I Didn’t Get My Food Stamps This Month. Now What?
This article will guide you if you did not receive your SNAP benefits this month. There are several reasons why your EBT card has not been refilled with benefits, and we will go over each. In addition, this community resource guide will provide you with step-by-step instructions on what to do to have your food stamp benefits added to your EBT card. There is a lot to discuss regarding the topic of an empty food stamp card, so let’s dive in.
Why Haven’t I Received My Food Stamps This Month (6 Possible Reasons)
These are six common explanations for why you did not get your food stamp benefits this month.
- The food stamp deposit date changed.
- Holidays can impact the delivery of your food stamps.
- You missed the deadline to recertify your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
- Not using your EBT card for months.
- Your food stamp balance is extremely high.
- Your account was closed out for rule violations.
| Potential Issue | Explanation | What To Do? |
The Food Stamp Deposit Schedule Changed |
Food stamps are deposited on the same day each month, however, if your benefits have not arrived, the schedule may have changed. Each state has different deposit schedules. For instance, you could receive food stamps on the first of the month. Other food stamp schedules deposit your benefits on your EBT card according to your date of birth, your Social Security number, or last name. | You will need to contact your state’s food stamp office to learn more about your food stamp schedule and to see if the date has changed. |
Weekends And Holidays May Delay Your Food Stamps |
If your food stamps typically arrive on the 4th, then the 4th of July holiday could delay your SNAP benefits. The same goes for deposit dates that fall on the weekend. If your SNAP deposit date is on a Saturday, you may not get your benefits until Monday. | Again contact your state’s SNAP benefit office to see if weekends or holidays will impact the delivery of your food stamp benefits. |
You Did Not Re-Certify Your Food Stamp Benefits |
Another potential reason why you did not receive SNAP benefits this month is you missed your re-certification date. Depending on your state, the food stamp program requires you to rec-certify for benefits every 6 to 12 months. Missing this re-certification date can cause your food stamps not to be uploaded to your EBT card. | If you missed your food stamp re-certification date, you’d need to call your state’s EBT customer service program as soon as possible. If you can contact them within 30 days of missing the recertification date, you may be able to resume receiving SNAP benefits on your EBT card. |
You Have Not Used Your EBT Card In Months |
This can also explain why your EBT card didn’t refill this month. Typically if you go 1 year without using your food stamp card, your benefits will be stopped. Before the food stamp program stops your benefits, they will send you a letter. | Look through your mail to see if the SNAP program has sent you a letter inquiring about why you have not used food stamp benefits. You should also call the food stamp program if you have gone months without using your electronic benefit transfer card to let them know you are still interested in receiving food stamp benefits. |
Your Food Stamp Balance Is Abnormally High |
Saving is always good, however, if you have acquired a high balance of food stamps this could also lead to you not receiving SNAP benefits for the month. | Contact the SNAP program if you have a particularly high level of food stamp benefits and want to explain why your balance is so high, to avoid losing your benefits. |
Your SNAP Benefits Account Was Closed Out |
If you broke the rules of the SNAP program by selling food stamps, letting someone outside of your SNAP household use your electronic benefit transfer card or any other violation, your account could be closed out. | Contact the food stamp program if you feel that your EBT account was closed out by mistake. It should be noted that if SNAP decides to close out your food stamp account, they will send a letter explaining the reason why you are no longer receiving food stamp benefits on your card. |
If you are asking yourself, “why didn’t my EBT card refill”? The answers above could help you to pinpoint the problem. Now that you have a better understanding of why your food stamps may not show up in your account let’s now talk about who do you call if you didn’t get your food stamps.
My SNAP Benefits Are Not On My Card. What Can I Do?
If you are wondering, “who do I call if I didn’t get my food stamp” the answer is simple. You will need to call your state’s health and human services department (or food stamp department) to learn why you didn’t receive benefits for this month.
Editor’s Note: The following instructions will help you if you are in Texas and didn’t get your food stamps this month. If you are in another state, contact your state’s health department to inquire about the issues.
