Montana EBT and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Applying and managing your case at apply.mt.gov

apply.mt.gov is the state's Self-Service Portal. One login covers SNAP, TANF cash assistance, LIHEAP heating help and health coverage, including Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids^24,8. You can apply, return a renewal packet, and report household or income changes there²⁴. The online form only asks questions for the programs you tick. If you want to add a program after you submit, DPHHS says you must file another application, or call the Helpline and sign one by phone⁸.

Your filing date is the day you submit online. After office hours, on a weekend or on a holiday, it is the next business day²³. Name, address and signature are enough to start^23,8. If you do not use email, DPHHS has a separate online recertification form for SNAP¹. Mail goes to Human and Community Services, PO Box 202925, Helena, MT 59620²².

apply.mt.gov

The Montana Access Card and the myBnft account

DPHHS calls the card both the Montana Access Card and the Montana EBT Card^1,2. The same card carries TANF cash, which is paid on the 1st of the month³. Before first use, activate it and pick a four-digit PIN at myBnft.com or by calling 1-866-850-1556, which answers 24 hours a day³. The myBnft login page carries Solutran EBT Services branding, and DPHHS links to it for balance checks and transaction history^25,2. On the same account you can change your PIN, report a lost card, send a secure message, and sign up for free alerts that text you when a deposit lands³. Four wrong PINs lock the card until the next day³.

If the card is lost, stolen or damaged, call 1-866-850-1556. DPHHS mails a replacement within two business days, but only after it confirms your address. If you moved, update the address first at apply.mt.gov, by calling the Helpline, or at an Office of Public Assistance¹⁵. The first replacement each year is free; after that each card costs $2.00, taken from your benefits³. A replacement card keeps your old PIN³. DPHHS's card page and flyer, checked October 16, 2026, describe swiping the card's magnetic stripe and do not mention chip cards^2,3.

Federal money to replace skimmed or cloned benefits covered only thefts through December 20, 2024. Montana's manual now allows replacement in two cases only: food bought with SNAP was destroyed in a household misfortune such as a fire, flood or power outage (report within 10 days, then send a signed statement), or you reported the card lost or stolen and customer service failed to cancel it¹⁴. Benefits someone else spends with your card and PIN are not replaced³. To dispute a wrong charge, report it within 90 days³.

• Card customer service: 1-866-850-1556
• Cardholder website: myBnft
• EBT processor: Solutran

Montana SNAP and EBT phone numbers

How to apply for SNAP in Montana

1. File at apply.mt.gov, by phone, or on paper. Apply online at apply.mt.gov, or call the Public Assistance Helpline at 1-888-706-1535 and give your answers to a worker who records your spoken signature^1,8. For a paper form, email [email protected]; a Spanish form is on the SNAP page¹.
2. Or deliver it to any Office of Public Assistance. You can hand in, mail or fax your application to any of the 19 field offices, from Wolf Point to Libby. They are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.^22,8. A form with only your name, address and signature sets your filing date⁸.
3. Watch for your interview notice. Online, mail and fax applicants get a notice with an interview date and time. At that time an eligibility worker calls you⁸. You can ask for an in-person interview or a home visit instead⁸. If you miss it, you get a Notice of Missed Interview and must call back within the 30 days to reschedule⁸.
4. Send the proof the worker asks for. The worker sends a Request for Verification. Common items are pay stubs, a lease or landlord statement, and utility bills. If you report a move and do not prove the new rent within 10 days of the request, the rent deduction is dropped, but your benefits are not stopped⁵.
5. Get your card and set the PIN. Once you are approved, your Montana Access Card comes by mail. Activate it and choose a PIN at myBnft.com or 1-866-850-1556 before you shop³.

