You are responsible for your EBT card, Personal Identification Number (PIN) and the use of your benefits. Keep your PIN private. Please read the How to Use Your Minnesota EBT Card (English version) (Spanish version) for a guide on selecting your pin.

Here are some tips to help keep your benefits safe:

• Keep your PIN a secret
• Change your PIN often
• Change your PIN when getting a new card, or before or after your monthly deposit
• Do not re-use previous PINs
• Do not keep a large balance in your EBT account.
• Do not let anyone (even the store clerk) see your PIN when you enter it at the POS machine or ATM
• Do not give your PIN information to anyone. The Department of Human Services will never call or text you asking for your PIN.
• Do not write your PIN on your card. If you need to write down your PIN, keep that paper in a different place than your card.
• Temporarily freeze your account, block out-of-state transactions and block online transactions at www.ebtedge.com or on the ebtEDGE mobile app.
• You can change your PIN by calling the ebtEDGE Customer Service line at 888-997-2227, using the ebtEDGE mobile app (available on Google Play and Apple App Stores), or online at www.ebtedge.com.
• An optional password can be added to an ebtEDGE account at any time for additional security. To request this, notify your eligibility worker.

If your card has been lost or stolen, call ebtEDGE Customer Service at 888-997-2227 immediately to request a new card be mailed to you. It will take about 5-7 business days to get the new card. There is a $2 charge for all replacement EBT cards. The $2 card replacement fee will be deducted from your cash or food benefits.

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) now allows Minnesota to replace stolen food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) due to EBT card digital fraud/theft, such as card skimming, card cloning and phone call or text message phishing scams. 

Households may be eligible for a replacement of stolen food benefits when the EBT card theft is reported within 30 business days (Monday – Friday) from the discovery of benefits stolen. Stolen food benefits are eligible for replacement if the theft occurred from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2024.

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) law does not allow Minnesota to replace stolen P-EBT benefits.

To report and request a replacement of stolen food benefits, clients should contact their county or Tribal Nation eligibility worker.

A PIN is four secret numbers you use with your card to access benefits. Every time you use your card, you must enter these four secret numbers. To help prevent fraud you are not able to select a “common” PIN. Common PINs include:

0000        0001 

0002        0003 

1111         1212

1234        2345

4567         5678

5555         6666

7777         8888 

When you select your PIN, choose four numbers that you can remember but that other people can’t easily guess. 

• Call ebtEDGE customer service at 888-997-2227 and use the automated system to set or change your PIN
• Visit your county or Tribal Nation office
• Visit the ebtEDGE cardholder portal at www.ebtedge.com
• Access the ebtEDGE mobile application, available for IOS and Android, at www.fisglobal.com/ebtedgemobile. You have four tries each day to enter your correct PIN. After four incorrect tries, you can’t use your card until 12:01 a.m. the next day.

You can use your EBT card at most grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets, ATMs, direct marketing farmers, cash checking businesses and certain online retailers. Find a list of eligible stores using the retail locator on the Food and Nutrition Services website.

You may use your food benefits nationwide. Access to cash benefits is limited to Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Point-of-sale (POS) machine 

A POS machine is a machine in a store or farmer’s market that reads your EBT card when you purchase food or non-food items or withdraw cash benefits. You can use a POS machine to:

• Purchase food with food or cash benefits. There is no minimum dollar amount per transaction or maximum limit on the number of transactions allowed. Transaction fees can’t be added to your purchase of food items with an EBT card. 
• Purchase non-food items with cash benefits.
• Withdraw cash from cash benefits.
• Get cash back with a purchase from cash benefits. 

Some stores may limit the amount of cash you can get back from your cash benefits. 

Online 

You can purchase eligible food items online with certain retailers. Only EBT food benefits can be used online. Find a list of online retailers that accept EBT at fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot. 

A separate payment type is required to purchase items that are not eligible for SNAP and to pay any delivery costs. EBT cash benefits can’t be used as the separate payment type.

Automated teller machine (ATM) 

You can withdraw cash from your cash benefit account at an ATM. You can’t use an ATM to get cash from your food benefit account.

Check cashing businesses 

You may be able to get your cash benefits at some businesses that cash checks.

Visit the What can SNAP buy? webpage on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website to find out which foods are approved.

Benefits are available on the same day every month, even on weekends or holidays.

