North Dakota EBT and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Getting into the Self-Service Portal

The SSP handles SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, child care assistance and LIHEAP. Use it to apply, complete a review, upload documents, read notices and report changes⁵.

Sign in with a North Dakota Login: choose "Create an account" and enter the activation code sent to your email or phone. To see an existing case, click "Link your case by clicking here" and enter your client ID, case number, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number, all on your Notice of Eligibility. The head of household must link the case first and can then share access under Case Security Settings⁵.

Self-Service Portal (SSP)

The North Dakota EBT card and ebtEDGE

Zone offices do not issue cards. FIS mails them, and the EBT handbook allows 7 to 10 business days^2,3. Cards issued from June 2026 carry a North Dakota outdoor photo and the words "North Dakota EBT"; older Capitol-building cards still work². Set or change the 4-digit PIN by phone, online or in the app; three wrong tries lock the card until the next day³.

In ebtEDGE you can freeze the card, block out-of-state and internet purchases, and add a Security Code that is required before anyone can change the PIN or cancel the card³. After four replacement cards in 12 months, the account is watched for fraud³. HHS's EBT page, checked October 16, 2026, describes a magnetic-stripe card and does not mention chip cards².

HHS says that since December 21, 2024 it no longer replaces SNAP stolen by skimming or cloning, and tells you to file a police report if you suspect electronic fraud^2,13. If the card itself is stolen, report it at once; only benefits spent after your report can be replaced¹³. Food destroyed by fire, flood or a power outage of 4 hours or more can be replaced with form SFN 270, also within 10 days²⁴. TANF cash goes on a separate Electronic Payment Card²⁵.

• Card customer service: 1-800-630-4655
• Cardholder website: ebtEDGE
• Cardholder app: ebtEDGE (iPhone, Android)
• EBT processor: FIS

North Dakota SNAP and EBT phone numbers

Applying through the SSP and your Human Service Zone

1. Apply in the SSP or on paper. Apply online in the Self-Service Portal, or print the Application for Assistance (SFN 405) or request one by mail¹. Your filing date is set once HHS has your name, address and signature⁷.
2. Return a paper form. Mail it to the Customer Support Center, P.O. Box 5562, Bismarck, ND 58506, fax it to 701-328-1006, email [email protected] or take it to your Human Service Zone office¹.
3. Do the zone office interview. Zone staff interview every new household by phone, in person or at home. The appointment letter goes out the day your application arrives⁷. If you qualify for expedited help, staff make two call attempts on the day you apply or the next working day⁸.
4. Send proof and watch the mail. Upload documents in the SSP or send them to the Customer Support Center^1,5. A missed interview brings a notice giving you until day 30⁷. FIS mails the card, and a zone office notice tells new clients when benefits will post³.

HHS must decide within 30 days, or within 7 calendar days for expedited service^7,8. You qualify for that if monthly gross income is under $150 and cash and bank accounts total $100 or less, if income plus cash is less than rent or mortgage plus utilities, or if you are a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker⁸. HHS names the Great Plains Food Bank's SNAP outreach coordinators as free application helpers, at 1-855-405-0000¹.

FY2027 income and asset rules in North Dakota

Gross limit: as published by North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS), Economic Assistance⁴. Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

North Dakota grants the 200% limit through TANF information and referral services, which every applicant is authorized for by signing the application⁹. The table uses the SNAP Policy Manual's chart, which the manual calls its controlling source. HHS's SNAP web page differs in two cells: $9,228 for eight people (manual: $9,288) and a $2,227 net limit for three (manual: $2,277)^1,4. After approval, the 130% line matters ($1,729 a month for one person): report by the 10th of the next month if gross income goes over it^4,11.

Utilities count as fixed allowances, not actual bills²³. The full heating allowance goes to households that pay heating or cooling separately from rent, and to households with an elderly or disabled member that received more than $20 in LIHEAP in the past 12 months²³. Internet costs are not deducted²³.

Net income test. Households under broad-based categorical eligibility face only the 200% gross test, with no 130% gross or 100% net test⁹. A household with a member 60 or older or disabled that is over 200% can still qualify under regular rules by passing the 100% net test ($1,330 a month for one person from October 1, 2026) and the asset limit^4,9.

Assets. Most households have no asset test^9,10. Under regular rules the limit is $3,000, or $4,750 with an elderly or disabled member, up from $4,500 on October 1, 2026¹⁰. Regular rules apply to elderly or disabled households over 200% and to households with a member disqualified for fraud, a felony warrant or similar violations⁹.

Benefits post on the 1st for everyone

Ongoing households get the month's SNAP benefits on the 1st, even when the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday; there is no case-number schedule.

New clients get a zone office notice saying when the first benefits will post; after that, every deposit lands on the 1st³. The ebtEDGE app shows deposit history and the benefit schedule³. Benefits carry over and stay usable after a case closes, but are removed after 274 days without use. Keep the card, since you may be able to use it again if you reapply³.

