Activate P-EBT Card Texas : P-EBT BENEFITS Card 2023 Texas
Texas Health and Human Services is partnering with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Education Agency to provide school year 2021–2022 Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to eligible children.
P-EBT benefits for the 2022-23 school year haven’t begun yet. They are preparing to begin this year’s program and plan to start issuing benefits to students by March and then to young children by April.
P-EBT benefits will continue for the 2022-23 school year and until the federal Public Health Emergency ends (currently slated for May 11, 2023).
School year 2021–2022 P-EBT is for families with children (K–12) who are certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and who temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals during the school year due to COVID-19. Receiving free meals at school does not automatically make a child NSLP certified or eligible for P-EBT benefits.
P-EBT benefits can be used the same way as SNAP benefits.
There is no online application for school year 2021–2022 P-EBT benefits.
The P-EBT was part of the U.S. government’s solution to help families pay for food while their children were home due to school closures during the pandemic. If your child received free lunches at school, you may have received an EBT card to purchase food while they were home.
P-EBT benefits will be provided for the 2021–2022 school year. If your child is eligible, benefit amounts will vary because it is based on each student’s COVID-related absences, virtual attendance and school closures. This is different from previous P-EBT benefit amounts that were the same for all students at a campus.
There is no online application for P-EBT, but your child must be certified for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to receive P-EBT.
Your school or district will send information about eligible students to Texas Health and Human Services to issue benefits. This includes information on students’ free or reduced-price meal eligibility and information on COVID-related absences, virtual attendance and school closures. Benefits are $7.10 for each eligible day.
If your child is eligible to receive P-EBT benefits, a notice will be mailed to you. If this is your first time receiving P-EBT benefits, the notice will have information on how to claim your benefits and get a P-EBT card mailed to you. If you have received P-EBT before, benefits will be issued on your Lone Star Card or P-EBT Card. If you no longer have that card, call the Lone Star Help Desk at 877-541-7905.
How will I get my child’s P-EBT benefits?
If your household currently receives SNAP or you previously received P-EBT, we’ll put your benefits on your existing Lone Star Card or P-EBT card if the information provided by schools/districts matches the information we have. If the information is different, we will send a new P-EBT card in the mail.
If you no longer have your P-EBT card, call at the Lone Star Help Desk at 800-777-7328 to request a new one.
If you do not currently receive SNAP and have not received P-EBT benefits before, you will be sent a notice in the mail with a claim code. You can use this code to claim your child’s P-EBT benefits by going to YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling the P-EBT Call Center. Detailed instructions are included in the notice. You have 90 days to claim your benefits.
Activate P-EBT Card Texas :
There are three different ways to activate your card:
1. Go to www.ebtedge.com. Click “More Information” under EBT Cardholder. Login and/or register your account.
2. Download the ebtEDGE mobile app. The app is available through the Apple Store or Google Play.
3. Call 1-888-622-7328. Follow the prompts to activate your card.
Enter your activation code.
Your code is the birth date of your youngest school-age child. Enter the date of birth using two digits for the month, two digits for the day, and four digits for the year.
Create your PIN.
Select a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) that you will use going forward to check your balance or use your card. Keep this number private.
Use your card.
Use your P-EBT card to purchase food items at EBT authorized retailers, including most major grocery stores. When you go through a checkout line, you will pass or “swipe” the P-EBT card through the machine just like a typical bank debit card and enter your PIN. The cost of the food is automatically subtracted from your P-EBT account balance.
Claim Code
If you receive a claim code in the mail for P-EBT benefits, follow these instructions from your notice to claim your child’s P-EBT benefits.
To claim your child’s benefits online:
- Log in or create an online account at YourTexasBenefits.com.
- If you have an account, enter your username and password.
- If you do not have an account, click ‘Create a new account.’
- After you log in or create your account, click ‘P-EBT Benefits’ to go to the page where you can enter your claim code.
To claim your child’s benefits by phone, call the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255.
To claim your child’s benefits using the claim code, online or over the phone, you will also need to provide:
- Your child’s name, Social Security number* (if they have one), and their date of birth; and
- The name of the child’s parent or guardian, the parent or guardian’s Social Security number* (if they have one), and their date of birth.
*Social Security numbers are preferred, but not required.
After you claim your child’s benefits using the claim code online or over the phone, their benefits will be processed within two days. You will receive a P-EBT card in the mail with your child’s benefits loaded on it.
You can call the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Central time.
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