How to get help buying food: SNAP and WIC
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, puts money for groceries on a card each month. It used to be called food stamps. WIC is a separate program for pregnant women, new mothers and young children. You apply for both in your state.
What SNAP is and who runs it
SNAP is a federal program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but your state agency or local SNAP office takes your application and decides it. USDA does not process applications. The federal program was renamed SNAP in 2008, and states may use their own name.
1. Find your state's SNAP office
You must apply in the state where you live now. Each state has its own form. You can visit your local SNAP office, use your state agency's website, or call your state's SNAP hotline. Some states let you apply online. Start from food assistance to find your state's office.
If you cannot go to the office or call, another person can apply and do the interview for you. You must name this authorized representative in writing.
2. Apply, even if your papers are not ready
If you are approved, benefits count back to the date you turned in your application. North Carolina says this holds even if the application is incomplete.
3. Gather your documents
North Carolina's checklist shows what offices ask for:
- A driver's license, birth certificate or other government ID for the head of the household
- Social Security numbers, birthdates and citizenship status for everyone in the household
- Proof of income for each person
- How much money you have in cash and in bank or retirement accounts
- Monthly bills, including child care and child support
- Medical bills for anyone over 60 or disabled
- Papers from other benefits, such as Medicaid or SSI
4. Do the interview
Every applicant has an eligibility interview, usually by phone or in person. You also give proof of what you wrote on the application.
5. Get a decision
In most cases the office sends a notice within 30 days saying whether you qualify. Some households can get benefits within 7 days. This faster help is for households with very little cash and very little income, or whose income and cash together are less than their rent or mortgage and utilities.
Using your EBT card
Benefits come on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card. Money is added each month. You use it to buy groceries at stores that accept SNAP. In Wisconsin, many farmers markets take it too.
Keeping SNAP: recertification
Your approval notice says how long you will get benefits. Before that period ends, you get a notice that you must recertify. In Wisconsin, most people renew once a year and the letter arrives about two weeks before the renewal month. You may need another interview. If you finish late, you do not get full benefits the next month. If you wait more than a month, you must apply again.
Work rules
If you are 16 to 59 and able to work, you will probably have to register for work, join a work program if assigned, take a suitable job offer, and not quit or drop below 30 hours a week without good reason. People working 30 hours a week, caring for a child under 6, or unable to work are excused.
A stricter time limit applies to some adults without young children. Under Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025, adults aged 18 to 64 who are able to work can get SNAP for only three months in three years unless they work or join a work program at least 80 hours a month, or meet an exception.
- Parents and others caring for a child under 14 are excused. Before, a child under 18 counted.
- Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who aged out of foster care are no longer excused just for that reason.
- American Indians and Alaska Natives, as defined in federal law, are newly excused. People who are pregnant or unable to work are still excused.
The changes took effect when the law was signed, and states apply them at application and recertification. North Carolina started the new work rules on December 1, 2025. The law also changed which non-citizens can get SNAP.
The law also shifts costs to states. Starting in federal fiscal year 2027, USDA can pay only 25 percent of a state's cost of running SNAP, down from 50 percent. From fiscal year 2028, states generally pay 0 to 15 percent of benefit costs, based on their error rates.
If you disagree: ask for a fair hearing
If you think a decision on your case is wrong, you can ask for a fair hearing with an official who reviews the facts. You must ask within 90 days of the decision. You can ask by phone, in writing, or in person at your local SNAP office.
WIC for pregnant women, babies and young children
WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. It gives healthy foods, nutrition advice, breastfeeding support and referrals to other services. Food benefits come on an eWIC card. See WIC for your state's agency.
WIC is for women who are pregnant, up to 6 months after a pregnancy ends, or breastfeeding up to the baby's first birthday, and for infants and children up to age 5. Anyone raising children under 5, including dads and foster parents, can apply for them. If you or the children get Medicaid, SNAP or TANF, you may already meet the income rule.
Contact a WIC agency in your area by phone or online to set up an in-person or virtual appointment. Everyone gets a free, simple health check before enrolling. The office tells you what to bring, which may include each person who will enroll, ID for each of them, proof of address, and proof of income or of SNAP, Medicaid or TANF.
Where it works differently
- Other names. California calls SNAP CalFresh. Wisconsin calls it FoodShare. North Carolina calls it Food and Nutrition Services.
- County offices. In California, CalFresh is supervised by the state and run by the counties. In North Carolina, you apply at your county Department of Social Services.
Watch out for scams
USDA has warned about fake text messages saying an EBT card is locked, and about thieves who copy cards at store card readers. Never give your EBT card number or PIN by phone or text. Check your account for charges you did not make. If you are not sure a message is real, contact your local SNAP office.
State by state
The official statewide page for each state and territory. For a local office near you, search your county or city above.
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: Am I eligible for SNAP?
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: SNAP work requirements
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: SNAP provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: ABAWD exceptions implementation memorandum
- Public Law 119-21, section 10102: SNAP work requirements
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: a short history of SNAP
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: SNAP scam alerts
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: are you eligible for WIC?
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: how to apply for WIC
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: WIC
- California Department of Social Services: CalFresh
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: FoodShare
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: FoodShare renewals
- North Carolina DHHS: Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps)
- North Carolina DHHS: apply for Food and Nutrition Services
Checked against the sources above on Oct 16, 2026. GovDir is a guide, not legal advice. The agency that handles your case has the final say.