Many people throughout the U.S. with income difficulties receive food stamps, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. For retailers to accept food stamps as payment, they must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service division. The process for becoming eligible to accept food stamp payments is fairly straightforward.
To be eligible to accept food stamp payments, your store must meet the SNAP retailer requirements. The store must get at least 50 percent of its sales from food stamp eligible foods or offer at least three different types of food in each of the four food-staple groups (grains and bread; fruits and vegetables; dairy; and meat, poultry and fish) on a daily basis. At least two of those categories must have perishable foods.
On its website, the USDA has training guides available to all retailers that accept food stamps. Available in English and Spanish, these guides are helpful when training employees about what products can be purchased with food stamps. Tobacco, alcohol, medicine, non-food items such as household supplies and cleaners, clothing and hot prepared foods (such as fast food and deli food) cannot be bought with food stamps. However, baby food, baby formula, plants and seeds to grow food can be purchased with the stamps.
Advertisement Article continues below this adTo broaden the access to fresh produce for low income people, farmers markets can accept SNAP under the right conditions and an approved application. To qualify as a farmers' market and be eligible to accept food stamps, you must meet the USDA's definition of a farmers' market: A multi-stall market where producers sell agricultural products directly to the general public at a central or fixed location. You can sell meat, dairy and grain products in addition to fruits and vegetables.
Retailers who wish to start accepting food stamps in their store can apply online by registering for a food stamps application login via a USDA eAuthentication account at the USDA website. Registration is free. If you have questions getting through your application, call 877-823-4369 for the SNAP Retailer Service Center. Retailers who fill out the online application will have 30 days to complete it. After sending in all requested documentation, allow the USDA at least 45 days to notify you of its decision.
Advertisement Article continues below this adThe EBT application for business is the same as the USDA application. The EBT card is the only acceptable way to take food stamps in all U.S. states. To process a food stamp payment, you will need to have each customer swipe his EBT card at the terminal provided to you. If you change your store location, you will be required to apply again to accept food stamp benefits and will need to relinquish your EBT terminal until you are re-approved. When a retailer is approved to accept EBT Cards, they can accept both SNAP via EBT or EBT Cash, according to the State of Pennsylvania.