P-EBT 5 and Younger: frequently asked questions

No, children under the age of 5 are eligible for benefits if they are part of a household that received SNAP, MFIP or Tribal TANF assistance between September 2021 and May 2022.

Children will receive $30 for every month of eligibility between September 2021 and December 2021. 

The benefit amount for January 2022 to May 2022 has not yet been determined.

For children 5 and younger whose households participated in SNAP, MFIP or Tribal TANF between September 2021 and May 2022, benefits will be automatically loaded onto a household’s SNAP EBT card.

P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits are tentatively scheduled to be loaded onto SNAP EBT cards in June and August 2022. June payments will include benefits from September to December 2021. The August payments will include benefits from January to May 2022. 

If you no longer receive SNAP, MFIP or Tribal TANF assistance and are notified that you have been issued a P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefit payment, check your EBT card balance. You may be receiving benefits from earlier in the year when your family was eligible for SNAP, MFIP or Tribal TANF. If you need to order a new card, contact EBT Edge.

Yes, benefits will be retroactive to all eligible months between September 2021 and May 2022.

P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits will be available for one year from the time families received the benefit payment on their SNAP EBT card, for one year after they made their last purchase or until all benefits have been spent.

Yes, the child will receive benefit payments for the months in which they are eligible. Children are eligible to receive benefits if they were 5 or younger on or after Sept. 1, 2021, and living in a household that received SNAP, MFIP or Tribal TANF assistance between September 2021 and May 2022, and did not receive P-EBT benefits through school enrollment. 

You will receive a benefit payment on your SNAP EBT card for each child who qualifies for P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits.

No. In order to receive a P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefit payment, families must be eligible to receive at least $1 in monthly SNAP assistance. Families who receive $0, sometimes known as those with categorical eligibility, are not eligible to receive P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits.

P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefit payments can be used to purchase the same items that can be purchased with SNAP benefits. For specific information on what can and cannot be purchased, visit the USDA’s “What can SNAP Buy?” webpage.

When shopping at a store that accepts EBT benefits, you can use your EBT card just like a regular debit card.

1. Select “EBT” from the list of eligible electronic payment methods.
2. Swipe your EBT card.
3. Enter your card’s PIN number.

More information on using an EBT card is in this How to use your MN EBT Card (PDF) brochure.

P-EBT benefits can be used to buy food online from multiple retailers. Visit Stores Accepting SNAP Online for an up-to-date list. 

Learn more about using your card for online purchases.

You can request a replacement card by contacting EBT Edge at 888-997-2227 or by visiting ebtEDGE.com. There is a $2 fee to replace a card. EBT Edge customer service staff is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

EBT Edge can also help you:

• Activate your card
• Check your balance
• Review past transactions, including benefit payments.

Yes. The Minnesota Department of Human Services will notify families who are eligible to receive P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits. The department will send eligibility notifications by text after benefit payments have been loaded to SNAP EBT cards. The department is not able to send email messages to families about P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits. 

Families should contact their SNAP eligibility worker to make sure the department has their current cell phone number.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services sends periodic text messages with updates and information about P-EBT benefits to families who provided a valid cell phone number to their children’s school. All text messages come from 1-855-965-0703 and include instructions for opting out of future text messages. Texts messages will not be sent to families who opt out of receiving them, or to those who have opted out in the past. To opt out of future text messages, simply reply with the word "STOP."

Families who wish to continue receiving text messages will be notified when their children’s first P-EBT card is issued. They’ll receive another message telling them when they can expect to have benefits added to the card.

The department is aware of a new text messaging scam asking recipients to go to mn.org/dhs/pebt to apply for P-EBT benefits. These text messages are not from DHS. Any link or website that DHS sends by text message will always start with mn.gov. If you receive a text message with a link that starts with mn.org or mn.com, it’s not from DHS.

The two most frequent texts that DHS sends related to P-EBT include the following messages:

• The Department of Human Services invites you to get texts with important notices. If you do not want to receive messages, please reply with STOP.
• This is the Department of Human Services. You are approved for P-EBT benefits which have been loaded on your child’s card. Visit mn.gov/dhs/p-ebt for information. If you do not want to receive messages reply with STOP.

If you receive a text message asking you to click on a link that starts with something other than mn.gov, delete the message and do not click on the link.

If you did not receive a text message from the Department of Human Services regarding your family’s eligibility for P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits, it may be because the department does not have your current cell phone number or that you have opted out of receiving text messages from the department. 

If you would like to receive future updates and notifications by text, contact your SNAP eligibility worker to make sure they have your current cell phone number. 

No. Families with more than one child eligible for P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits will receive a single notification that applies to all eligible children. If you receive a P-EBT-related text message notification from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, it means that at least one of your children is eligible to receive  P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits. 

• Apply for SNAP at MNbenefits.mn.gov, or contact your local county or tribal human services agency for additional information and ways to apply.
• Contact your school to inquire about free or reduced-price meals.
• Use the Hunger Solutions online food shelf finder to locate resources near you.
• Download the Free Meals for Kids App.

Contact your SNAP eligibility worker to update all of your contact information. 

If a child’s custody status changes, P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits for that child will be given to the parent or legal guardian eligible to receive SNAP assistance.

No, P-EBT does not count as benefits under the public charge rule. If you have additional questions about how public charge may affect your ability to access other programs, please contact: Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid at LawHelpMN.org or call 800-292-4150.

No. Just like SNAP benefits, P-EBT for 5 and Younger benefits are not counted as income. 

The P-EBT Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Assistance is available in multiple languages.

• Call 651-431-4608 or 833-454-0153 for assistance during office hours, or 
• Submit questions any time day or night by using the P-EBT Help Form. 

Please note: Submitting multiple P-EBT Help Forms for the same issue will not result in faster response times and only serves to slow down responses for others.

For address changes, please contact your SNAP eligibility worker.

Yes. To request assistance, contact Minnesota Relay at 7-1-1 to connect with a communications assistant who can help place a phone call to the P-EBT Call Center. 

For assistance in Spanish, call the Spanish relay at 1-877-627-5448.