Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally-funded program that helps eligible people buy food.
Eligibility depends on:
- How many people live in your home,
- How much income your household has
- Other basic facts of your life.
Check If You're Eligible
Apply for SNAP Online
Other Ways to Apply:
- In Person: At your local District Office
- By Mail: Application forms and instructions are available by calling (914) 995-3333 or by download from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
Application FAQ:
To process your application, the following documentation is REQUIRED:
- Identity of all people in your household
- Address, if you have one
- Age of people in your household
- Social security number of all people in your household
- Citizenship of all people in your household
- Earned and unearned income of all people in your household members
- Resources if over age 60
Documentation of the following is OPTIONAL but may increase your SNAP benefits:
- Rent or housing costs
- Medical bills if over age 60/disabled
- Other expenses (such as child care)
Without the required documents, your application may be denied.
Yes. After filing an application, the Department of Social Services will contact you to schedule a required eligibility interview.
Who Must Meet General Work Requirements?
- Ages 16 – 59 years
- Able to work
General Work Requirements include:
- Registering for work
- Taking part in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned
- Taking a suitable job if it is offered
- Not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing your work hours below 30 a week without a good reason.
Who Must Meet Additional Work Requirements?
Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependent Children:
- 18-64 years,
- Able to work
- Have no dependents younger than 14
Read more about new work rules for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependent Children.
For more help, call (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices.
Detailed financial eligibility guidelines are available from the New York State Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance
SNAP Basics:
Foods you can buy with SNAP:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat, poultry, and fish
- Dairy products
- Breads and cereals
- Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages
- Seeds and plants used to make food for the household to eat.
Thing you CANNOT buy with SNAP :
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements
- Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store)
- Foods that are hot at the point of sale
- Nonfood items like:
- Pet food
- Cleaning supplies, paper products and other household supplies
- Hygiene items, cosmetics
Once you qualify for SNAP, you will receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The EBT card looks like a debit card. It allows you to buy groceries with your benefits at participating stores and locations.
Click for information about how to use, care for and secure your EBT card.
- Online: Visit www.ebtEDGE.com or download the ebtEDGE Mobile App at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You must register your EBT Card account and select your User ID and password
- By Phone: Call (888) 328-6399. The hotline is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean and Russian, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If your EBT card is damaged, lost or stolen, you must contact EBT Customer Service.
You can report the issue with your card online or by phone.
- Online: Visit the ebtEDGE website or use the ebtEDGE mobile app available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
- By Phone: Call the toll-free hotline at (888) 328-6399
Click for information about how to use, care for and secure your EBT card.
You may be eligible to renew your SNAP benefits.
If you are receiving SNAP now, you will get a "recertification packet" in the mail. This will arrive around two months before your current SNAP expires.
This packet will have documents you will need to complete to renew your benefits.
To recertify you must:
- File a recertification application
- Be interviewed after the application is filed
You also may need to provide more documents
For more information, see the New York State Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance Recertification Frequently Asked Questions.
Other Food Help:
Many struggling with food costs don't qualify for SNAP. Westchester partners with local food pantries and other programs that can help.
Feeding Westchester
United Way 211
WIC Program
- Free nutrition program for people who are pregnant, new mothers and children under 5 years old.
- Visit the Westchester County Department of Health for information.
Education and Alerts
Your benefits can be stolen through scams like skimming and phishing.
Card skimming directly copies card and personal identification number (PIN) information fusing a device placed on a card reading machine.
Skimming can happen anywhere you swipe your EBT card, including automated teller machines.
Find out how to protect yourself (in English and Spanish).
The SNAP-Ed Program offers nutrition classes to help people with limited budgets learn how to make healthier food choices.
Classes are taught in English and Spanish.
Participants prepare, cook and taste a variety of different foods.
Learn more:
- Online: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester EFNP website
- By Phone: (914) 285-4620
SNAP Questions
Call our Case Management Information Center (CMIC)