Indiana EBT and SNAP (Food Assistance)

Using the FSSA Benefits Portal

The Benefits Portal handles SNAP, TANF cash assistance and Medicaid. Its home page has separate buttons for "Apply Online for SNAP/ Cash Assistance" and "Apply Online for Health Coverage," plus a screening tool that estimates whether you might qualify¹⁷. With an account you can finish an incomplete application, see the benefits you receive, print proof of eligibility, print an authorized representative form, report changes, read notices and upload documents DFR has asked for¹⁴.

To create an account you need a valid email address and a Social Security number. You do not need a case or application number¹⁴. If account setup fails, call 1-800-403-0864 and choose Benefits Portal Technical Support¹⁴. Free language help is on the same number¹⁷. To check your card balance, use ConnectEBT or the EBT line instead⁵.

FSSA Benefits Portal

The Hoosier Works card

The Hoosier Works card is light blue with gold and dark blue lettering. It carries both SNAP and TANF cash, uses a magnetic stripe, and works in any state at stores that take SNAP². It is mailed automatically after approval and normally arrives within 3-5 business days. If you had SNAP before, no new card comes; benefits go onto your old card, which never expires^1,2. Before first use, set a four-digit PIN at 1-877-768-5098. Have the 16-digit card number, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your date of birth ready^5,18.

For a lost, stolen or damaged card, cancel it on ConnectEBT or by phone; Conduent runs the ConnectEBT site^18,24. Replacements are mailed within 24 hours of your call. The first replacement each calendar year is free; each one after that costs $1.00⁵.

Indiana does not replace SNAP stolen on or after December 21, 2024 by skimming or cloning, because federal funding for it ended^6,12. Your main protection is the Lock/Unlock tool in your ConnectEBT account: choose "lock my card everywhere" between shopping trips⁶. Stolen TANF cash is different. Email [email protected] with only your name and phone number, then sign an affidavit. DFR decides within 10 days of receiving it⁶. FSSA's pages describe no chip card for Indiana as of October 2026^2,6.

• Card customer service: 1-877-768-5098
• Cardholder website: ConnectEBT (Indiana)
• EBT processor: Conduent

Indiana SNAP and EBT phone numbers

How to apply for SNAP in Indiana

1. Apply in the Benefits Portal or at a county office. Apply online in the FSSA Benefits Portal. One application covers SNAP and TANF cash assistance^1,17. DFR has an office in every county, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time. Call 1-800-403-0864 to find yours¹⁶.
2. Or send a paper application. Paper applications are State Form 53263 in English and State Form 53622 in Spanish, on DFR's forms page²³. Mail it to the FSSA Document Center, P.O. Box 1810, Marion, IN 46952, or fax it to 1-888-436-9199^15,16.
3. Do the eligibility interview. DFR schedules an interview after you apply. You have the right to ask for it by telephone¹¹. If you miss it, you get a Notice of Missed Interview. Call before the 30th day after you applied to reschedule, or the application is denied¹¹.
4. Return the verifications within 13 days. Expect to show names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for everyone in the home, income and resources, child support you pay, and rent or mortgage and utility costs¹. Members who are 60 or older or disabled can also show out-of-pocket medical costs¹. You get 13 days to return what DFR asks for. Upload it in the portal, mail it or fax it^11,14.

DFR must decide within 30 days. Some households get benefits within 7 days, which is called expedited service. You qualify if your gross monthly income is under $150 and you have under $100 in cash, checking and savings. You also qualify if your monthly housing costs are more than your gross income plus that money¹. If the 7th day falls on a weekend or holiday, benefits are issued on the business day before¹¹. If you apply after the 15th and are approved, the first two months' benefits arrive together¹².

If you disagree with a decision, ask DFR for a fair hearing in person, by phone or in writing. A representative of the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings hears the case¹.

Indiana SNAP income limits for FY2027

Gross limit: as published by Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Division of Family Resources (DFR)⁴. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

Indiana's FY2027 chart, effective October 1, 2026, uses the federal limits. Gross income may be up to $1,729 a month for one person and $3,575 for four^3,4. Indiana's broad-based rule raises only the asset limit, so the gross limit stays at 130%. On the same USDA chart, Illinois lists 165% and Kentucky 200%¹⁹. A household with an elderly or disabled member who buys and cooks separately can be tested as its own group, at 165% of poverty gross⁴.

To reach net income, DFR subtracts 20% of earnings, a standard deduction of $217 for households of one to three, and dependent care costs with no cap⁴. It also subtracts court-ordered child support, housing costs and, for members 60 or older or disabled, medical costs over $35 a month³. The maximum benefit is $306 for one person and $1,023 for four³.

Net income test. Indiana keeps the federal two-step test. A household must have gross income at or under 130% of poverty and also net income at or under 100% ($1,330 for one person and $2,750 for four from October 1, 2026). Households with a member who is elderly (60 or older) or disabled skip the gross test but must pass the net test. If everyone gets SSI or TANF, the income limits do not apply^3,4.

Assets. FSSA's SNAP page sets a $3,000 limit, or $4,750 if the household has a member who is 60 or older or disabled. The policy manual's resource section words the $4,750 rule as age 65 or older, effective October 1, 2026^1,4. The same SNAP page's FAQ says most households may have up to $5,000, and USDA's chart of state rules (updated June 29, 2026) lists Indiana's broad-based limit as $5,000^1,19. Your home and lot, household goods and life insurance policies do not count¹. Any vehicle used for household transportation is exempt, whatever it is worth¹.

