How Indiana DFR Calculates Your Benefit
DFR applies the federal formula every state uses:
Monthly benefit = maximum allotment for your household size − 30% of your net monthly income
Net income is gross income minus the deductions you qualify for, and the 30% is the share of its own income a household is expected to put toward food. The FY2027 deduction figures:
| Deduction | FY2027 Amount |
|---|
| Standard deduction, household of 1 to 3 | $217 |
| Standard deduction, household of 4 | $229 |
| Standard deduction, household of 5 | $268 |
| Standard deduction, household of 6 or more | $308 |
| Earned income deduction | 20% of gross earnings |
| Excess shelter deduction cap (no elderly or disabled member) | $769 |
| Medical expense deduction (elderly or disabled members only) | Costs above $35 a month |
| Dependent care deduction | Actual cost, no cap |
| Legally obligated child support paid | Actual amount |
The shelter deduction covers rent or mortgage plus utilities, but only the portion above half of your adjusted income, and it is capped at $769 for a household with no elderly or disabled member. A household with an elderly or disabled member has no cap at all, which is the biggest reason two Indiana households with identical income can end up with very different deposits.
One change catches people out: since July 4, 2025, internet costs no longer count toward the shelter or utility deduction anywhere in the country.
Worked example: a working parent with two children
A parent in Marion County earns $1,900 a month and pays $900 in rent and utilities. The 20% earned income deduction removes $380 and the standard deduction for a household of three removes $217, leaving adjusted income of $1,303. Half of that is $651.50, so excess shelter is $248.50, under the $769 cap. Net income lands near $1,054, and 30% of that is about $316. The maximum for three people is $808, so the benefit comes to roughly $492 a month.
Worked example: a senior living alone
An Indiana senior receives $1,100 a month in Social Security, pays $650 in rent and utilities, and spends $85 a month on prescriptions. Social Security is unearned income, so there is no 20% deduction. The standard deduction of $217 leaves $883, and medical costs above the $35 threshold add a $50 deduction, bringing adjusted income to $833. Excess shelter is $233.50, deducted in full with no cap because the household includes an elderly member. Net income is about $599, and 30% of that is about $180. Against a $306 maximum, the benefit comes to roughly $126 a month.
Both examples show the shape of the calculation, not a determination. DFR runs the math on your verified figures, and your notice of eligibility is the only authoritative number.
What the Indiana Hoosier Works Card Covers
Your benefit loads onto a Hoosier Works card that works like a debit card at any USDA-authorized retailer: supermarkets, Walmart, Meijer, Kroger and its Indiana banners (Pay Less, Jay C, Ruler Foods), Aldi, Save A Lot, many convenience stores with a grocery section, and a growing list of farmers markets.
SNAP covers:
- Fruits and vegetables, fresh, frozen, canned or dried
- Meat, poultry and fish
- Dairy products
- Breads, cereals, rice, pasta and flour
- Baked goods such as cookies, muffins and cakes
- Potato chips, pretzels and most salty snacks
- Ice cream and other refrigerated or frozen desserts
- Seeds and plants that grow food for your household
SNAP does not cover, anywhere in the country:
- Alcohol and tobacco, including vaping products
- Vitamins, supplements and over-the-counter medicine
- Hot foods sold ready to eat
- Pet food
- Paper goods, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, diapers and cosmetics
- Restaurant meals
Indiana does not participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, the federal option that lets elderly, disabled or unhoused recipients buy prepared meals at approved restaurants. In Indiana, SNAP buys groceries to cook at home regardless of age, disability or housing. A rotisserie chicken sold hot at the deli counter is not covered; the same chicken sold cold is.
