Louisiana EBT and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Using CAFÉ for applications, reports and case questions

CAFÉ serves SNAP, FITAP cash assistance and the Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP). It still sits on an old DCFS web address, but it is the portal LDH links to^3,10. In it you can apply, check an application's status, complete a redetermination (renewal), send a simplified report or change report, and see your benefit amount¹⁰. First-time users of the upgraded portal must create a new account, even with an active SNAP case⁹.

To reach a caseworker, open "Check My Cases," then "SNAP Details," and use the "Questions About Your Case?" menu, for example to reschedule an interview. Replies can take up to two business days⁹. The Budget Information page can be printed as proof of SNAP for other agencies^9,1.

CAFÉ Self-Service Portal

The Louisiana Purchase Card and LifeInCheck

Inmar Intelligence is LDH's EBT contractor and built LifeInCheck, the only cardholder app LDH approves^4,5. The app and the LifeInCheck website²⁰ show your balance, transactions and next deposit date; you can also call 1-888-997-1117 or read your last receipt^4,5. A new card is mailed apart from the approval letter: 3 to 5 business days to a street address, up to 7 to 10 to a P.O. box⁵. Set your PIN in the app, under "Card Management" on the website, or by phone. Repeated or consecutive digits, PINs starting with 0, your birth date or year and the last four SSN digits are refused. Three wrong tries freeze the card until midnight⁵.

If the card is lost, stolen or damaged, cancel it first (app, website or phone), then order a replacement. You cannot spend until the new card arrives and has a PIN; the balance carries over⁵.

LDH's EBT page, checked October 16, 2026, describes a magnetic-stripe card and does not mention chip cards⁴. In LifeInCheck you can set spending limits and block out-of-state or online use⁶. LDH states that skimmed SNAP or SUN Bucks benefits will not be replaced, and advises changing your PIN monthly, just before your deposit date⁶.

• Card customer service: 1-888-997-1117
• Cardholder website: LifeInCheck EBT
• Cardholder app: LifeInCheck EBT (iPhone, Android)
• EBT processor: Inmar Intelligence

Louisiana SNAP and EBT phone numbers

Applying for SNAP through LDH

1. Apply in CAFÉ or by phone. File online in CAFÉ, or call 1-888-524-3578 to apply by phone (about 20 to 30 minutes; LDH mails you a copy). The same application covers FITAP cash assistance and Kinship Care^2,8.
2. Or send the paper Application for Assistance. Form OFS 4APP comes in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and large print. Mail it to LDH Economic Stability, P.O. Box 260031, Baton Rouge, LA 70826, fax it to 1-225-663-3164, or drop it at a parish office^2,8. Proof documents can also be uploaded in CAFÉ or emailed to [email protected]⁹.
3. Gather your proof. Identity, Social Security numbers, the last four pay stubs for each worker, proof of other income, and medical bills for members who are disabled or over 59. Send copies, not originals^10,12.
4. Complete the interview. An appointment letter arrives within 10 days and a worker phones you^8,2. You can also call 1-888-524-3578, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., to finish the interview, or ask for one in person at a parish office^10,2.
5. Watch the mail for your decision and card. A letter gives the decision and amount, with benefits paid back to your application date¹⁰. The card comes in a separate envelope⁵.

LDH must decide within 30 days, or within 7 days if you have little or no money (expedited service), and warns that heavy volume can push decisions to the full 30 days^1,2. Expedited applicants get a card as soon as LDH receives the application; any application still pending on day 21 also gets one, with $0 until approval⁹.

If everyone is 60 or older or disabled and nobody has earned income, the shorter ESAP-1 form applies¹¹. Households in which everyone gets or applies for SSI can file at a Social Security office².

Louisiana SNAP income limits for FY2027 (200% chart)

Gross limit: as published by Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Office of Economic Stability, Division of Family Support¹. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

LDH's FY2027 chart says households under broad-based categorical eligibility must stay under 200% of the poverty line instead of 130%¹, and FNA's chart says this covers all Louisiana households²¹. The table above uses LDH's figures; each extra person adds $948 in its rows, though its "each additional member" line prints $1,100¹.

Benefits follow net income. LDH's FY2027 deductions: 20% of earnings; a standard deduction of $217 for 1 to 3 people, $229 for 4, $268 for 5 and $308 for 6 or more; a $161 standard medical deduction for elderly or disabled members with at least $35.01 in costs (actual costs above $196); dependent care; child support paid; and shelter costs capped at $769 unless someone is elderly or disabled. The homeless shelter deduction is $205.66¹.

Net income test. LDH's pages say most households must pass both the gross test and the 100% net test (from $1,330 a month for one person in FY2027). A household with a member who is 60 or older or receives certain disability payments only has to meet the net test. Households with a member on FITAP, KCSP or STEP, or in which everyone gets SSI, skip the income tests¹.

Assets. FNA's broad-based categorical eligibility chart lists no asset limit for Louisiana²¹. LDH's SNAP page still prints $3,000, or $4,750 with a member 60 or older or disabled, for households that are not exempt, such as one with a member disqualified for an intentional program violation or a work-registration sanction¹.