Cash benefits

Case Type	If your case number ends in	Your cash benefits will be available after 6 a.m. on the
Minnesota Family Investment Program or Diversionary Work Program	1, 3, 5, 7 or 9	second to last day of the month
Minnesota Family Investment Program or Diversionary Work Program	0, 2, 4, 6 or 8	last day of the month
General Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Aid or Refugee Cash Assistance	0 through 9	first day of the month

Food benefits

If your case number ends in	Your food benefits will be available after 12:01 a.m. on the
4	4th of every month
5	5th of every month
6	6th of every month
7	7th of every month
8	8th of every month
9	9th of every month
0	10th of every month
1	11th of every month
2	12th of every month
3	13th of every month

When you use your card, your receipt shows how much you have left in your food and/or cash benefit accounts. 

• The store’s name and location should appear on your receipt when you use your food and/or cash benefits.
• You may also find your balance by calling ebtEDGE customer service, accessing the ebtEDGE cardholder portal or mobile application or registering for text message notifications.
• You may also request a transaction history at your local county or Tribal Nation office.

• Food benefits not used within 274 days will be removed from your account and can’t be replaced
• Cash benefits not used within 90 days will be removed from your account and can’t be replaced after 365 days

You will get four free cash withdrawal transactions per month. These cash withdrawals may be at a POS machine or an ATM. You will be charged $1 for each additional cash withdrawal, up to a maximum of $10. A cash-only withdrawal is for an amount up to the balance remaining in your cash account. There is no charge for a cash buy transaction or if you get cash back when you make a purchase.

Choose an adult you trust to help with shopping and accessing your food benefits. This person can be from your household or from outside of your household.

• Tell your eligibility worker whom you chose as your additional adult
• The additional adult will get an EBT card in the mail
• If the adult is a member of your household, they can call customer service, visit www.ebtedge.com or use the ebtedge mobile app. Once the card for the additional adult is received in the mail, a PIN can be set by calling ebtEDGE customer service at 888-997-2227. 
• If the additional adult is not a member of your household, they can go into the local county or Tribal Nation office or contact EBT customer service to select their PIN. If they are unable to select a PIN through EBT customer service, contact your worker, the worker will send a request to the state to update information so the additional adult can select a PIN.
• If you later want to stop the additional adult’s access to your SNAP benefits, contact EBT customer service, then notify your eligibility worker.

For more information, call your eligibility worker.

• Minnesota’s EBT vendor blocks common PINs such as 1-2-3-4
• Minnesota EBT cards include a three-digit security code separate from the EBT card number
• Minnesota EBT cardholders are required to enter additional authentication to access account information when calling the EBT Call Center for inquiries on accounts

Before you start your application:

• Register for a USDA eAuthentication account 
• Activate your USDA eAuthentication account

• If you own 10 or more stores, consider whether you are a Multi-Store Owner (MSO)
• Complete the SNAP application

Tip: After starting this application, you have 30 days to complete and submit it. If you application is not submitted within 30 days, it will be deleted. Before starting this application, make sure that you have name(s), home address(es), and Social Security Number(s) for each store owner, and sales data for the store.

Your application is not complete until you submit the required supporting documents. Instructions for submitting your documentation are provided at the end of the application.

After you submit your supporting documents to FNS, you can check the status of your application in real time.

FNS will process your application and contact you if they need any further information. If you have additional questions, please call the SNAP Retailer Service Center at 1-877-823-4369.

After successful authorization, you will be issued a SNAP Permit, which includes the store name, store location, your name and the names of any additional owners, and the FNS Number. Use the FNS Number on this permit when ordering your equipment and when your POS device is programmed. If you already have equipment, talk to your current processor about programming it to accept SNAP-EBT and to get cost information. 

A partial list of available vendors for SNAP-EBT equipment and services can be found here. 

You are not required to select from one of the companies on the list; you should review the cost of leasing or purchasing equipment and services and make the best choice for your business. Farmer’s Markets are able to get no-cost wireless equipment. Retail food stores can get no-cost equipment that accepts SNAP-EBT only (no debit, credit, etc).

Minnesota offers free wireless point of sale (POS) equipment for FNS approved Farmers Markets and Direct Marketing Farmers in Minnesota. The equipment processes EBT benefits only and must be within range of an AT&T cell tower.

To request equipment email the following information to FarmersMarket.Equipment.DHS@state.mn.us:

• Market/Farm Name
• Address
• Email
• Phone
• FNS #
• Contact Name (this must be the person approved with FNS)

Note: Equipment must be requested by the person approved by FNS to accept SNAP benefits.