If you were approved for food stamps but have no benefits on your EBT card, you will need to contact Texas Health and Human Services. You can dial them at 877.541.7905 or by calling 211. Here are the options that you will choose when calling Texas Health and Human Services regarding the food stamps that you did not receive. Choose the language. For English, you can choose 1. For Spanish, press 2. for other languages, press 0. State Benefits – Next, you will need to press the option for state benefits, which is option 2. You will know it’s the right option when they ask “do you need help with state benefits programs like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, TANF, ect”. Care With No Benefits – In this step you will need to press option 6, which is the corresponding button if you have an EBT card with no benefits on the card. Here is a list of options that you will be provided. Remember to press option 6 if your benefits are not on your electronic benefit transfer Card.
| Option Number | Description |
| 1 | To apply or check the status of SNAP, TANF, CHIP, or Medicaid. |
| 2 | If you are a healthcare provider turning in an Emergency Medical Services Certification Form. |
| 3 | Need to pay a CHIP or Medicaid enrollment fee. |
| 4 | Schedule a Texas Health Steps check-up for your child. |
| 5 | Sign up for Texas Healthy Women’s Program |
| No option | Need to report a lost or stolen Texas EBT card call 800.777.7328. |
| 6 | Received an approval letter for SNAP or TANF but there are no benefits on your EBT card. |
| 7 | Need local resources like housing, financial assistance, mental health, low-cost doctors, and more. |
| 8 | Receive a listing of local state phone numbers. |
Once you press 6 they will ask you to stay on the line and wait for a Texas Health and Human Services worker. They will also give you an estimate of how long your wait will be.
Who Do I Call If I Received An Approval Letter For SNAP But No Benefits Were On My EBT Card?
You will need to contact Texas Health and Human Services at 877.541.7905 to report that your EBT card has no benefits. If you live in another state, simply call your state’s food stamp department or the state health department, and they can help you to resolve the problem with your food stamp card.
If you live in another state besides Texas, you will find your state’s food stamp phone number here.
Who Manages The Food Stamps Program?
The SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for each state is managed by the state health and human services department. This is who you would call if your EBT card did not refill this month.
After finding your state’s health and human services number, call the EBT customer service number. This number is designated for current food stamp recipients with issues with their SNAP benefits.
Editor’s Note: You can also reach your state’s health and human services department by dialing the SNAP Hotline at 800.221.5689
Once you reach someone in your state, they will likely ask for your EBT number to access your food stamp account to learn why you have not received your SNAP benefits this month.
Conclusion
If you are wondering why “I didn’t get my food stamps this month” there could be several reasons. Things like holidays, weekends, not recertifying for food stamps, or not using your EBT card in months could lead to you not getting your SNAP benefits one month. The best thing to do is contact your state health department or food assistance program to speak directly to someone. Call right away if you find out your EBT card does not have your monthly food stamps. If you wait too long, you may miss the deadline to address any concerns that may have arisen. If you are in Texas, you can contact the food stamp program by dialing 877.541.7905 or 211 to better understand why you didn’t receive SNAP benefits on your card this month. Similar Articles That May Interest You:
- What Is The Maximum SNAP Benefit I Can Receive In Texas?
- How To More SNAP Benefits Each Month By Understanding The Food Stamp Algorithm.
- 7 Weird Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps
- Emergency Food Stamps: How To Get EBT Food Benefits In Less Than 24 Hours
- What Is The Income Limit To Qualify For The Texas SNAP Benefit Program?
I Did Not Receive My Food Stamps This Month FAQ
If you did not receive your food stamps last month, you will need to contact your state’s EBT customer service number. Your state has a special phone number set up to help food stamp recipients with problems related to food stamp cards, your account, and more. You can call the SNAP hotline at 800.221.5689 to get connected to your state’s EBT phone number.
Your food stamps may have been reduced for a variety of reasons. It could be due to changes in your family size or income, or changes in the benefit calculation formula used by the state. You can contact your local SNAP office or the SNAP hotline at 800.221.5689 to discuss why your food stamps were reduced and what you can do to get them back to their original amount.
