Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) 2026–27: Who Qualifies, How Much per Child and Which States Take Part

Summer EBT, which many states call SUN Bucks, paid $120 for each school-age child who qualified for summer 2026 ($40 a month for three months, $189 in Hawaii), in the states that took part. Children in households that get SNAP are enrolled without applying, and others qualify on the same income limits as reduced-price school meals. The amount for summer 2027 is not published yet. Put your household in below to see what the rules in force today say for your children.

What is Summer EBT?

Summer EBT is money for groceries for school-age children in the summer, when they cannot get school meals. It is paid onto an EBT card (EBT stands for electronic benefit transfer), the same kind of card SNAP uses. It is a federal program run by each state, and by the Indian tribal organizations that run WIC, that choose to take part. A state that takes part must pay every household that qualifies, every summer, since summer 2024 (7 CFR 292.1). A state that does not take part pays nothing.

The federal name is the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program. It is also known as SUN Bucks, and many states use that name or a name of their own, such as S-EBT.

How much is Summer EBT per child?

For summer 2026, Summer EBT was $40 a month for three months, $120 for the summer, for each child who qualified in the 48 states and DC. Hawaii’s amount was $189, and Alaska’s and the territories’ amounts were higher too (91 FR 21396, April 22, 2026). The state pays the whole three months; it may not pay part of the summer only (7 CFR 292.15).

Each year’s amount is last year’s raised by the change in the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, USDA’s low-cost food plan, over the twelve months to the November before. It is then rounded down to a whole dollar, and a fall in food prices is not passed on (7 CFR 292.15(e)). So the amount for summer 2027 cannot be known until after November 2026; the one for 2026 came out in a notice in April 2026. Until the 2027 notice is out, the calculator says “Not checked yet” for summer 2027.

Which children qualify for Summer EBT?

A child qualifies by the same standards as free or reduced-price school meals: household income at or under 185% of the poverty line, or getting certain other help (7 CFR 292.5). The child must be of school age, which means the years a state requires children to go to school, so the ages differ a little from state to state (7 CFR 292.2). A child who applies on income must go to a school that takes part in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program (7 CFR 292.6).

The income limits are the school meal limits in force on the day you apply. They change every July 1. From July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, a family of four qualifies with income up to $5,088 a month before taxes. Income here means income before anything is taken out, such as taxes or insurance premiums (91 FR 17932).

Children in households on SNAP or TANF get free meals without a form.

Source: Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (91 FR 17932-17935, FR Doc. 2026-06842, 9 Apr 2026) (USDA Food and Nutrition Service (Federal Register notice)). Checked October 31, 2026.

A child under the free meals limit gets the same Summer EBT as a child under the reduced-price limit. Only the higher limit matters here.

Who gets Summer EBT without applying?

Many children are enrolled with no application at all (7 CFR 292.12(d)). They are:

• children approved for free or reduced-price school meals, whether on an application or without one;
• school-age children in a household that gets SNAP;
• children in a household that gets FDPIR or TANF, where the state has that information. One child getting TANF is enough for every child in the household, so a child-only grant for a grandchild or other relative counts too (7 CFR 292.2, “categorically eligible”);
• children in foster care, homeless, migrant or runaway children, and children in Head Start, where the state has that information.

A state may also enroll children from other programs USDA approves, which is how some states add children on Medicaid. Your state’s own page says which programs it uses and how the money reaches your children.

How do you apply for Summer EBT?

If your children were not enrolled without applying, you can apply to your state. A complete application gives the names of the children and of the other people in your household, how much income each person gets, where it comes from and how often, and the signature of an adult (an electronic signature is allowed). The state then checks that each child went to a school in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program in the school year before (7 CFR 292.12(e)).

The state must keep its application open through the whole period a child can qualify, and help anyone who asks for help applying. Applying is free. This website does not take applications: the cards in the calculator link to your state’s own page.

Many states take applications for one summer only up to a date in late summer, and hold the later ones for the next summer. The table below says what each state’s own page says about that.

When does Summer EBT come, and when does it run out?

Children who are already enrolled get the money 7 to 14 days before the state’s summer period starts. A child who applies after the summer has started must get it, ready to spend, within 15 operational days (days the state’s summer program is running) of a complete application (7 CFR 292.15(c)).