DPHHS must decide within 30 days of your filing date. If you are approved, benefits count from the day you applied^23,8. Households with less than $150 in monthly gross income and $100 or less in cash or bank accounts can get benefits within 7 calendar days. So can destitute migrant or seasonal farmworkers, and households whose income plus savings is less than their rent or mortgage plus utilities^1,23. If everyone in your household gets or is applying for SSI, you can file at a Social Security office, and you do not need a separate state interview⁸. People leaving jail or prison can apply up to 30 days before release and interview by phone; benefits start on the release date⁸.

Montana SNAP income limits for FY2027 (200% test)

Gross limit: as published by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS)⁴. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

Montana gives almost every applicant the 200% limit by way of a TANF Information and Referral Services brochure. Being authorized to receive it makes your household ECE⁶. For FY2027 (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027), that means gross monthly income up to $2,660 for one person or $5,500 for four⁴. Montana works out each line as twice the federal net income standard. That is why some figures run $1 above a straight 200% calculation⁴. The SNAP overview page shows the same figures under an out-of-date "October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026" heading. It also misprints the six-person 130% line as $1,806; the manual gives $4,806^1,4.

The 130% chart ($1,729 for one person) applies to households that are not ECE. Those include a household with a member disqualified for an intentional program violation^4,6. Elderly or disabled members who buy and cook apart from relatives they live with can form their own household under a 165% standard ($2,195 for one)⁴. Unlike most households, those with an elderly or disabled member have no cap on the shelter deduction⁵. Being eligible does not guarantee a payment: after deductions, a higher net income can work out to $0⁶.

Net income test. Households that qualify through Montana's Expanded Categorical Eligibility (ECE) have no net income test. A household with a member aged 60 or older or disabled that is over the 200% limit skips the gross test instead, but must pass the 100% net test ($1,330 for one person, $1,804 for two in FY2027)^6,4.

Assets. ECE households have no asset test^6,7. Households outside ECE may have up to $4,750 in countable assets if a member is 60 or older or disabled, and $3,000 otherwise⁷. Your home, vehicles, retirement and education savings accounts are not counted¹. (DPHHS's SNAP overview page still shows the older $4,500 and $2,750 limits; the October 1, 2026 manual has the figures above⁷.)

Montana's deposit days: the 2nd through the 6th

SNAP lands between the 2nd and 6th of each month, set by the last digit of your Office of Public Assistance case number; TANF cash is paid on the 1st.

The schedule is printed in DPHHS's EBT card flyer. It uses the case number on your Office of Public Assistance notices, not the card number³. Unused benefits roll over. Benefits are removed only after 274 days with no purchase, and a balance check does not count as use. DPHHS mails a warning 30 days first¹⁶.

Six-month reports, renewals and interviews

Most Montana households are certified for 12 months and are simplified reporters. They file a short Simplified Report six months after approval, with no interview^10,9. Between reports, you must tell DPHHS by the 10th of the next month if your gross income goes above the 130% limit for your household size. You must also report if a time-limited adult's work drops below 20 hours a week¹⁰. Any household must report lottery or gambling winnings of $4,750 or more¹⁰. Households where every member is 60 or older or disabled, with no earnings, get 24 months. They must report certain changes within 10 days, such as unearned income rising by more than $150^9,10.

About a month before your period ends, you get a Redetermination/Recertification Report form. A Notice of Expiration comes by the 15th⁹. Call the Public Assistance Helpline by the 10th of your last month to do the interview. If the wait is long, the call-back option keeps your place in line^9,8. If you miss the 10th, you get a missed-interview notice. You can still finish by the end of the month. A late renewal form still counts as a new application if it reaches DPHHS within 30 days after your benefits end⁹.

Rules specific to Montana

No candy, sugary drinks or shelf-stable desserts from November 1, 2026

Montana asked USDA on March 31, 2026 to change what SNAP can buy. USDA approved the request on May 19, 2026, for two years from September 30, 2026¹⁸. DPHHS then set the start for November 1, 2026¹⁷. From then, every SNAP household and every SNAP store in Montana is covered, including online orders. Banned items are candy, high-sugar drinks, energy drinks and shelf-stable prepared desserts¹⁷. Still allowed: plain or naturally flavored water, artificially sweetened drinks, drinks over 50% fruit or vegetable juice, milk and milk substitutes, coffee, tea, protein and meal-replacement bars, some fruit snacks and store-made bakery items¹⁷. Your benefit amount does not change. The state plans to study cross-border shopping as part of its review¹⁷.

