Maine EBT and SNAP (Food Supplement Program)

Your case in My Maine Connection

My Maine Connection is OFI's online account for SNAP, TANF and MaineCare, open 24 hours a day^9,13,14. Once you set up an account, you can apply, renew, report changes, read your letters, and print a statement of your current benefit amounts⁹. You can also upload proof of rent, utilities, child care and medical costs there instead of mailing it¹. In summer, the SUN Bucks application for children is in the same system⁷.

If you cannot sign in, OFI's help address for My Maine Connection accounts is [email protected]⁵. For questions about the case itself, call the Eligibility Call Center at 1-855-797-4357⁵.

My Maine Connection

The Pine Tree card: PIN, balance, theft and the three-state limit

Maine's EBT card is the Pine Tree card, run by FIS^10,6. A first card arrives by mail 5 to 7 days after approval¹. Set the PIN and check the balance at 1-800-477-7428, the number on the back of the card, or use pinetreecard.com^7,5. Unused SNAP is removed 274 days after it was issued or last used, with a notice 30 days before⁴.

Report a lost, stolen or damaged card to 1-800-477-7428. If your address on file is right, a new card is mailed within three business days and your PIN stays the same. If you moved, give OFI the new address first⁴. During business hours OFI (1-855-797-4357) can also shut off and replace the card, or you can order one in the ebtEDGE app⁶.

Since August 2025, OFI has temporarily restricted card purchases to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to protect against electronic theft. Online orders delivered to a Maine address are not affected. Call OFI before you travel if you need the card elsewhere¹. Scam robocalls copy OFI's own greeting, "Welcome to Maine EBT Customer Service"⁶. OFI's pages checked October 16, 2026 do not mention chip cards^1,6.

Federal replacement of skimmed benefits ended December 20, 2024. Maine's rules say OFI replaces stolen benefits only while federal law allows it, stops replacing state-funded benefits too, and denies claims with a notice⁴. Report theft to local police and the Federal Trade Commission⁶.

• Card customer service: 1-800-477-7428
• Cardholder website: Pine Tree card self-service (ebtEDGE)
• EBT processor: FIS

Maine SNAP and EBT phone numbers

Applying for SNAP through OFI

1. Apply online, by phone, on paper or in person. Apply in My Maine Connection, or call 1-855-797-4357 and apply by phone. Or download the paper application and mail it to OFI, 114 Corn Shop Lane, Farmington, ME 04938, email it to [email protected], or fax it to 207-778-8429. You can also apply at a DHHS district office¹.
2. Take the interview call. Everyone who applies has an interview. An Eligibility Specialist calls to go over your application, or you can do it in person. It takes about 30 minutes on average¹.
3. Send proof within 10 days. A letter lists the proof OFI needs and the due date, usually 10 days. Upload it to My Maine Connection, or mail, email or drop it off. OFI accepts a rent receipt, a landlord's written or spoken statement, or a screenshot of a Venmo-style payment to the landlord¹.
4. Read the Notice of Decision. OFI decides within 30 days and mails a Notice of Decision. It shows your monthly amount, or the reason for a denial. If you are denied, you have 30 days to send more information or ask for an administrative hearing¹.

Expedited service covers households with gross income under $150 a month and $100 or less in the bank; households whose income and cash fall below rent plus utilities; and destitute migrant farmworkers. Maine's rules have OFI authorize benefits the day you apply if your proof is complete, or by the close of the next work day with the missing proof postponed⁴.

DHHS district offices, from Fort Kent and Caribou down to Biddeford, take walk-ins Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.^19,9. Interpretation is available on request¹. If MaineCare ends, CoverME.gov gives you 90 days to pick a marketplace plan¹⁵. Pregnant people and children under 5 can also get WIC from the Maine CDC¹⁷.

Maine's 200% income chart for FY2027

Gross limit: as published by Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office for Family Independence (OFI)³. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

Maine's 200% rule works through a TANF-funded "Resource Guide for Families" that DHHS gives applicants at or under the line. Receiving it makes the household categorically eligible, with no asset test and no 130% gross or 100% net limit⁴. The line rose from 185% to 200% in July 2022³. A household loses this route for an intentional program violation, a head of household who fails the work rules, or a missed annual review⁴.

Maine updates its 200% chart in January, with the new poverty guidelines, not on October 1. The chart above has applied since January 13, 2026³. On October 16, 2026, OFI's SNAP page still showed the 2025 chart ($2,609 for one person)¹.

The utility allowances below come from Rule 248P, posted September 30, 2026, dated back to October 1, and still open for comment until November 2, 2026^2,3. Under the Heat and Eat law, a household with a member 60 or older or with an approved disability gets the full allowance without utility bills⁸. Help with the heating bill itself comes from HEAP, run by MaineHousing through Community Action Agencies¹⁶.