Smart SNAP: Indiana's Candy and Sweetened Drink Restriction
This is the rule that makes Indiana different. Governor Braun signed Executive Order 25-55 in April 2025, USDA approved the state's food restriction waiver on May 22, 2025, and the restriction took effect January 1, 2026. Indiana SNAP can no longer buy candy or sweetened drinks.
| Category | Not SNAP-eligible in Indiana | Still SNAP-eligible |
|---|
| Drinks | Regular and diet soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened bottled tea, sweetened bottled coffee with no dairy | Unsweetened tea and coffee, 100% fruit juice with no added sweetener, milk, soy, rice and similar milk substitutes, bottled water |
| Candy | Candy bars, drops and pieces, chocolate-covered nuts, fruit or pretzels, marshmallows, mints, gum, pre-popped caramel and kettle corn | Baked goods including cookies, muffins and cakes, ice cream and frozen desserts, anything that requires refrigeration |
Two details save arguments at the register. The drink restriction follows Indiana's sales tax definition of a soft drink, so a beverage containing milk or a milk substitute, or one sweetened only by fruit or vegetable juice, is not restricted. The candy restriction is broader than the sales tax definition: it does not exempt items containing flour. Several widely shared articles got that backwards and told Hoosiers flour-based candy bars were still covered.
FSSA issued shelf labels for retailers and gave stores a 90-day grace period to reprogram registers, with compliance attestations due April 1, 2026. That window has closed, so expect the restriction at checkout. A declined item can still be bought with cash or another card.
Using an Indiana EBT Card Online
Hoosier Works cards work for online grocery orders and no application is needed, since Indiana SNAP recipients are enrolled automatically. Participating retailers include Walmart, Amazon, Aldi, Kroger and its Indiana banners, Meijer, Target, Sam's Club Scan and Go, Costco, Save A Lot, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Walgreens, The Fresh Market, Martin's Super Market and Strack and Van Til. The list changes, so check the current USDA online retailer list for Indiana before you build a cart.
Checkout splits the order automatically. SNAP-eligible food goes on the Hoosier Works card and everything else goes on a separate debit or credit card you add at checkout. That second card is not optional for delivery, because SNAP never pays delivery fees, service fees, tips or sales tax on those fees. Store pickup at Walmart and Meijer is usually the cheapest way to use EBT online.
Double Up Indiana: the Produce Match
Double Up Indiana, coordinated through the Indiana Department of Health with the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and local partners, is the most direct way to make a fixed allotment buy more food. Spend SNAP on fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating location and the program matches you dollar for dollar, up to $20 per visit.
At farmers markets you swipe at the information booth and receive tokens or vouchers plus an equal amount in Double Up currency good for produce. At grocery stores the match usually arrives as an immediate discount on produce, a coupon for your next trip, or a credit on a Double Up loyalty card. More than 50 locations participate statewide, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana. Locations change year to year, so confirm before you drive.
Unused Benefits Are Removed After About 274 Days
Indiana expunges stale SNAP benefits. Beginning November 23, 2026, benefits at least 274 days old, roughly nine months, are removed from the account whether or not the card has been used. Expunged benefits cannot be restored.
The clock runs on each month's issuance, not on card activity, so spending something does not protect older money on the card. If a balance has been building, draw it down oldest-first.
Lost Cards, Stolen Cards, and Stolen Benefits
Call Hoosier Works customer service at 1-877-768-5098, 24 hours a day, to report a lost, stolen or damaged card, check your balance, or set a new PIN. You do not need the old PIN to create a new one. Replacement cards are mailed within 24 hours. You get one free replacement per year, and additional ones carry a $1.00 fee. Balances and transaction history are also at connectebt.com, or ask for a balance inquiry at the PIN pad in most stores.
Benefits stolen electronically are a harder problem, and the honest answer is not the one most older articles give. Federal authority for states to replace SNAP benefits stolen by card skimming or cloning expired December 20, 2024, and Congress has not renewed it. Thefts on or after December 21, 2024 are not covered by that process. Report any transaction you did not make to 1-877-768-5098 immediately and change your PIN, because limiting further loss is the part still in your control. Two habits cut skimming risk: change the PIN shortly before your deposit date each month, and watch transactions on connectebt.com rather than waiting for a declined purchase.
Replacing Food Destroyed in a Household Misfortune
This is a different process from stolen benefits, and it still works. Indiana replaces food bought with SNAP that is destroyed in a household misfortune, meaning something outside your control such as an extended power outage, a fire or flooding. An appliance that simply failed, or food left out by mistake, does not qualify.
