New Hampshire To Start Distributing 'Summer EBT' Funds In November

By Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin

New Hampshire’s “Summer EBT” program will still be distributing funds to low-income families this year, officials say. It will just happen in late fall and winter.

The program, approved by the Legislature last spring, uses federal dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service program to provide qualifying families $120 per child for summer food costs.

Because the law authorizing the payments, Senate Bill 499, was not signed into law until August, the benefits will be distributed from November to January, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. They will be distributed on a monthly basis.

On Friday, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved the acceptance of $5.3 million in federal funds for the program. DHHS expects about 44,000 children in the state to benefit.

Families who take part in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or whose children are part of the free and reduced-price lunch program at school will be automatically enrolled in the new benefits, according to the USDA.

Households making up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level – up to $57,720 per year for a family of four – are eligible for Summer EBT.

The program will also be available to families in summer 2025.

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