Delaware SNAP benefits, issued through the state's Food Supplement Program, load onto an EBT card once a month and can be spent on groceries at any store, farmers market, or approved online retailer that accepts SNAP. For federal fiscal year 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, the maximum monthly amount ranges from $306 for one person to $1,841 for a household of eight, with $225 added for each additional person. Most households receive less than the maximum, because the amount is based on income and household size after deductions. About 120,000 Delaware residents take part in the program. This guide explains what the benefit actually covers, how the Division of Social Services calculates your monthly amount, how the Delaware EBT card works, and what you cannot buy with it.
If you have not checked whether you qualify yet, start with our Delaware SNAP eligibility and income limits guide. This page is about what happens after you are approved.
What Delaware SNAP Benefits Cover
SNAP dollars in Delaware buy almost any food meant to be prepared and eaten at home. The Division of Social Services (DSS), which runs the Food Supplement Program under the Department of Health and Social Services, lists eligible purchases as:
- Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables
- Meat, poultry, and fish
- Dairy products
- Breads, grains, and cereals
- Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages
- Vegetable and herb seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat
There is no separate list for Delaware. Federal rules set what SNAP buys, and Delaware applies the same list every state applies.
Online Grocery Orders
Delaware participates in SNAP online purchasing, so you can pay with your EBT card on the websites and apps of approved retailers. Retailers accepting SNAP online in Delaware include Amazon, Walmart, ALDI, Food Lion, ShopRite, and Giant. Your SNAP balance covers the eligible food in the cart only. Delivery fees, service fees, tips, and the tax on those fees have to be paid with a separate card or another payment method, because SNAP cannot pay for a service.
Farmers Markets and the Double Value Match
Many Delaware farmers markets accept EBT, and the Delaware Department of Agriculture runs a double value match at several of them. Spend SNAP dollars on Delaware grown fruit and vegetables and you get matching tokens back, generally up to $20 per visit, which doubles what your benefits buy in produce. Markets that have offered the match include Historic Lewes Farmers Market, Rehoboth Beach Farmers Market, Cool Spring Park in Wilmington, Legislative Mall in Dover, and the Milford Farmers Market. Match amounts and participating markets change from season to season, so confirm with the market manager or the Department of Agriculture's Buy Local farmers market guide before you shop.
SUN Bucks for Children in Summer
Delaware also runs SUN Bucks, the state's Summer EBT program, which is separate from monthly SNAP. Eligible school-age children get a one-time $120 grocery benefit for the summer, issued in roughly June and July. Children in households that get SNAP or TANF, and children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, are enrolled automatically in most cases. Families who are not enrolled automatically can apply through the ASSIST portal. The income cutoff is 185% of the federal poverty guidelines, and the state has estimated the benefit reaches close to 98,000 Delaware children.
What You Cannot Buy With a Delaware EBT Card
SNAP benefits in Delaware cannot be used for:
- Alcohol, beer, wine, or tobacco products
- Hot, prepared foods meant to be eaten right away, such as a hot rotisserie chicken or a deli sandwich sold hot
- Vitamins, supplements, and medicines, including over-the-counter drugs
- Pet food
- Paper goods, cleaning products, and household supplies
- Soap, shampoo, cosmetics, and other personal hygiene items
- Restaurant meals, in almost all circumstances
- Delivery charges, service fees, and other service costs
Delaware does not participate in the federal Restaurant Meals Program, the option that lets elderly, disabled, and homeless SNAP recipients in a handful of states use benefits at approved restaurants. State lawmakers have asked DHSS to look into joining, but as of October 2026 Delaware SNAP dollars can only be spent on groceries. Treat any claim that a Delaware restaurant takes EBT with skepticism unless DSS says otherwise.
