Summer EBT provides families with school-aged children with an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to purchase groceries during the summer when school is out.
Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, provides families with a monthly grocery benefit to feed their children for three summer months (June, July, August) when children are not receiving free or reduced-price meals at school.
Families receive a one-time benefit of $120 for the summer for each eligible child. Benefits are distributed on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card and can be used at authorized retail locations, including some farmers’ markets.
Families must meet the household income requirements for free or reduced-priced meals (total household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level) or be enrolled in a qualifying program.
There are several ways to demonstrate income eligibility (see next section, How Do I Apply?)
If your child qualifies for Summer EBT through an application on file with a school operating the National School Lunch Program, they do not have an additional age requirement.
If your child qualifies for Summer EBT through their participation in a qualifying program (SNAP, TANF, Income Eligible Medicaid, and/or Youth in Care/foster care) AND your child does NOT have a completed application on file with a school operating the National School Lunch Program, they must meet Illinois’s compulsory school age to receive Summer EBT benefits (for summer 2025, date of birth between July 2, 2005 and August 31, 2019).
No citizenship requirement.
Summer EBT will NOT be considered under the public charge rule.
Many eligible families will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT based on their participation in a qualifying program. Some families will need to complete a Summer EBT application.
Visit the online Summer EBT Screener to check whether you need to apply for Summer EBT or whether your child’s eligibility has already been confirmed through their participation in another program. You can also confirm whether your address is correct to make sure that you receive a Summer EBT card.
After you complete the screener, if you need to complete an application, you can also apply for Summer EBT online.
COMPLETE THE SUMMER EBT SCREENER
Many eligible families will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT based on their participation in a qualifying program. There are two main pathways to qualify for Summer EBT through participation in a qualifying program.
Your child will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT if they were enrolled in one of the following programs at any point during the period July 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025:
If you have an active Link card, benefits will be automatically loaded to your card.
If you don’t have an active Link card, an EBT card will be mailed to you. Visit the online Summer EBT Screener to check if your address on file is up-to-date. You can update your address by calling the Summer EBT Hotline at 1-833-621-0737 or using the Summer EBT General Inquiry Request.
Your child will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT if:
If you don’t have an active Link card, an EBT card will be mailed to you. Visit the online Summer EBT Screener to make sure your address on file is up-to-date. You can update your address by calling the Summer EBT Hotline at 1-833-621-0737 or using the Summer EBT General Inquiry Request.
Your child will NOT be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT through their school if:
Visit the online Summer EBT Portal to complete a Summer EBT application.
Visit the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) online Summer EBT Portal. You can complete a screener to check whether you need to apply for Summer EBT or whether your child’s eligibility has already been confirmed through their participation in another program.
To use the screener, you will need to enter your child’s name and at least one piece of additional information:
After you complete the screener in the Summer EBT Portal, if you need to complete an application, you can apply for Summer EBT online. Households may be asked to verify their gross income is at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Line.
You can also submit a paper application. Applications for Summer EBT can also be mailed to the IDHS Central Scan Unit (CSU), P.O. Box 19138, Springfield, IL 62794 or submitted in person, mail, or fax to the local Family Community Resource Center (FCRC). Find the closest FCRC.
Once the Summer EBT application has been processed, a Notice of Summer EBT Application Notice of Eligibility will be sent to you. The notice will include the child(ren) that are eligible, the child(ren) that are ineligible, the reason for the eligibility decision, information on accessing benefits, and information on filing an appeal.
August 31, 2025 is the last day to apply to receive Summer EBT benefits in summer 2025.
Summer EBT benefit issuances are planned for May 19-26, 2025 for children who are automatically enrolled in Summer EBT.
If you apply for Summer EBT using the online screener, benefits will be issued after your application is processed.
Families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for each eligible child to purchase groceries.
Yes, Summer EBT benefits do expire. Summer EBT benefits must be used within 122 days of issuance, or when benefits are loaded onto the card.
If your family also receives SNAP benefits on your Link card, Summer EBT benefits will be used first when you shop for food because Summer EBT benefits expire.
If your child was enrolled in SNAP (Link food) or TANF (Link cash) benefits at any point during the period July 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025 and your family has an active Link card, Summer EBT benefits will be loaded onto the food portion of your Link card.
If your Link card is no longer active or you never had a Link card, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) will issue a new card that will be mailed to you.
If you have more than one child eligible for Summer EBT, how you receive benefits will depend on how your children’s eligibility is determined.
Households that are determined eligible for Summer EBT will receive an Initial Notice of Eligibility for Summer EBT Benefits. These notices will include the child(ren) that are eligible for Summer EBT and information on accessing benefits.
Cards will be mailed to the address that the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has on file for you. The address on file will be the address associated with the program that was used to determine your child’s eligibility for Summer EBT (school meal application, SNAP, Medicaid, TANF or foster care). You can use the Summer EBT Screener to confirm that IDHS has the correct address for you.