Louisiana SNAP deposit days by Social Security digit

Deposits run from the 1st to the 23rd of the month by the last digit of the head of household's Social Security number; if the head is elderly or any member is disabled, the deposit comes between the 1st and the 4th.

Your date is the same every month; weekends and holidays do not move it. Benefits can be spent from 5:00 a.m. the morning after they post^1,7. LifeInCheck shows the schedule under My Account, Benefits Schedule⁵.

From June 14, 2026, LDH removes SNAP, FITAP or KCSP benefits still unspent 274 days after issue, even if you use the card often. Removed benefits cannot be restored^4,5.

Redeterminations, simplified reports and ESAP

Certification periods are typically 12 months, and you must complete a redetermination at the end even if nothing changed; missing it ends benefits⁸. Households on simplified reporting also get a Simplified Report (OFS 4SR) with a due date during the certification period. Return it with proof even if nothing changed, in CAFÉ under "My Simplified Reporting," by fax, mail or at an office; a late form can cause a gap and a missing one can close the case¹². Report changes by the 10th of the month after they happen⁸.

ESAP households (all 60 or older or disabled, no earned income) get 36 months, no renewal interview and no simplified report¹¹. To appeal a decision, return the signed "Fair Hearing Information" section of the letter within 90 days⁹.

Rules specific to Louisiana

Soft drinks, energy drinks and candy excluded since February 18, 2026

The SNAP Healthy Foods Waiver covers every household, as a demonstration project from February 18, 2026 to January 12, 2028 under Executive Order 25-052¹³. Excluded: carbonated drinks with high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners (flavored carbonated water, milk drinks and drinks with 50% or more juice stay allowed), energy drinks with added stimulants such as caffeine, guarana or taurine, and candy including gum and mints. Protein bars, granola bars and baking chips stay allowed¹³.

Cards blocked outside Louisiana since May 26, 2026

The Louisiana Purchase Card works only for in-state purchases, an anti-theft step for SNAP, FITAP and KCSP. Some stores in border ZIP codes in Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas count as in-state, and online orders are not affected⁴. Travelers can ask for a short-term opt-out on LifeInCheckEBT.com, at 1-888-524-3578 or at an LDH office; the block returns the next month⁵.

Work rules for adults 18 to 64 from November 1, 2025

For applications and redeterminations received from November 1, 2025, the three-month time limit covers able-bodied adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 at home. LDH's exemption list has no entry for veterans, homeless people or former foster youth, and its household exemption covers only a child under 14¹⁴. The 36-month clock restarted April 1, 2026 and runs to March 2029. Meet it with 80 hours a month of work, training or volunteering; report an exemption to [email protected], subject "ABAWD work requirements"¹⁴.

Louisiana Carrot Initiative: 30 cents back on produce

The Louisiana Carrot Initiative (eHIP) adds a 30-cent rebate to your EBT card for each SNAP dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores in Louisiana, up to $25 a month. Rebates can be spent on any SNAP food at any EBT retailer and expire after 274 days¹⁷.

SUN Bucks paid $120 per child for summer 2026

LDH paid a one-time $120 per eligible school-age child, mostly from May 27 to June 2, 2026. Children on SNAP, FITAP, KCSP or income-based Medicaid, or approved for free or reduced-price meals, got it automatically¹⁶. Applications closed August 20, 2026, and SUN Bucks expire 122 days after loading¹⁵.

No Restaurant Meals Program

Louisiana is not on FNA's list of Restaurant Meals Program states (page updated August 7, 2026)¹⁹. Households that lose SNAP-bought food in a power outage of at least 24 hours can apply for replacement benefits⁹.

Other assistance in Louisiana

Sources

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): eligibility, FY2027 income and allotment chart, deductions, benefit issuance, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. SNAP Eligibility & Application, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. LA CAFÉ Self-Service Portal, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT): LifeInCheck, out-of-state blocking, expungement, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. EBT Frequently Asked Questions, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. Keep Your Benefits Safe from Skimming, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. LDH preparing to distribute 100% federal SNAP funds (November 13, 2025), with the SNAP benefit availability schedule, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. SNAP Success Center, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. SNAP Frequently Asked Questions, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. Office of Economic Stability, Division of Family Support: how to apply and what must be verified, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP), Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. Simplified Report form (OFS 4SR, rev. 12/25), Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. SNAP Food Restriction Waiver, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD), Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. SUN Bucks, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. SUN Bucks going out for Summer 2026 (May 27, 2026), Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. Louisiana Carrot Initiative (eHIP), Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, and DDS Transition to Louisiana Department of Health; SNAP E&T and STEP Move to Louisiana Workforce Commission (October 1, 2025), Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. LifeInCheck EBT Cardholder Portal (Louisiana), Inmar Intelligence for the Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. SNAP Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility chart (page updated June 29, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. Medicaid, Louisiana Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.