Money left on the card is taken off 122 days after it was put on, and the state must warn the household at least 30 days before (7 CFR 292.15(h)). A child cannot get Summer EBT twice in the same summer, from two states or twice from one (7 CFR 292.15(d)).

For the dates each state pays SNAP and what its page said about summer 2026, see our payment dates page.

Which states took part in summer 2026?

Twenty-four states and DC said on their own pages, read directly, that they paid Summer EBT in summer 2026. Tennessee did not take part in federal Summer EBT in 2026; it ran a program of its own in 13 counties, and its page says it joins the federal program in 2027. USDA keeps the list of the states that take part, but its page did not open for us, so for any state not in the table we say “Not checked yet”. That does not mean the state does not take part: a state whose own page did not open for us on the day we checked, such as New York, says “Not checked yet” too.

"Not checked yet" means that state's own page is not in our files yet, not that it does not take part. The amount for summer 2027 is not published yet.

Sources: Summer EBT benefit levels for 2026 (91 FR 21396) (U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)); 7 CFR part 292, Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (eCFR (Office of the Federal Register)). Checked November 1, 2026.

Which states take part in summer 2027 is not settled on any official list we could read. Many states’ pages already speak of summer 2027, as the table shows. Ask your state’s benefits agency or your child’s school if your state is not listed.

Does Summer EBT count as income, or change other benefits?

No. The value of Summer EBT to a child is not counted as income for other programs (91 FR 17932). Getting it does not lower your SNAP, WIC or school meals.

The reverse is not true: other programs decide it. Getting SNAP enrolls school-age children without applying, so a household whose SNAP ends after a raise may also lose automatic enrollment the next summer, though its children can still apply on income.

How does the calculator show Summer EBT?

The calculator shows a Summer EBT card for every household with a child aged 5 to 18, and takes those children to go to school. A child who does not is enrolled without applying only within the ages the state requires children to go to school (7 CFR 292.2). It works out the summer coming up: this year’s summer until the end of August, and next year’s from September 1. For that summer it needs two things in its files: the federal amount, and your state’s own page saying it takes part. When both are there, the card shows the amount for all your children together. When either is missing, as for summer 2027 today, the card says “Not checked yet” and still tells you what the rules in force today say about your children, and what your state paid last summer.

Summer EBT is paid once for the summer, so the calculator shows it on its card but does not add it to your month or to the line of money left at every pay. If your income is over the limit, the card says so. When the card says yes, the ruler also shows where Summer EBT ends for your household; while it says “Not checked yet”, as for summer 2027 today, the ruler leaves it out.

The calculator does not know which school your children go to, or whether your state also enrolls children on Medicaid. Your state’s office decides.

Is a message about Summer EBT real?

Applying for Summer EBT is free. A call, text or email that asks for a fee to get or keep a benefit, or for your PIN, is very likely a scam. Our page on benefit scams lists the warning signs the agencies name, how to protect your EBT card and how to report a scam.

Figures checked October 31, 2026.

Questions people ask

How much is SUN Bucks per child?

For summer 2026 it was $120 a child in the 48 states and DC, $189 in Hawaii and more in Alaska. The amount for summer 2027 is set in a federal notice that is not out yet.

Do I have to apply for Summer EBT if I get SNAP?

No. School-age children in a household that gets SNAP are enrolled without applying (7 CFR 292.12(d)). So are children approved for free or reduced-price school meals.

Does my state give Summer EBT?

Look for your state in the table above. Twenty-four states and DC said on their own pages, read directly, that they paid it in summer 2026. For a state we have not checked, ask its benefits agency or your child’s school.

Can I get Summer EBT if my child goes to a school where every student eats free?

Yes, if your child qualifies. At a school where every student eats free, your child may not have been approved for free meals on an application, so unless your household gets SNAP or another program your state uses, you may need to apply for Summer EBT on income.

What happens to Summer EBT I do not spend?

It is taken off the card 122 days after it was put on, after a warning at least 30 days before (7 CFR 292.15(h)).

Does this website take Summer EBT applications?

No. This is an independent calculator, not a government website. It never asks for your name, Social Security number or card details. Apply through your state’s own page or your child’s school.

Updated November 1, 2026