Pandemic-EBT
The Pandemic – Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) Program is additional money for families to buy food due to COVID-19 related school closures. P-EBT is a federal program administered by the State of Alaska. Want to see if you qualify for P-EBT and get an estimate of the benefits you may receive? Click the Eligibility and Benefit Calculator button below!
NEW!
Update 1/14/22: P-EBT benefits for the 2020-21 school year have started to go out to select districts. This is a manual process and will take some time to reach all districts and eligible kids. We will continue to post information on what districts are being processed as we receive that information. As of today, benefits for the following districts have been issued:
Alaska Gateway SD: District complete.
Annette Island SD: Semester 1 is complete.
Bering Strait SD: District complete.
Bristol Bay Borough SD: District complete.
Chatham SD: District complete.
Craig City SD: District complete.
Delta Greely SD: District complete.
Dillingham SD: District complete.
Galena City SD: District complete.
Haines Borough SD: District complete.
Hoonah City SD: District complete
Kake City SD: District complete.
Kashunamiut SD: Semester 1 complete.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough SD: Semester 1 is complete.
Klawock City SD: District complete.
Kuspuk SD: Semester 1 complete.
Lake and Peninsula SD: District complete.
Nenana City SD: District complete.
Nome SD: District Complete
Petersburg City SD: Semester 1 is complete.
Sitka SD: Semester 1 is complete.
Southeast Island SD: District complete.
St. Mary’s SD: Semester 1 is complete.
Unalaska City SD: District complete.
Yukon Koyukuk SD: District complete.
Please allow time to receive your cards in the mail. Note that if your children transferred schools during the 2020-21 school year, benefits may be issued on a different schedule. Check back for information on other school districts, or sign up below for our email updates, which will be sent out weekly.
There is no P-EBT application or form to fill out this time (for the 2020-21 school year). Eligible families will automatically be issued benefits. There will be two rounds of benefit payments (for first and second semester) and the we will update this information when there are target dates for the first round. Eligible families will either receive a new P-EBT card in the mail, or benefits will be loaded onto an active SNAP card, if the family participates in that program.
Families qualify for P-EBT if they:
Received free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program -OR-
Attended a school where every student gets normally gets free meals through Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). To see if your school normally offers free school meals through CEP click here.
-AND- Attended a school that transitioned into remote learning as a result of COVID-19.
Want to see if you qualify for P-EBT and get an estimate of the benefits you may receive? Click the Eligibility and Benefit Calculator button below!
NEW! Some children under 6 will qualify for P-EBT if they are in SNAP households and are living in zip codes affected by school closures or reduced capacity. Benefits will likely be issued in August; more details to come on this piece.
NEW! P-EBT has been extended through the summer of 2021, and will be available to all children who were eligible to receive free or reduced price meals during the current school year. This includes school children who received P-EBT benefits during the school year and those who were eligible for free or reduced price school meals but did not receive P-EBT benefits in the last month of the school year because they attended school in person and had access to a meal service at school. It also includes children who are newly determined eligible for free or reduced price meals during the covered summer period, as well as children under 6 who are enrolled in SNAP during the summer. Benefits for summer and for younger children will likely go out in the fall. Still need to apply for school meals or want more information on summer P-EBT? Click the button below:
See the State of Alaska’s Frequently Asked Questions for more information on the upcoming round of P-EBT benefits.
IMPORTANT UPDATES for 2019-2020 school year benefits: Many eligible families already received these benefits (for spring 2020 school closures) last fall. However, some eligible families missed the application period or didn’t receive benefits for another reason, and those families are now automatically being issued back benefits, and should have got their P-EBT cards in the mail in May or June (2021).
We will update this page with more information as program details are confirmed. If you would like to receive these updates via email, please submit your information below:
This page will continue to be updated with the latest information as it is made available.