How to check your EBT balance

Use the number on the back of the card

The customer service number printed on the back of the EBT card is the most reliable way to hear the balance. You call that number and enter the card number when the state's system asks. That call goes to the state or its card processor, not to this website.

Florida's Department of Children and Families tells cardholders they can hear the food and cash balances by calling the EBT customer service number on the card, 1-888-356-3281, after entering the 16-digit card number. Other states print a different number. Use the one on your card.

Use your state's cardholder site or app

Many states also offer a website or phone app for the balance, recent deposits, and transaction history. The app or site is run by the state or its processor. Sign in there, not on a page that arrived in a surprise text.

A common cardholder portal is ebtEDGE, used by states that contract with FIS. It is not universal. If the instructions on your card name a different site, use that one. USDA's directory of state EBT pages is a starting point, and USDA says those links are agency pages, not necessarily the balance checker.

Keep the last receipt

The receipt from a SNAP purchase usually prints the remaining food balance. Florida DCF lists the last receipt as the best way to know the balance. A store register can also print a balance inquiry. That inquiry is a balance check, not a purchase.

What not to do

Do not type the card number or PIN into BenefitBoost, an email, or a text message. We do not have a balance tool, and we will not ask for a PIN. A caller who says they are from the state and need the PIN is not following the normal balance line, which asks you to enter the PIN on your phone keypad only when you are calling the number from your card.

If the card is lost or you think someone else used it, contact the number on the card and your state agency. BenefitBoost cannot freeze a card.