Children already approved for certain public benefits or free and reduced-price school meals qualify automatically. Other income-eligible households have until Wednesday to submit an application.
By Hola Nebraska
LINCOLN, NE — Nebraska families who meet the income requirements but are not automatically enrolled in Summer EBT have until Wednesday, Aug. 12, to apply for a one-time grocery benefit of $120 per eligible child.
Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or Summer EBT, provides $40 per month for each eligible school-age child, distributed as one $120 payment covering the summer period.
A household with two eligible children can receive $240. Three eligible children would bring the household benefit to $360.
Not every family needs to submit an application. Children already connected to qualifying public assistance programs or approved for free or reduced-price school meals generally receive the benefit automatically.
Children in SNAP and school meal programs qualify automatically
An additional Summer EBT application is not required for children who participated in one of the following programs during the applicable eligibility period:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
- Aid to Dependent Children or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
- A qualifying income-based Medicaid program.
Children approved for free or reduced-price meals during the 2025–26 school year also qualify without a separate Summer EBT application.
Automatic eligibility can also apply to children participating in Head Start or directly certified through foster care, migrant, homeless or runaway status.
Eligible households receive an approval letter before their card is issued. Families who already qualified through one of these categories do not gain additional benefits by submitting another application.
Some families at schools with free meals still need to apply
Attending a school where every student receives breakfast or lunch at no cost does not automatically make every child eligible for Summer EBT.
Some Nebraska schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly called CEP. The program allows schools to provide free meals to all students without collecting an individual school meal application from every household.
Students at CEP schools qualify automatically if they also receive SNAP, ADC/TANF, FDPIR or qualifying income-based Medicaid benefits. Families without that connection may need to apply based on household income.
An application may be needed when:
- The child attended a school participating in the National School Lunch Program but was not approved for free or reduced-price meals.
- The household did not submit a school meal application during the 2025–26 school year.
- A previous school meal application was denied because the household was over the income limit, but the family’s income later decreased.
- The child attended a CEP school, received meals at no cost and was not automatically eligible through another public assistance program.
The child must have attended a school participating in the National School Lunch Program for a household to use this application pathway.
Homeschooled and entirely online students can qualify automatically when their household receives one of the designated public assistance benefits. Homeschooled children who do not receive those benefits cannot qualify through a Summer EBT application.
Income eligibility depends on household size
Summer EBT uses the income limits for free and reduced-price school meals. Eligibility extends to households with income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
For a household of four, the reduced-price meal limit used for the 2025–26 school year is $59,478 annually or $4,957 monthly. The limit rises with each additional household member.
The application considers the people living in the household and its current income. A family whose income decreased after an earlier school meal decision may qualify based on its circumstances during the summer eligibility period.
Applications require school, household and income information
The application asks for the child’s name, school and date of birth, along with the names of other household members, household income and a current mailing address.
Receiving Summer EBT does not affect a family’s immigration status or count in a public charge determination. A child’s immigration status does not prevent eligibility when the program’s school, assistance or income requirements are met.
Applications remain available through Aug. 12.
Application and eligibility information: Nebraska Summer EBT 2026
Questions about eligibility can be directed to Nebraska DHHS at 800-383-4278, option 5, or [email protected].
Summer EBT cards are mailed to eligible households
Approved benefits are loaded onto a Summer EBT card and mailed to the address registered with DHHS, the child’s school or the application.
Cards can take up to 10 business days to arrive. They are sent in a white window envelope with a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, return address and may not display DHHS information on the outside.
Benefits for multiple eligible children are generally combined on one household card. The card can be activated by calling 877-247-6328 and creating a PIN.
Summer EBT can be used for eligible food purchases at grocery stores, farmers markets and online retailers that accept SNAP EBT. Each payment remains available for 122 days beginning the day after it is issued. Unused funds expire after that period and cannot be restored.
Nebraska will continue mailing cards in scheduled rounds after the application period closes, with the final regular issuance currently scheduled for Sept. 10.
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