Time limit for adults without children: no waived areas since July 2026

USDA's list for October 1, 2026 shows no ABAWD waiver anywhere in Montana¹³. A new 36-month period runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029. Within it, adults subject to the rule get three months of SNAP unless they work, volunteer or train 20 hours a week^11,12. Since November 1, 2025 the rule reaches people up to age 64; you are exempt from the month you turn 65. Living with a child under 14 in your SNAP household is an exemption; older children no longer count¹². Unfitness for work, including any VA disability rating, is another exemption¹². SNAP Employment and Training is offered in 17 counties, among them Yellowstone, Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead, Cascade and Lewis and Clark. Ask for a referral at 1-888-706-1535¹.

SUN Bucks 2026 came on a separate card and expires after 122 days

For summer 2026 (June 4 to August 31), each eligible child got one $120 SUN Bucks payment on its own SUN Bucks EBT card, not on the family's Montana Access Card²⁰. Children aged 7 to 15 in SNAP or TANF households and children directly certified for free school meals were enrolled automatically. Families at Community Eligibility schools had to apply²⁰. Unused SUN Bucks are removed 122 days after issue²⁰. The 2026 deadline passed on August 31, 2026. Applications approved after July 1, 2026 count toward summer 2027¹⁹.

No restaurant meals with SNAP, but Meals on Wheels is allowed

Montana is not on USDA's list of states with a Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), so SNAP cannot buy hot restaurant food here²¹. DPHHS says people who are elderly or disabled may be able to use the card for delivered meals from Meals on Wheels or similar programs. Residents of some group living settings can buy meals with it; ask your Office of Public Assistance³.

Other assistance in Montana

Sources

1. SNAP Program Overview, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. Montana SNAP/TANF EBT Card (EBT-Montana Access), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. Electronic Benefit Transfer Educational Materials (Montana EBT card flyer), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. SNAP Manual 001: Gross and Net Income Standards/Thrifty Food Plan (effective October 1, 2026), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. SNAP Manual 602-4: Shelter Deductions (effective October 1, 2026), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. SNAP Manual 304-1: Categorical and Expanded Categorical Eligibility, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. SNAP Manual 400: Resources Overview (effective October 1, 2026), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. SNAP Manual 103-1: Application Filing/Interview Process, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. SNAP Manual 1502-1: Recertification, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. SNAP Manual 1501-1: Reporting Requirements, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. SNAP Manual 800: Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents Overview (effective October 1, 2026), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. SNAP Manual 801-1: ABAWD Countable Months/Exemptions, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. SNAP: Status of State ABAWD Time Limit Waivers, Fiscal Year 2027 1st Quarter, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. SNAP Manual 901-1: SNAP Replacement Conditions, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. SNAP Manual 903-1: Montana Access Card (EBT) Replacements, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. SNAP Manual 905-1: EBT Expungement, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. Healthy SNAP Food Restriction Demonstration Waiver, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. Montana SNAP Food Restriction Waiver (approval letter of May 19, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. SUN Bucks, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. Montana SUN Bucks Frequently Asked Questions (May 2026), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (page updated August 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. Field Offices of Public Assistance, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. Please Read This Before You Apply for SNAP Benefits, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
24. SNAP, TANF, LIHEAP and Health Coverage Assistance Application (apply.mt.gov), Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.
25. Bnft cardholder login (Solutran EBT Services), Solutran, Montana EBT processor. Checked 16 October 2026.
26. Healthy Montana Kids, Montana DPHHS. Checked 16 October 2026.