Reviews every 6 months, reports by the 10th

Most households are certified for only 6 months. Households where every member is elderly or disabled and no one has earnings get 12 months¹². A review form arrives the month before your last month, with a Notice of Expiration by the 10th¹². Return it, or a review in the SSP, between the 1st and 15th of your last month to be paid on time. A review filed within 30 days after expiration pays only from the day HHS receives it¹². An interview is required at least every 12 months, and at every review for households with a time-limited adult^7,12.

Between reviews, report by the 10th of the next month: gross income over the 130% line, lottery or gambling winnings of $4,750 or more, and a time-limited adult's work falling below 20 hours a week¹¹.

Rules specific to North Dakota

Healthy Choice Waiver: no sweetened drinks, energy drinks or candy from November 1, 2026

USDA approved the waiver on December 10, 2025 for two years from September 1, 2026¹⁵. On August 27, 2026, HHS announced it had asked to move the start to November 1, 2026, at USDA's direction^14,27. USDA's waiver page, updated October 2, 2026, still lists the September 1 date¹⁵. SNAP will not pay for drinks with 5 grams or more of added sugar or any artificial sweetener unless they are more than 50% juice, including soda, sweetened tea and sports drinks. Energy drinks with 65 mg or more of caffeine per 8 ounces or added stimulants such as taurine, and candy, including non-bakery chocolate-coated snacks, are also out¹⁴. Milk, 100% juice, plain seltzer, baby formula, granola bars and baking chocolate chips stay allowed. The rule applies to any state's SNAP card at North Dakota stores and to online orders delivered in the state, but not when you shop elsewhere¹⁴.

No time-limit waiver anywhere in the state for FY2027

Adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the SNAP household get 3 months of SNAP in 36 unless they work, volunteer or train 20 hours a week or have an exemption^17,6. USDA's time limit waiver status list effective October 5, 2026 shows none in North Dakota¹⁶. Since October 1, 2025, residents of Rolette County and the Turtle Mountain Reservation must show proof of work hours; members of federally recognized tribes are exempt⁶. The Customer Support Center can refer you to an employment and training partner⁶.

Refugees and asylees lost SNAP on December 1, 2025

Refugees, asylees and Special Immigrant Visa holders stopped qualifying on December 1, 2025 under the 2025 federal law⁶. Those who have since become lawful permanent residents can qualify, but must report the green card⁶. HHS says households cut off in December 2025 under a permanent-resident rule that later changed get benefits back automatically, with back pay⁶.

Summer EBT 2026: $120 per child on the child's own card

Each eligible school-age child got $120 on a separate Summer EBT card, run with the Department of Public Instruction¹⁸. Children in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid or FDPIR households and children approved for free or reduced-price meals were enrolled automatically; others could apply through the Summer EBT portal¹⁸. Benefits expire 122 days after issue¹⁸. USDA lists North Dakota among the 2026 Summer EBT states²⁶.

Double Up Dakota Bucks at farmers markets

The HHS EBT handbook points to NDSU Extension's Double Up Dakota Bucks, which matches SNAP spending dollar for dollar for fruits and vegetables^3,20. NDSU lists eight markets, including Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, Grand Forks and Rolla; rules vary by market²⁰.

No Restaurant Meals Program

North Dakota is not on USDA's list of states that let elderly, disabled or homeless clients buy restaurant meals with SNAP¹⁹. SNAP can still pay for meals at group homes, senior meal sites and home-delivered senior meals³.

Other assistance in North Dakota

Sources

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (income limits effective Oct. 1, 2026; contacts), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. North Dakota EBT SNAP Client Handbook (DN 1160, 03/26), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, Appendix B: Table of Standards (Release 26.7, effective Oct. 1, 2026), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. Self-Service Portal (SSP) Help, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. Stay Enrolled: Updates on SNAP and Medicaid (updated Sept. 11, 2026), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 101 Application Filing - Interview Process, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
8. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 107 Expedited Services, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 505 Categorical and Broad Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 601 Resources Overview and 604 Vehicles, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 1002 Reporting Requirements, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 1005 Recertification, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 904 SNAP Replacement Conditions, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. North Dakota SNAP Food Restriction Waiver (approval letter Dec. 10, 2025; page updated Oct. 2, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. Time Limit Waiver Status (effective Oct. 5, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 401 Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents: Overview, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (page updated Aug. 7, 2026), USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. Double Up Dakota Bucks, NDSU Extension, North Dakota State University. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. Human Service Zones, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. Apply for Help Customer Support Center, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. SNAP Policy Manual 430-05, 803 Shelter Deductions, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
24. SNAP Replacement Benefits, North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
25. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
26. Summer EBT: North Dakota, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
27. Commitment to healthier food choices continues; SNAP changes targeted for Nov. 1 (Aug. 27, 2026), North Dakota Health and Human Services. Checked 16 October 2026.