Net income test. Households that qualify under the 200% rule do not take the 130% gross or 100% net test⁴. Other households must have net income at or below 100% of poverty: $1,330 a month for one person and $2,750 for four in FY2027^3,4.

Assets. No asset limit if you qualify under the 200% rule. Other households have a limit of $4,750 if a member is elderly or has a disability, or $3,000 otherwise, for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027³.

Pine Tree card deposit days

Monthly SNAP is paid over five days, the 10th to the 14th. Your day is set by the primary cardholder's date of birth and stays the same each month.

Maine's rules give only the five-day window and tie the day to the primary cardholder's date of birth⁴. OFI's pages checked October 16, 2026 have no digit-by-digit table, so look up past deposit dates in pinetreecard.com or at 1-800-477-7428. The first month is prorated from the day you applied⁴.

The yearly Heat and Eat payment sits in the cash part of the card and can be taken out at an ATM. The August 31, 2026 payment is removed if unused by February 27, 2027⁸.

Six-month reports and the yearly renewal

Every household is certified for 12 months⁴. OFI mails a six-month report before the end of month five, with a reminder in month six. Only households where every adult is elderly or disabled and no one earns wages skip it⁴. Between reports, report by the 10th of the next month only if gross income tops 130% of poverty ($1,729 for one person in FY2027), an ABAWD's work drops below 20 hours a week, or someone wins $4,750 or more gambling^4,3.

At month 12 you send a renewal form and proof of costs such as rent and heat, and usually have an interview¹. If the period ends without a renewal, benefits stop⁴. Families leaving TANF may get Transitional Food Assistance, a fixed SNAP amount for up to five months⁴.

Rules specific to Maine

Heat and Eat Supplement: yearly EBT cash, first paid as $20.01 in August 2026

The Maine Legislature created a yearly Heat and Eat payment for every SNAP household. The first $20.01 went onto cards August 31, 2026, with no application. Households approved later get it in their approval month, then about the same month each year. It is EBT cash, not food benefits⁸.

State-funded SNAP for some noncitizens after April 1, 2026

The 2025 federal law ended federal SNAP from April 1, 2026 for refugees, asylees, parolees and others who are not permanent residents. Maine moved about 1,200 of the 1,800 people affected to state-funded SNAP, on the same card and date; about 600 lost SNAP⁹. State SNAP covers people who had it on July 1, 2011, and legally admitted noncitizens with a hardship such as age 65 or older, disability, domestic violence or waiting for work authorization⁹.

Work rules: a new 36-month ABAWD clock from October 1, 2026

Adults 18 to 64 who can work and have no child under 14 at home get three months of SNAP in 36 unless they work or train 80 hours a month. A new period began October 1, 2026 and runs to September 30, 2029, so older months no longer count^1,4. Maine exempts pregnant people and members of federally recognized tribes or people eligible for Indian Health Service care¹.

SUN Bucks paid $120 per child in summer 2026

Maine paid a one-time $120 per eligible child in 2026. Children on free or reduced-price meals, or ages 6 to 16 in households on SNAP, TANF and similar programs, were enrolled automatically and paid June 1 to 15. Others could apply until August 15, 2026. The money went onto the family's Pine Tree card and expires 122 days after issue⁷.

No soda ban and no Restaurant Meals Program

Maine is not on FNA's list of approved or pending food restriction waivers (updated October 13, 2026), so SNAP still buys soft drinks and candy here¹¹. It is also not on FNA's Restaurant Meals Program list (updated August 7, 2026)¹².

Extra produce money: Maine Harvest Bucks and Farm Fresh Rewards

OFI's flyer says SNAP spent on fruits and vegetables can be doubled: through Maine Harvest Bucks at farmers' markets and farm stands, and through Farm Fresh Rewards at co-ops and local grocers^10,1.

Other assistance in Maine

Sources

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. SNAP Rule #248P - FFY 2027 Budgeting Figures and FPLs (proposed, posted September 30, 2026), Maine DHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. SNAP Rule 248P rule pages: Section 999-3 Charts 1-9 (FFY 2027), Maine DHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. 10-144 C.M.R. Chapter 301, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Rules (filing 2026-217), Maine Secretary of State. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. OFI Contact Us, Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. Protecting Your EBT Card: How to Spot Scams and What to Do, Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. SUN Bucks, Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. SNAP Heat and Eat Supplement - Q&A (August 10, 2026), Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. SNAP Federal Eligibility Change for Noncitizens - FAQ (February 17, 2026), Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. Choose groceries your way with SNAP/EBT (flyer, updated August 14, 2025), Maine DHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers (page updated October 13, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. MaineCare, Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. CoverME.gov, Maine Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. Home Energy Assistance Program, MaineHousing. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. General Assistance, Maine DHHS, Office for Family Independence. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. District Office Locations, Maine DHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.