Delaware SNAP Maximum Monthly Allotment, FY2027
The table below is the maximum a Delaware household can receive each month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. These figures come from USDA's annual cost-of-living adjustment and apply in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
| Household Size | Maximum Monthly Allotment |
|---|
| 1 | $306 |
| 2 | $562 |
| 3 | $808 |
| 4 | $1,023 |
| 5 | $1,217 |
| 6 | $1,463 |
| 7 | $1,616 |
| 8 | $1,841 |
| Each additional person | +$225 |
Most households get less than these amounts. A household of one or two people that qualifies for any benefit at all is guaranteed a minimum of $25 a month, even when the calculation comes out lower. That minimum does not exist for households of three or more: a larger household whose calculation leaves nothing simply gets no payment that month.
How DSS Calculates Your Monthly Amount
Delaware uses the federal formula. Your benefit is the maximum allotment for your household size, minus 30% of your net monthly income. Net income is what remains after these deductions come off your gross income:
- Standard deduction. Every household subtracts a flat amount set by household size: $217 a month for one to three people, $229 for four, $268 for five, and $308 for six or more.
- Earned income deduction. If anyone in the household works, 20% of gross wages or self-employment income comes off before anything else is counted.
- Dependent care deduction. What you pay for child care or care of another dependent so a household member can work, look for work, or attend school or training.
- Medical expense deduction. For a household with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability, out-of-pocket medical costs above $35 a month are deductible, with no upper limit.
- Excess shelter deduction. Rent or mortgage, property taxes, and utility costs above half of the household's income after the deductions above, capped at $769 a month. The cap does not apply to a household with an elderly or disabled member.
One change worth knowing: since July 4, 2025, internet service costs no longer count toward the shelter or utility deduction anywhere in the country. If an older guide told you to report your internet bill, that advice is out of date.
Delaware does not apply an asset or resource test to most Food Supplement Program households, because the state uses broad-based categorical eligibility with a gross income limit of 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Savings, a checking account balance, and most vehicles do not reduce your benefit. Households that receive TANF, General Assistance, or SSI do not have to meet a separate income test at all.
A Worked Example
Take a Delaware household of two with $1,800 in gross monthly wages and $1,100 in rent and utilities:
- Gross monthly income: $1,800
- Earned income deduction, 20%: minus $360
- Standard deduction for two people: minus $217
- Income after those deductions: $1,223
- Half of $1,223 is $611.50. Shelter costs of $1,100 exceed that by $488.50, which is under the $769 cap, so the full $488.50 is deducted
- Net monthly income: $1,223 minus $488.50, or $734.50
- 30% of net income: about $220
- Benefit: $562 maximum for two people, minus $220, or roughly $342 a month
Your own figures will differ, and DSS runs the real calculation when it processes your application. Treat this as an illustration, not a quote.
The Delaware EBT Card
Delaware issues Food Supplement Program benefits on an Electronic Benefits Transfer card that works like a debit card at the register. You swipe it and enter a four-digit PIN instead of signing. Benefits load automatically each month with no action from you, and you do not need to request a deposit. If you are newly approved, the card arrives in the mail, and your first deposit can be retroactive to the date you applied.
When Benefits Load
Delaware spreads deposits across the 2nd through the 23rd of each month, assigned by the first letter of the head of household's last name. A last name starting with A pays on the 2nd, B on the 3rd, and so on through X, Y, and Z on the 23rd. Your date stays the same every month while your case is open. For the full letter-by-letter table, see our Delaware EBT deposit schedule guide.
Balance Checks and Lost Cards
You can check your balance by logging in at ConnectEBT.com or using the ConnectEBT mobile app, by calling EBT customer service at 1-800-526-9099, or by reading the remaining balance printed at the bottom of your grocery receipt. Report a lost, stolen, or damaged card to the same 1-800-526-9099 line as soon as you notice, which protects the balance still on it and starts a replacement. For questions about your case rather than your card, call DSS at 1-866-843-7212, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 302-255-9040 for general information.
Getting Approved and Staying Approved
If you are not yet enrolled, you apply through the Division of Social Services.
