Food Stamp Program: How Can My Business Accept EBT?

The food stamp program, also known as the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), is a federal nutrition program followed in the US. It enables families to get financial assistance when they are not able to buy certain food items. On the other hand, they should meet the eligibility criteria while applying for the program. A family will receive a card known as an electronic benefit card (EBT) after becoming a SNAP member. The card looks similar to a debit card enabling families to use the same in food stores while buying certain products.

How to accept EBT in my store?

When your store sells food products, you should consider getting permission to accept EBT cards from your customers. This is because it will boost the sales as well as your revenues. At the same time, you should know how to accept EBT payments for your business in detail that will help accomplish goals to a large extent.

Here are some things to follow when you want to accept EBT payments in your store.

1. Qualify for the SNAP program first

Before approving EBT payment, your store should qualify for the SNAP program first. Your store must get at least 50 % of sales from food stamp eligible foods. Otherwise, you should sell at least three different types of foods mentioned in federal nutritional programs. To know the product details of food stamps, you can visit the USDA website that covers training guidelines. Moreover, you can train your store employees properly to know what types of products come under food stamps. 

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2. Apply for a permit 

When you want to approve EBT payments in your store then, you should consider applying for a permit to plan the operations. You can visit your local food and nutrition service field service office to process your application easily. However, you need to submit your business license and other necessary documents along with the application. You can even apply for a permit online on the USDA website that will save more time. In most cases, USDA will take at least 45 days to notify its decision. There is no charge for a food stamp permit enabling you to save more money. 

3. Apply for an EBT POS 

Since an EBT card is the only way to accept food stamp program payments, you need to apply for a point-of-sale (POS) system. Apart from that, customers will swipe EBT cards on a terminal provided to your store. You can even contact the manufacturer of a POS system that approves debit card and credit card payments. This is because some manufacturers will program their equipment that accepts EBT cards. Make sure that your employees swipe them on a terminal correctly while processing EBT transactions. 

If you already have an equipment that approves debit card and credit card payments then, you can use the same to handle EBT cards. When a customer uses an EBT card for food products, the transaction amounts are automatically subtracted from his/her EBT account. The money is then deposited into your bank account within two days.

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