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).
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 another qualifying program (SNAP, TANF, Income Eligible Medicaid, VTTC, 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, 2006 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 another 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 will receive the link to the online application.
Complete the Summer EBT Screener
To receive a paper application, email [email protected] with the subject line “Summer EBT Paper Application Request.”
Many eligible families will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT based on their participation in another qualifying program. There are two main pathways to qualify for Summer EBT through participation in another 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, so make sure that your address on file with the program is up-to-date. Visit the FAQs to learn how to update your address.
Your child will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT if they attended an Illinois school operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and completed one of the following applications for the 2024-2025 school year:
If your child attends an NSLP school where all meals are served free, they will NOT be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT. These types of schools are often Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools.
If your child attends a NSLP school but your family did not complete a free or reduced-price school meals application, they will NOT be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT.
The Illinois State Board of Education has posted a list of NSLP participating schools.
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has an online Summer EBT Screener where you can 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, if you need to complete an application, you will receive the link to the online application. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2024.
You can use the Summer EBT Screener to confirm that IDHS has the correct address for you.
August 31, 2025 is the last day to apply to receive Summer EBT benefits in summer 2025.
In summer 2024, benefits were issued starting in August, but benefits are expected to be issued earlier in summer 2025.
When benefits are issued, a Notice of Summer EBT Eligibility will be mailed to households that will detail the eligible children, amount and availability of issued benefits. The notice will also provide instructions on how to view your EBT/Link account online.
Families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for each eligible child to purchase groceries.
If your child was enrolled in SNAP or TANF food/cash benefits at any point during the period 7/1/2024 through 8/31/2025 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.
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.
You can update your address by calling the Summer EBT Hotline at 1-833-621-0737 or using the Summer EBT General Inquiry Request.
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.
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/food or 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/food or cash, 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, income eligible Medicaid, and/or VTTC 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.
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. 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.
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 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 |