Food stamp money does not sit on an EBT card forever. Under federal SNAP rules, benefits that go unused for 274 days, about nine months, are permanently removed from the account, and the state cannot put them back. For people who use SNAP only now and then, or who let a balance build for a big shopping trip, that clock is worth knowing about.
The rule sits in 7 CFR 274.2 and traces to a final rule published in August 2020.
Who could lose benefits without noticing?
The question many households have is simple: could unused money on a card actually vanish? For anyone whose card has gone untouched for most of a year, the answer is yes. Anyone who spends something on the card every few months should not run into the rule in a state that counts inactivity, though a state using the issue-date method can still remove deposits that age out.
The households most exposed are those who receive a small deposit and spend it slowly, people who were in the hospital or away from home for months, and anyone who set a card aside after switching to another way to pay. A balance check does not help. Montana’s SNAP manual says balance inquiries do not count as a financial transaction, so only a purchase that changes the balance resets the count.
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How the 274-day clock works
The regulation calls the removal “expungement” and sets the limit at nine months, which it defines as 274 days. Each state picks one of two ways to apply it in its state plan. Either the state removes benefits from accounts that have been inactive for 274 days, or it removes each monthly deposit 274 days after it was issued, whatever else happens on the account.
Most states describe the first version in their notices. Under it, the count starts from the issue date or the last time the account was used, whichever is later. The federal text also says states “shall not expunge any benefits from active accounts” under that approach, even when older deposits are still there.
What notice do households get first?
States must warn households before anything is removed. The regulation requires a notice no later than 30 days before expungement is set to begin, with the date the benefits will be wiped and the steps that stop it. Montana’s manual says its notice goes out 30 days before any expungement.
The New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance explained in a 2022 directive that its notices are meant to push people to use their benefits before they are lost. Some households in the first round got several notices, because more than one month of benefits was close to the limit.
Why nine months, and can the money come back?
The shorter window came from the 2018 Farm Bill. Before that, states could wait 12 months. New York’s directive says USDA treats the new nine-month limit as 274 days and that the state moved to it in 2022.
The same directive is blunt about the outcome. Expungement is the permanent removal of SNAP benefits from a household’s EBT account, and once benefits are expunged they cannot be reissued. Montana’s manual adds that removal goes first in, first out, so the oldest deposit goes first and newer deposits stay on the card.
One exception comes without a warning. When every certified member of a household has died and the case is closed, the regulation has the state remove what is left and does not require the usual notice. Families settling a relative’s affairs should expect that balance to disappear.
Keeping a balance safe from the clock
Households that shop for groceries every month rarely have a problem, since each purchase keeps the account active. The trouble tends to come after a stretch when the card is set aside: a long illness, a move, a stay with family, or a season when other income covered food. A deposit that arrived at the start of that stretch can age out before anyone looks at the card again.
The fix is ordinary use, and it costs nothing. Buying groceries with the card, even a small purchase, keeps an account active, and a state that sees activity during expungement has to stop and start the aging process over. Households that rarely shop can set a phone reminder to make one purchase every few months, and a card that is lost or damaged is worth replacing promptly so the account does not sit idle.
The free starting point for program rules is the USDA Food and Nutrition Service SNAP page, and each state agency can say which version of the rule it uses. Because that choice and the notice dates differ by state, a call to the state EBT hotline is the quickest way to learn when a household’s oldest deposit would be at risk.
Is a SNAP balance sitting on an old card?
Nothing about the rule is dramatic, which is why it catches people. A deposit that goes 274 days without use is gone for good, a household cannot ask for it back, and a notice missed in the mail is all it takes.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer is built for that kind of quiet date risk. It includes 51 state packs and a renewal and reporting calendar, so a household can keep its card use, recertification and reporting dates in one place. Part 7 covers reporting changes and EBT problems, the section that matters most for a card that has gone unused.
Get the calendar and state pack that keep EBT balances and renewal dates on track →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- The New $6,000 Senior Deduction and 14 More Tax Moves for Retirees
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
