Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides a monthly benefit to help low-income households purchase nutritious food.

If you receive SNAP you may also be eligible to participate in Maine SNAP-Ed or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)

What do I need to do to apply?

Eligibility for SNAP is based on income, assets, expenses and household size. You will need to fill out an application, complete an interview and provide verification of your household’s income, identity, citizenship status, assets and other items depending on your household circumstances.

SUN Bucks (Summer EBT)

Information about this new program is available at maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/food-supplement/sun_bucks.

How to Use SNAP EBT

In Person Purchasing:

Most stores that accept EBT will display a SNAP or Quest logo. You can also find a store near you that accepts SNAP by entering your zip code in the USDA SNAP Retail Locator.

Online Purchasing:

Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients are able to purchase eligible food items online at participating retailers using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

How to use your EBT card for online purchases

• SNAP benefits can be used online at participating retailers for delivery or curbside pick-up purchases. A list of participating retailers in Maine is available from the USDA SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot. Some may, also, accept EBT cash.
• SNAP benefits cannot be used for delivery charges.
• Contact your local grocery store to see if they chose curbside pick-up as an option. Any grocer is allowed to purchase wireless EBT equipment which makes curbside pick-up possible. 

Protect your identity and benefits when shopping online

Only send your EBT information over a secure network.

• Do not use public computers or WiFi such as:
  • Libraries,
  • Complimentary WiFi at restaurants, or
  • Other shared WiFi such as at hotels
• Secure your home Wifi by updating your router's password/key
• If you are using your cellphone and are not connected to a secure network, use your data plan.

More tips are available from the US Federal Trade Commission Online Shopping Security Tips. 

Information for Retailers

Current SNAP-eligible retailers interested in participating in online EBT purchases should visit the USDA website for more information, including program requirements and instructions for enrollment.

Post-Secondary Student Eligibility

The Office for Family Independence (OFI) has created a Community College Verification Form (PDF) to simplify verifying SNAP eligibility for post-secondary students at community colleges. Community colleges can verify students are enrolled in an associate’s degree or certificate program that is considered a “career or technical education program”, as defined by the federal Carl D. Perkins Act (most certificate and associate degree programs fit the definition), OR a course the community college has determined will make the student more employable. This information has been conveyed to Navigators at community colleges so that they are better able to assist OFI in the fight to reduce hunger. Navigators are campus based staff who assist eligible students throughout their time in school.

Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDs) Work Requirement and Time Limit

If you are age 18-54, able to work, and don't have any dependents, you might need to meet both the general work requirements and an additional work requirement for ABAWDs to get SNAP for more than three months in three years (the time limit). You can meet the ABAWD work requirement by doing any one of these things:

• Work at least 80 hours a month. Work can be for pay, for goods or services (for something other than money), unpaid, or as a volunteer;
• Participate in a work program at least 80 hours a month. A work program could be SNAP Employment and Training or another federal, state, or local work program;
• Participate in a combination of work and work program hours for a total of at least 80 hours a month;
• Participate in workfare for the number of hours assigned to you each month (the number of hours will depend on the amount of your SNAP benefit.)

Am I exempt from the ABAWD work requirement and time limit?

You are excused from the ABAWD work requirement and time limit if you are any one of these things:

• Unable to work due to a physical or mental limitation;
• Pregnant;
• Have someone under 18 in your SNAP household;
• Excused from the general work requirements (see above);
• A veteran;
• Experiencing homelessness;
• Age 24 or younger and were in foster care on your 18th birthday;
• Living in certain geographic regions that have a high unemployment rate.

What happens if I don't meet the ABAWD work requirement?

If you have to meet the ABAWD work requirement but you don't, you will lose your benefits after three months. To get SNAP again, you must meet the ABAWD work requirement for a 30-day period or become excused. Otherwise, you need to wait until the end of your three-year period, when you'll get another three months under the time limit. 

SNAP Quality Control Review

The SNAP Quality Control Review team is a federally mandated group of OFI specialists that thoroughly reviews more than 1,100 randomly selected SNAP households every year.  SNAP has one of the most rigorous quality control systems in the federal government. The SNAP quality control system measures how accurately SNAP state agencies determine a household’s eligibility and benefit amount. It consists of both state agency reviews and federal reviews. Quality Control Reviews are used to determine if:

• The SNAP program is being run according to regulations.
• The local office handled the case correctly.
• The information in the case file is correct.
• The client is getting the benefits they are eligible for.

All written communication from OFI's SNAP Quality Control Review team is on OFI's letterhead. Phone number of the office and the worker are included as well as the workers full name and State of Maine email address.

Federal law states that selected clients must cooperate with the SNAP Quality Control Review. If a client does not give the detailed information requested and/or cooperate with the review, their SNAP case may be closed.

Additional information regarding SNAP Quality Control Review can be found on the USDA website, https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/quality-control

What to Do if Your Benefits are Stolen Electronically

1) Have your card disabled and new one issued by calling (800) 477-7428.

2) Change your PIN to one that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.

3) Use the Electronically Stolen Benefits Application (Fillable PDF) to report the theft and request replacement benefits.

Important: While applications for theft of SNAP benefits occurring after December 20, 2024 cannot be approved at this time due to lack of federal funding, they will be retained and re-evaluated if retroactive funding is approved in the future. 

USDA Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English.  Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (833) 620-1071, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:

1. mail:
   Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
   1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
   Alexandria, VA 22314; or
2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
   FNSCIVILRIGHTSCOMPLAINTS@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.