer hours count⁷.

Energy EBT: $21 for older and disabled households

SNAP households with a member 60 or older or disabled get an automatic one-time $21 cash payment if no one received LEAP or Energy EBT in the past 12 months. It also gives the household the highest utility allowance, which can raise monthly SNAP¹⁴.

Summer EBT paid $120 per child in 2026

Children on SNAP or Colorado Works were enrolled automatically. Families with only Health First Colorado also had to meet school meal income limits¹³. Benefits began in late May 2026 on a separate card for each child and had to be spent within 122 days^12,13. CDHS says the program returns in 2027¹².

Produce Bonus, Double Up and museum discounts

The Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus adds back what you spend on eligible fruits and vegetables at participating stores, up to $60 a month, with no sign-up^1,24. Double Up Food Bucks doubles SNAP spent at participating markets¹. Showing your EBT card gets reduced admission at many museums and a $14 annual Centennial State Park Pass¹⁵.

No restaurant meals; online grocery orders allowed

Colorado is not on USDA's list of states running a Restaurant Meals Program (updated August 7, 2026), so SNAP cannot buy restaurant meals here¹¹. USDA-approved retailers accept the card online³.

Other assistance in Colorado

Sources

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. Colorado EBT, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. Colorado EBT: Frequently Asked Questions, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. How to Use Your Colorado EBT Card (cardholder brochure, rev. 05/2017, linked from the CDHS EBT FAQ), FIS for the Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. 10 CCR 2506-1, Rule Manual Volume 4: SNAP (version effective December 30, 2025), Colorado Secretary of State, Code of Colorado Regulations. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (state chart, page updated June 29, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. ABAWD Waivers: Status of State Time Limit Waivers, FY2027 1st Quarter, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. Colorado SNAP Food Restriction Waiver (approval letter, modifications and court notice), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. Summer EBT, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. FAQs about Summer EBT, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. Energy EBT, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. Discount admission and services for Colorado EBT card holders, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. Operation Memo OM-FEA-2025-0008: SNAP Benefit Replacement, EBT Affidavit Process Concluded (August 4, 2025), Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. Operation Memo OM-FEA-2026-006: SNAP Short Form Application (May 4, 2026), Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. Colorado Works, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. MyCOBenefits (App Store listing, developer: State of Colorado), State of Colorado. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. ebtEDGE sign-in, FIS (Fidelity National Information Services). Checked 16 October 2026.
22. Contact your county human services department, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. Connect for Health Colorado, Connect for Health Colorado (state health insurance marketplace). Checked 16 October 2026.
24. Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus, Colorado Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
25. SNAP – Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (memo, August 21, 2026), U.S. Department of Agriculture. Checked 16 October 2026.