Deposit days by last name, the 5th to the 23rd

SNAP is loaded on one day between the 5th and the 23rd of each month, set by the first letter of the last name of the person named on the front of the Hoosier Works card^1,5.

The first month after approval, and expedited approvals, do not follow this table¹². TANF cash is loaded on the 1st of the month for everyone⁵.

From November 23, 2026, Indiana removes (expunges) any SNAP benefits that are at least 274 days old, about nine months, even if you use the card often. Removed benefits cannot be put back¹. DFR mails a notice 30 days before benefits are removed¹². The ConnectEBT site still says 365 days; FSSA's 274-day rule is the one that applies^1,18.

Recertification, the six-month interim report and change reporting

Most households are certified for 12 months and must have a renewal interview each year. About 45 days before the period ends, DFR mails a Notice of Expiration. To renew on time, finish the interview by the 15th of the last month and return a signed Summary of Eligibility¹⁰. Households in which everyone is disabled or, in the manual's wording, age 65 or older, and no one has earnings fall under Indiana's Elderly Simplified Application Project. They get a 36-month certification and no interim report¹⁰.

Other households get a SNAP Interim Report in the sixth month. It is due on the 1st of that month, with pay stubs for the last 30 days for any job. If it is late, DFR sends a reminder with 10 more days; if it never arrives, the case closes¹⁰. Between reports, you must report by the 10th of the next month only if income goes over the 130% gross limit, you win $4,750 or more in lottery or gambling, or you are subject to the time limit and your work drops below 20 hours a week¹⁰. If a renewal is denied for missing papers, sending them by the end of the next month can restore the case¹⁰.

Rules specific to Indiana

Smart SNAP: no sugary drinks or candy since January 1, 2026

Governor Braun's Executive Order 25-55 (April 15, 2025) led to a federal waiver approved on May 22, 2025⁷. It took effect January 1, 2026 and is approved for two years⁹. "Sugary drinks" means non-alcoholic drinks with natural or artificial sweeteners. Drinks with milk, soy or rice milk are still allowed, and so are drinks sweetened only with fruit or vegetable juice⁷. Candy means sweetened bars, drops or pieces; anything that needs refrigeration is not candy⁷. FSSA's list keeps chocolate milk, protein bars, baked goods and ice cream eligible; gum, mints, marshmallows, fruit roll-ups, sports drinks and sweetened bottled tea are not⁸.

Work rules and the time limit: no waived areas

Since July 4, 2025, able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64 without a child under 14 in the household can get only 3 months of SNAP in 36 months. To keep benefits, they must work or join a work program 20 hours a week¹³. Veterans, homeless people and former foster youth no longer have their own exemption. Pregnant people and people the law defines as Indians are exempt^1,13. DFR's manual says no Indiana county or city has a waiver¹³. The state's employment and training program is IMPACT (call 1-800-403-0864, option 3). Equus runs it for FY2027^1,22.

Cash from the card is a crime at bars, casinos and gun stores

Indiana law (IC 12-13-14-4.5) makes it a Class C misdemeanor to use TANF cash on the Hoosier Works card at liquor stores, bars, nightclubs, private clubs and lodges, casinos, horse tracks, off-track betting parlors, bingo halls, gun stores or adult entertainment venues. The penalty is up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine². SNAP itself can never be taken as cash².

No Summer EBT in 2026 and no Restaurant Meals Program

USDA's list of 2026 Summer EBT agencies (updated August 14, 2026) shows Indiana as not participating, so Indiana families did not get Summer EBT grocery benefits for their children that summer²⁰. Indiana is also not among the states running the Restaurant Meals Program (USDA list updated August 7, 2026)²¹. SNAP can be used online for pickup or delivery at authorized retailers; delivery fees cannot be paid with SNAP¹.

Other assistance in Indiana

Sources

1. SNAP (Food Assistance), Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. EBT (Hoosier Works card), Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. SNAP income limits and maximum allotment, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 3000: Eligibility Standards (amounts effective 10/01/2026), Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. Hoosier Works Card FAQ's, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. SNAP benefit fraud by card skimming, card cloning and other similar methods, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. Smart SNAP, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. Smart SNAP Retailers (commonly questioned items), Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. Indiana SNAP Food Restriction Waiver (approval letter of May 22, 2025), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 2200: Continuing Case Processing, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 2000: Application Processing, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 3600: Benefit Issuance, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. SNAP/TANF Program Policy Manual, Chapter 2400: Nonfinancial Eligibility Requirements, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. Create a FSSA Benefits Portal Account, Indiana FSSA. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. Contact DFR, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. Find My Local DFR Office, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. FSSA Benefits Portal (home page; read through a text proxy because the site blocks scripted requests), Indiana FSSA. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. Indiana EBT cardholder website (ConnectEBT), Indiana EBT, operated by Conduent. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. SNAP Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (state chart, page updated June 29, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. Summer EBT: 2026 Participating Agencies (page updated August 14, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. IMPACT job training program, Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. DFR forms (Indiana Application for SNAP and Cash Assistance, State Forms 53263 and 53622), Indiana FSSA, Division of Family Resources. Checked 16 October 2026.
24. ConnectEBT cardholder portal home (Conduent), Conduent. Checked 16 October 2026.