Minnesota EBT and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Applying and sending documents on MNbenefits

MNbenefits is one application for SNAP, MFIP and General Assistance cash, Emergency Assistance, child care assistance and Housing Support. It works in every county and Tribal Nation, and the state says it takes under 20 minutes⁷. There is no account to create. You fill in the form, sign and submit, and it goes to your county or Tribal Nation office.

The same site has an upload page for documents your worker asks for, at mnbenefits.mn.gov/pages/readyToUploadDocuments^7,10. MNbenefits cannot see your case. To learn whether you were approved, or why a payment changed, call your county or Tribal Nation office⁷. Health care is not on MNbenefits: most people apply for Medical Assistance through MNsure^7,19.

MNbenefits

Your EBT card, PIN and the ebtEDGE tools

DCYF sends cardholders to ebtEDGE, run by FIS, for balances, store and ATM locations and the issuance schedule. Call 1-888-997-2227, log in at ebtedge.com, use the free ebtEDGE app or sign up for text alerts². The PIN has four digits, and easy PINs such as 0000 or 1234 are blocked. After four wrong tries in one day, the card locks until 12:01 a.m. the next day². Minnesota cards also carry a three-digit security code, separate from the card number, which the call center can ask for².

If your card is lost or stolen, call 1-888-997-2227 right away. The new card comes by mail in about 5 to 7 business days. Every replacement costs $2, taken from your cash or food balance². Food benefits work in any state. MFIP and other cash benefits work only in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. You get four free cash withdrawals a month, then pay $1 each².

DCYF says federal rules no longer let Minnesota replace SNAP or MFIP benefits stolen by skimming, cloning or phone and text scams². In ebtEDGE you can freeze the card between trips and block online and out-of-state use; your county or Tribal Nation worker can add a password to the account². DCYF's EBT card page, read October 16, 2026, does not mention a chip card².

• Card customer service: 1-888-997-2227
• Cardholder website: ebtEDGE
• Cardholder app: ebtEDGE (iPhone, Android)
• EBT processor: FIS

Minnesota SNAP and EBT phone numbers

How to apply for SNAP in Minnesota

1. Send the application. Apply on MNbenefits, or print the paper form from DCYF's apply page and take or mail it to your county or Tribal Nation office¹.
2. Get free help if you want it. DCYF's SNAP Outreach partners, listed on mnFoodHelper, help people fill in the form and gather papers¹. An authorized representative can also apply, do the interview and use the benefits for you⁹.
3. Do the interview. Your county or Tribal Nation office schedules it by letter or phone call. It can be in person or by phone. Workers may call from a blocked or unknown number, so answer those calls in the days after you apply⁷.
4. Send proof. If you have no photo ID, a birth certificate, a health care or assistance ID, a school or work ID, or pay stubs can prove who you are⁹. Upload the rest on MNbenefits or mail it to your office¹⁰.

Counties and Tribal Nations must approve or deny an application within 30 days. If your household has very little money, it may get expedited SNAP within 7 days^7,8. If two weeks pass with no letter or call, MNbenefits tells you to call your county⁷.

Families with children can ask for MFIP on the same MNbenefits form; MFIP pays cash and food benefits together on the EBT card^7,18. You can skip the gross income test if everyone in the household gets SSI, General Assistance or Minnesota Supplemental Aid, or if the applicant gets Transition Year or Basic Sliding Fee child care^1,6.

Minnesota's 200% income limit for FY2027

Gross limit: as published by Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)³. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

The chart above is Minnesota's own 200% chart, effective October 1, 2026; the state's chart lists $7,393 for six people^1,3. A household that does not qualify through categorical eligibility and has no older or disabled member must stay under 130% of poverty instead: $1,729 a month for one person³. Households with an older or disabled member can deduct medical costs above $35 a month⁹.

From the October 2026 manual issue, a household paying for heating or air conditioning gets a $690 utility standard. So does a household with an older or disabled member that got more than $20 from the Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the past 12 months^4,21. Others can use the electric standard ($243), the phone standard ($64) or both. The standards are never prorated⁴.

Net income test. Households that qualify through broad-based categorical eligibility do not take the net income test. A household with a member 60 or older or disabled skips the gross test, but if its income is over 200% of poverty it must pass the 100% net income test^3,6.

Assets. No asset test for households that qualify through categorical eligibility. Other households: $3,000, or $4,750 from October 1, 2026 if a member is 60 or older or disabled. One vehicle per member aged 16 or older is not counted. Cryptocurrency and gift cards not tied to one store count as assets⁵.

