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. 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! IMPORTANT UPDATES for 2020-2021 school year benefits: Benefits for the 2020-21 school year were originally scheduled to start being distributed at the end of July, and then at the end of August. This distribution date remains delayed. We don’t know when benefits will be made available, but it will likely be in September. We will continue to post updates on timing as we receive them from the State.
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.