- Apply online at the Delaware ASSIST portal, assist.dhss.delaware.gov, which also handles Medicaid, TANF, and energy assistance applications.
- Apply in person at a State Service Center if you would rather file on paper or need help filling out the form.
- Complete an eligibility interview with a DSS caseworker, by phone or in person, after you file.
- Send in verification of identity, Delaware residency, household income, and expenses such as rent, utilities, child care, and medical costs. Reporting those expenses is what creates the deductions above, so leaving them off can cost you benefits.
- Wait for the decision notice, which DSS mails within 30 days of your application date. If your household has very little income or cash on hand, you may qualify for expedited benefits within 7 days.
Once you are approved, two ongoing rules matter most. First, DSS assigns a certification period and sends a recertification notice before it ends; missing that deadline closes the case even if nothing about your household changed. Second, adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the household can usually get SNAP for only 3 months in a 3-year period unless they work or train at least 20 hours a week, which is the 80 hours a month DSS references, or qualify for an exemption. Receiving unemployment benefits, being pregnant, or having a disability are among the exemptions. This rule changed in July 2025, so a veteran, a person experiencing homelessness, or a former foster youth who was exempt before is not exempt now.
Immigration rules also changed in 2025. SNAP is limited to citizens and nationals, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Many green card holders must wait 5 years first, with exceptions including children under 18, 40 quarters of work history, blindness or disability, and a military connection. Refugees, asylees, and parolees without a green card no longer qualify. In a mixed-status Delaware household, the members who do qualify can still receive benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I buy with my Delaware EBT card?
Groceries meant to be prepared at home, including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread, cereal, snack foods, non-alcoholic drinks, and seeds and plants that grow food. You cannot buy alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared food, vitamins or medicine, pet food, cleaning supplies, personal care items, or restaurant meals.
What is the maximum SNAP benefit in Delaware?
For fiscal year 2027, October 2026 through September 2027, the maximum monthly allotment is $306 for one person, $562 for two, $808 for three, $1,023 for four, $1,217 for five, $1,463 for six, $1,616 for seven, and $1,841 for eight, plus $225 for each additional person. Most households receive less, because the benefit drops by 30 cents for every dollar of net income.
When does Delaware load SNAP benefits each month?
Between the 2nd and the 23rd, based on the first letter of the head of household's last name. Your date does not move from month to month while your case stays open.
Does Delaware let me use EBT at restaurants?
No. Delaware does not participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, so benefits cannot buy hot prepared food or restaurant meals. State lawmakers have directed DHSS to study joining, but the program is not available in Delaware as of October 2026.
Is there a minimum Delaware SNAP benefit?
Yes, for small households. A one or two person household that qualifies gets at least $25 a month in fiscal year 2027, even if the formula produces a smaller figure. Households of three or more have no minimum and can be approved with a $0 benefit in a month where their income is too high for the formula to pay anything.
Does Delaware count my savings or my car?
No. Delaware uses broad-based categorical eligibility and does not apply an asset test to most Food Supplement Program households, so bank balances and most vehicles do not affect your eligibility or your amount.
Can I use my Delaware EBT card for online grocery delivery?
Yes. Amazon, Walmart, ALDI, Food Lion, ShopRite, and Giant are among the retailers that accept SNAP online in Delaware. Your benefits pay for the eligible food only; delivery and service fees and tips need a separate payment method.
What is Delaware's SNAP program actually called?
The Food Supplement Program. It is the same federal SNAP program, administered by the Delaware Division of Social Services, and Delawareans also call it food stamps.
Do my unused Delaware SNAP benefits roll over?
Unused benefits generally stay on the card and carry into the next month rather than disappearing on your deposit date. Benefits can be removed after a long stretch of no activity on the account, so check your balance and use the card periodically rather than letting it sit untouched.
For more Delaware programs, including Delaware Medicaid, WIC, LIHEAP, and TANF, see our Delaware state benefits page.