Deposit days by the last digit of your case number

Food benefits load between the 4th and 13th of each month, set by the last digit of the case number.

Benefits post after 12:01 a.m. on the same day every month, weekends and holidays included². Cash runs on different days. MFIP and Diversionary Work Program cash comes on the second-to-last day of the month for odd case numbers and the last day for even ones. General Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Aid and Refugee Cash Assistance come on the 1st².

Unused food benefits carry over, but food not used within 274 days is removed and cannot be replaced. Cash not used within 90 days is also removed².

Six-month reports, yearly renewals and what to report

Minnesota puts every SNAP household on simplified reporting. Some households fill in a Combined Six-Month Report and an annual renewal. Others only renew once a year. Every case, including seniors, is reviewed at least every 12 months, and the renewal form comes by mail^9,10.

Between reviews, report only three things. First, total household income above 130% of poverty ($1,729 a month for one person, $3,575 for four in FY2027). Second, work hours below 80 a month if you are under the time-limited work rules. Third, lottery or gambling winnings of $4,750 or more¹⁰. To report, upload on MNbenefits, mail or fax your county or Tribal Nation office, or call your worker¹⁰.

Rules specific to Minnesota

Time-limited work rules from November 1, 2025

From November 1, 2025, Minnesota's time limit covers adults 18 to 64 (it used to stop at 54) who have no child under 14 at home¹¹. Veterans and former foster youth 24 or younger lost their exemptions. American Indians, Alaska Natives, Urban Indians and California Indians gained one¹¹. Earning at least $217.50 a week still exempts you¹¹. USDA approved a waiver for Clearwater County and for the Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Mille Lacs and Red Lake reservations, from December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026¹². USDA's October 2026 list still shows Minnesota with a partial waiver¹³.

Minnesota Food Assistance Program for some noncitizens

If you do not qualify for federally funded SNAP because of your immigration status and you are 50 or older, you may qualify for the Minnesota Food Assistance Program (MFAP), a state-funded food benefit^9,8. You apply the same way, through MNbenefits or your county or Tribal Nation office⁸.

SUN Bucks paid $120 per child for summer 2026

SUN Bucks, Minnesota's Summer EBT, paid $120 per eligible child for summer 2026 on a separate card in the child's name¹⁴. Children in SNAP, MFIP, Tribal TANF, FDPIR or foster care, or approved for free or reduced-price school meals, were added automatically. Direct applications closed August 31, 2026; late approvals are paid toward the end of October. SUN Bucks expire 122 days after they load¹⁴.

Market Bucks match at farmers markets

DCYF's July 7, 2026 notice says that at participating farmers markets, Minnesota Market Bucks matches what you spend with SNAP EBT or SUN Bucks, dollar for dollar, up to $10 per visit. You do not have to spend the full $10 to get a match. Start at the market's information booth. The Minnesota Department of Health runs the program with The Food Group¹⁵.

No food restrictions and no restaurant meals

Minnesota is not on USDA's list of food restriction waivers (updated October 13, 2026), so SNAP buys the same foods it always has, soda and candy included¹⁷. Minnesota is also missing from USDA's Restaurant Meals Program list (updated August 7, 2026), so you cannot buy restaurant meals with the card¹⁶.

Other assistance in Minnesota

Sources

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. Combined Manual 0019.06, Gross Income Limits (issue 10/2026), Minnesota Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. Combined Manual 0018.15.09, Utility Deductions (issue 10/2026), Minnesota Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. Combined Manual 0015.81, Assets - SNAP (issue 10/2026), Minnesota Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. Combined Manual 0019, Gross Income Test, Minnesota Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. MNbenefits Frequently Asked Questions, State of Minnesota (MNbenefits). Checked 16 October 2026.
8. Food and Nutrition, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. SNAP Frequently Asked Questions, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. SNAP Reporting Requirements, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. Changes to SNAP Time-Limited Work Rules, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. Minnesota FY2026 ABAWD waiver response, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. FY2027 Quarter 1 ABAWD Waiver Status, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. SUN Bucks, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. Get more from your SUN Bucks benefits with Market Bucks (July 7, 2026), Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers (updated October 13, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. Medical Assistance, Minnesota Department of Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. Can I Get Coverage? (open enrollment), MNsure. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. Energy Assistance Program and FFY27 income guidelines, Minnesota Department of Commerce. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. WIC Program, Minnesota Department of Health. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. MNbenefits: Apply for benefits in 20 minutes or less, State of Minnesota (MNbenefits). Checked 16 October 2026.