Summary

Some children will be automatically eligible for Summer EBT. 

General qualifications may include: the age of the child, whether they are in receipt of SNAP, Cash Assistance or Medicaid, whether they attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and for some children there is an income requirement.

There are no immigration criteria; children qualify regardless of immigration status, including those without documentation.  There are no resource requirements.

Automatically Eligible  

Children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old who receive SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Medicaid are automatically eligible for Summer EBT.  

• There is no requirement that these children attend a school that participates in the NSLP.

• This covers children who may be home schooled or who attend a school that does not participate in the NSLP. 

Children who are NOT between the ages of 6 and 16 years are automatically eligible if they:

• Receive SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Medicaid, AND

• Are enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

  • This includes children who are certified for free meals including those who are homeless, a migrant, runaway, or foster child, children enrolled in Head Start or an eligible pre-kindergarten program or through an income application which certifies their household’s income is below 185% FPL.

Jenny is 5 years old and attends a kindergarten program at a school that participates in the NSLP. Jenny’s family also receives Medicaid benefits. Although Jenny is not between the ages of 6 and 16 years, she is automatically eligible for Summer EBT because she is enrolled in an NSLP school, and her family receives Medicaid benefits.

 

Not Automatically Eligible

Children who do not receive SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Medicaid may still be eligible for Summer EBT, but they must apply and meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled in school that participates in the NSLP, AND

• Have household income below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), see income chart below.

  • These are the guidelines for free/reduced meals under the NSLP.

    • NOTE: All NYC public school students (and certain counties in NYS) have access to free school lunch via the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), CEP is NOT in itself an eligibility factor for Summer EBT; therefore the 185% FPL guidelines are used as an eligibility guideline for Summer EBT.

      
      

Oliver is 15 years old and is not in receipt of SNAP, CA, or Medicaid benefits. He attends a high school that participates in the NSLP. To be eligible for Summer EBT, his household income must be below 185% FPL. 

If he meets the income requirement, his parent/guardian will need to apply for Summer EBT.

Children in a 3K, Pre-K or Head Start programs are not automatically eligible for Summer EBT. To be eligible:

• The program must participate in the NSLP and

• The child’s household income would have to be at or below 185% PFL to be eligible for Summer EBT.  

Eligibility Period

The period of eligibility for Summer 2025 runs from July 1, 2024 through September 4, 2025.

Citizenship/Immigration Status

There are no immigration criteria; children qualify regardless of immigration status, including those without documentation. In addition, Summer EBT is not considered a public change.

Financial Criteria

As mentioned above, children who are not automatically eligible will need to show they attend a school that participates in the NSLP AND the household’s gross income is below 185% FPL. There are no resource limits.