Summer EBT

The Summer EBT program has ended and will no longer be issuing new Summer EBT benefits. 

The Summer EBT appeal period began on August 15, 2024, and ended on November 13, 2024. If you filed a Summer EBT appeal, you can check the status of your appeal by visiting the One DHS Customer Portal at https://onedhs.tn.gov/csp, and selecting the View Appeal Status Option.

Summer EBT Webpage Banner Image

The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program is a federally funded food assistance program administered at the state level. In Tennessee, the Department of Human Services (TDHS) utilized records from the state’s Department of Education (DOE) to provide nutrition benefits to eligible school age children during summer months when school meals are not available. Like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), benefits were distributed through EBT cards that can be used to purchase groceries. Eligible families received $40 per eligible child, per month, in a one-time payment of $120 beginning in June 2024. The Summer EBT application closed on August 15, 2024.

Have a question about the Summer EBT Appeals? Click here for more info.

Summer EBT Eligibility

Tennessee children may have qualified for Summer EBT through:

  1. Participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Families First (TANF), or TennCare (Medicaid): School age children (age 6-17)* who participated in SNAP, Families First (TANF), or TennCare during the 2023/24 academic year are automatically eligible for Summer EBT. These families did not need to apply for Summer EBT.
  2. 2023/24 National School Lunch Program Eligibility: Children who applied and were approved to receive free or reduced-price meals at a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participating school during the 2023/24 academic year are automatically eligible for Summer EBT regardless of age. These families did not need to apply to receive Summer EBT.
  3. Summer EBT Application: *The application period has ended* Families of children who receive SNAP, Families First, and/or TennCare but are outside of Tennessee's compulsory school age, and families of children who didn't participate in SNAP, Families First, TennCare, or NSLP** for the 2023/24 school year could apply to receive Summer EBT.  These children must attend a NSLP-participating school to be eligible for Summer EBT, and benefit approval was based on income guidelines.

*Tennessee's compulsory school age is 6-17.  Children outside of Tennessee's compulsory school age cannot be automatically approved for Summer EBT through SNAP, Families First, or TennCare participation and must have filed a Summer EBT application.

**Students who attended Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools and receive free breakfast/free lunch without filing a NSLP application cannot be automatically approved for Summer EBT. These families must have filed a Summer EBT application and met income guidelines.