Pandemic EBT 2.0 — What you need to know
Due to COVID-19, children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals are receiving extra food benefits called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT).
For translation help, please call the Pandemic EBT call center at 833–518–0282.
These benefits help Washington families buy food when schools are closed or have reduced in-person attendance.
Who is eligible?
Children are eligible for P-EBT benefits if:
- Their school is closed or has reduced in-person attendance hours.
- They are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
How do families apply?
Great news! Families don’t have to apply for P-EBT benefits. If your child is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, they may automatically qualify. Families should ensure their current mailing address is on file with the child’s school and are encouraged to fill out a school meal application if their child doesn’t get free or reduced-price meals already.
When will P-EBT cards arrive?
Eligible children should expect to receive a letter by mail, which will contain more information. The P-EBT card will be mailed separately in the following weeks. As of April 28, most cards for children eligible September — January 2021 have been mailed and may take 7–10 days to arrive.
In the coming weeks, children newly eligible for February and March 2021 will receive a card. This means that if you just applied for meal benefits and became eligible in February or March 2021, your card may arrive sometime in May.
Additionally, if your child became eligible for free or reduced-price meals in April or becomes eligible in May or June, your card may arrive sometime later in June. All households will receive an eligibility letter prior to receiving their card in the mail.
I received the letter. Where’s the P-EBT card?
As of April 28, most cards have been mailed for children eligible during the months of September — January 2021. Once mailed out, cards can take 7–10 days to arrive. These P-EBT cards will contain the one-time, retroactive benefit from the months of September 2020 to January 2021. Keep your cards!
I reported an address change to my school, when will we get the replacement card??
New replacement P-EBT cards were mailed to households starting on April 26, 2021, if:
- Your school reported a new address AND
- Your previous P-EBT was never activated or PINNED.
DSHS is aware of reports from families that they do not meet the above criteria, yet their card was still deactivated (i.e. reported lost or stolen). You will receive a new replacement card automatically within 7–10 business days as DSHS continues to explore the issue and stop it from recurring in the future.
How much will families get?
Benefit amounts vary depending on the learning model of their child’s school for each given month. The monthly benefit amount will range from $25 to $123.
Is my child going to keep receiving P-EBT benefits?
Students should expect to receive notices in late April 2021 about their one-time, retroactive payment for February and March 2021. Any additional rounds of benefits will also be added to these cards, so please don’t get rid of them when you have used the benefits from September 2020 — January 2021.
Future benefits may be different amounts as they are based on the attendance of the most students in each school. As schools return to in person learning, benefit amounts will decrease. The tentative P-EBT eligibility notices and benefit schedule is as follows. Households reporting address changes may receive cards outside of these timeframes.
Can my child participate in meal programs if we accept P-EBT benefits?
Yes. P-EBT benefits are additional food benefits. Children may continue to receive grab-and-go meals at school or community sites, or emergency food at COVID-19 emergency feeding sites offered at community locations, even if they are receiving P-EBT benefits.
For More Information
For More Information on Pandemic EBT, you can visit the DSHS website or review the Frequently Asked Questions document.
This institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