Report the loss to your local DFR office within 10 days and sign the Affidavit for Replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits, State Form 40988. The replacement covers the amount lost, up to one month's allotment. After a widespread storm the state sometimes asks USDA to waive the 10-day deadline, but never assume a waiver is in place.
Indiana Does Not Offer Summer EBT
Many states load extra grocery money for school-age children each summer through Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks. Indiana does not. The state participated in 2024, when the program reached more than 650,000 Indiana children at $120 per child, then opted out for 2025, 2026 and 2027, citing administrative cost.
The alternative is the Summer Food Service Program, which serves free meals on site at schools, libraries, parks and community centers while school is out. Sites are listed through Indiana's Department of Education each spring.
Why Your Amount Changes, and When
Your allotment is not recalculated monthly. Most Indiana households are certified for 6 to 12 months, and the amount set at approval or recertification holds unless something reportable changes. Three things move it:
- A change you report mid-period. A raise, a new job, a member moving in or out, or a rent increase can change the benefit the month after DFR acts on it. Indiana requires most households to report when gross monthly income rises above the limit for their size.
- Recertification. DFR recalculates from scratch on current income and expenses.
- The October 1 cost-of-living adjustment. The allotment table, standard deductions and shelter cap all change each October 1, which is why the figures above are labeled FY2027.
Separately, adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the household can usually receive SNAP for only three months in any three-year period unless they work or train 20 hours a week, receive unemployment benefits, or meet another exemption. Pregnant women remain exempt. As of October 1, 2026 Indiana has no waiver of that time limit. It affects how long you can receive benefits, not the size of the deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum SNAP benefit in Indiana for a family of 4?
For FY2027, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, the maximum monthly allotment for a household of four is $1,023. Most households receive less, because the benefit is reduced by 30% of net income after deductions.
What is the minimum SNAP benefit in Indiana?
$25 a month, and only for eligible households of one or two people. A household of three or more that computes to zero receives nothing that month.
Can I buy soda or candy with an Indiana EBT card?
No. Since January 1, 2026, Indiana's Smart SNAP waiver excludes candy and sweetened drinks statewide: regular and diet soda, energy and sports drinks, sweetened bottled tea and coffee without dairy, candy bars, chocolate-covered items, marshmallows, mints and gum. Unsweetened tea and coffee, 100% juice, milk and milk substitutes, baked goods, chips and ice cream are still covered.
Can I buy hot food or restaurant meals with an Indiana EBT card?
No. Indiana does not participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, so SNAP cannot be used for hot prepared food or at restaurants, even for elderly, disabled or unhoused recipients. Cold and refrigerated grocery items are covered.
Which stores let me use Indiana EBT online?
Walmart, Amazon, Aldi, Kroger and its Indiana banners, Meijer, Target, Costco, Save A Lot, Dollar General and Walgreens accept Hoosier Works cards online. SNAP pays for eligible food only; fees and tips need a separate card.
What number do I call if my Hoosier Works card is lost or stolen?
Call 1-877-768-5098, available 24 hours a day. Replacement cards are mailed within 24 hours. One replacement a year is free and additional ones cost $1.00. The same number handles balance checks and PIN changes.
Do unused Indiana SNAP benefits expire?
Yes. Beginning November 23, 2026, benefits at least 274 days old, about nine months, are removed from the EBT account whether or not the card has been used, and expunged benefits cannot be replaced.
Will Indiana replace SNAP benefits stolen from my card?
Federal authority for states to replace benefits stolen through skimming or cloning expired on December 20, 2024 and has not been renewed, so thefts on or after December 21, 2024 are not covered by that process. Report unauthorized transactions to 1-877-768-5098 immediately and change your PIN to limit further loss.
Can I get SNAP benefits back if my food spoiled during a power outage?
Yes, and this process is still active. Indiana replaces food destroyed in a household misfortune, including an extended outage, up to one month's allotment. Report it to your local DFR office within 10 days and sign State Form 40988. Indiana does not offer Summer EBT, so there is no SUN Bucks deposit to replace.