If the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) does not have a current mailing address for your household, you will receive an Initial Notice of Eligibility for Summer EBT Benefits with instructions on how to report a mailing address. Summer EBT benefits cannot be issued until a valid mailing address is on file.
You can update your address by:
You should also update your address with the program that was used to determine your child’s eligibility for Summer EBT.
Families can work with their local school or Family Community Resource Center (FCRC) to provide an address for card delivery. Find the closest FCRC.
To access your Illinois Summer EBT Link account, visit the Illinois Link Card Website or call 1-800-678-LINK (5465).
To login, use your personalized log-in instructions found on your Summer EBT eligibility letter.
If you do not have access to your personalized Summer EBT eligibility letter, you may log in with:
If you are still having trouble, please call the Summer EBT hotline at 1-833-621-0737.
If you lose your Summer EBT/Link card, you should immediately report it as lost. There are several ways to report your Link card lost or stolen:
If you do not have the ebtEdge app, learn how to register for an account.
If your household receives other benefits on your Link card, such as SNAP (Link food) or TANF (Link cash), your card will remain active even after Summer EBT benefits have been used up or your Summer EBT benefits expire.
If your household only receives Summer EBT on your Link card and does not receive SNAP or TANF, your card will become inactive after your Summer EBT benefits have been used up or your Summer EBT benefits expire. You will be mailed a new Link card for Summer EBT if your child qualifies in future years.
If your family applies for SNAP/food, TANF/cash, and/or Income Eligible Medicaid before August 31, 2025 AND is found eligible, children in your household will automatically be enrolled in Summer EBT without the need to complete a Summer EBT application.
Learn more about qualifying programs and how to apply in the “Who Is Eligible” section above.
No, the Cash and Food Assistance for Non-Citizen Victims of Trafficking, Torture, or Other Serious Crimes (VTTC) program is not a qualifying program this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not approve VTTC as a qualifying program.
No, a school’s alternative household income form is not a qualifying way to demonstrate eligibility for Summer EBT this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not approve the alternative household income form as a qualifying way to demonstrate eligibility.
If your family is enrolled in SNAP, TANF, or Income Eligible Medicaid in Illinois and you have a school-aged child, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) will automatically enroll you in Summer EBT.
If your family is NOT enrolled in SNAP, TANF, or Income Eligible Medicaid in Illinois and you moved to Illinois after the end of the 2024-2025 school year, you should contact your prior state to determine eligibility for Summer EBT in 2025.
You should only receive Summer EBT benefits from one state each year. If you accidentally receive benefits from more than one state, you should only use the benefits from the state where your child completed the prior school year.
Summer EBT benefits are used like SNAP benefits.
Customers can use their EBT card at a SNAP authorized retailer to purchase SNAP-eligible items. Once you swipe or enter your card number, select EBT as the form of payment and the food/SNAP portion of the account.
Like SNAP, customers can use Summer EBT benefits to shop online for pickup or delivery at participating stores.
Customers can also use their EBT card at participating farmers’ markets. EBT cards may operate differently at farmers’ markets or farm stands. Visit the information booth for more details.
Summer EBT benefits can be redeemed at authorized retail locations, including some farmers’ markets.
Summer EBT benefits can be used to purchase SNAP-eligible items. Find a list of SNAP eligible food-items.
Yes. You can get Summer EBT even if your child is getting free meals at school, camp or other places this summer.
Visit our summer meals page to learn more about the Summer Food Service Program.
There are a couple ways to find a summer meal program near you.
The Summer Meals Site Finder map on our summer meals page will go live in May for the summer period. Additional sites may be added throughout the summer.
Families can also contact the USDA National Hunger Hotline, operated by Hunger Free America. The hotline can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) (for English) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish).
No. It is important to know that Summer EBT will not count in a public charge test. All students are eligible regardless of immigration status. Visit ProtectingImmigrantFamilies.org for information about what public benefits impact the public charge test.
You can “opt out” of the program by calling the Summer EBT hotline at at 1-833-621-0737 or using the Summer EBT General Inquiry Request.
The Illinois State Board of Education has posted a list of National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participating schools.
To be eligible, your family must have income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. Check your annual or monthly household income against the charts below.
Maximum Gross Income by Household Size
(July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025)
| Persons in Household | Monthly Income |
Annual Income |
| 1 | $2,322 | $27,861 |
| 2 | $3,152 | $37,814 |
| 3 | $3,981 | $47,767 |
| 4 | $4,810 | $57,720 |
| 5 | $5,640 | $67,673 |
| 6 | $6,469 | $77,626 |
| 7 | $7,299 | $87,579 |
| 8 | $8,128 | $97,532 |
Please visit the Illinois Department of Human Services Summer EBT page for more information.