If you are receiving food stamps but still can’t afford to purchase enough food, there are several resources and assistance programs available to help. Visit the FeedingAmerica.org website to find food pantries in your area. If you are a senior you can apply for Meals on Wheels to get 5 hot meals delivered to your home. If you have children apply for WIC to get free baby formula. The USDA has a food assistance phone number (866.3.HUNGRY) that you can call to learn about local food resources in your area.
You can check your status by contacting your state’s health and human services department. Call the SNAP hotline at 800.221.5689 to get connected to your state’s SNAP program. If you applied online, you can also check your food stamp application online. You can find the phone numbers and website of each state’s food stamp program here.
Nick Bryant is the author of Understanding Healthcare Is Half The Battle and a Senior Counselor with 13+ years of experience working in community health and mental health. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching WWE on Friday nights, and working toward a Google Data Analytics certification. If you have additional questions about community resources or government assistance programs, simply leave a comment below and he will follow up as soon as possible.
I need my snap benefits ther not on my card
Call the Texas EBT customer service number at 800-777-7328. They should be able to tell you why you’re benefits are not on your Texas Lone Star card.
I’m I approved for snap benefits
Good deal!
Please tell me when I can renew food stamps . Thank you
Typically they send you mail that states when you need to renew. Also if you have the Your Texas Benefits app it will tell you when it’s time to renew in your app. Also consider calling the Lone Star Help desk at 800.777.7328 and they will be able to tell you when to renew your Texas food stamp benefits.
I actually had a renewal date of May 31, 2022. My due date to return my renewal was May 15. I returned my renewal electronically at 945pm on May 14th. A weekend. I was not aware that my renewal would be “kicked” over to the following Monday which made it “late” according to them. I was supposed to get my new benefits on June 5. Nothing yet. It’s June 22. No appointment date. No calls. I’ve called 211 four times with no real answer as to when I can expect any response.
Hi Miel use this link to find the EBT customer service number in your state. If you have benefits that customer services number is the one you can dial to get problems resolved if you currently have SNAP benefits.
Why I did not get my food stamps I need them it’s been 3 weeks and I ain’t got my food stamps so please help me
Contact the food stamp department in your state and see if there are any issues with your account. I will say if you just applied for food stamps three weeks ago it typically takes 30 to 45 days for you to get approved. Once you are approved you can add another 7 to 10 business days for them to mail you your card
Okay so I didn’t get any food stamps last month. I always get them on the 15th. I only have myself on my food stamps and I get around 175$ each month. Last month I got nothing. Then this mouth on the 15th I called my card and it has money on it but only 95$. Is that weird that I didn’t get any last month an now it’s reduced. Idk but something is wrong.
Hi Brittany, yeah hard to pin down exactly what the issue is. I do know the extra food stamps(if you have been receiving those) are going away in March, but that reduction shouldn’t happen until next month. Definitely call them to see why they skipped a month and why your benefits were reduced this month. Like I said extra food stamps is going away for everyone in March 2023, but reductions shouldn’t be seen until next month. Let me know if you need help finding the EBT number. Just let me know if you are in Texas or another state.
I didn’t recieve my food stamps this month, on my nys EBT card, who can I contact to inform me and what and how do I contact
Hi Charles use the link below to find the food stamp phone number in your state. Call the EBT customer service number and they can tell you what the issue is.
https://houstoncasemanagers.com/food-stamp-phone-number/
I’m showing 95.00 that has not been released to my EBT ?
When will I get it?
Hi Karen, If your deposit date was on the weekend, they may not release your benefits until the following Monday. With extra food stamp benefits most states have had some delays so this unfortunately has become the norm. That being said if you are showing $95 in your account you should eventually get it again delays are just the norm when dealing w the emergency allotment benefit payments.
It said authorization online for my amnt but the amnt isn’t in my card. It was authorized in the 16th and still it’s not in my EBT card
Hi Tammy, call the Lone Star Help Desk, they should be able to resolve this. 800.777.7328. This is the number you call if you have issues with your SNAP card like this.