How DSHS calculates your monthly amount
The calculation has three stages: count income, apply deductions, then subtract 30% of what is left from the maximum allotment.
Deductions that lower countable income
| 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 costs above half of adjusted income | up to $769 |
| Medical costs for an elderly or disabled member | amount above $35 a month |
| Dependent care needed for work, school, or training | actual cost |
The $769 shelter cap does not apply to a household that includes a member who is age 60 or older or who has a disability. Those households can deduct their full excess shelter cost with no ceiling, which is often the single largest factor in a senior's benefit amount.
One deduction disappeared in 2025. Internet service costs stopped counting toward the shelter and utility deduction on July 4, 2025, so a household that previously listed internet in its shelter costs now sees a slightly smaller deduction and a slightly smaller benefit.
Two worked Washington examples
Single adult in Spokane, $1,600 a month from work, $900 rent. Gross income is under Washington's $2,660 limit for one person. The 20% earned income deduction removes $320, leaving $1,280. The $217 standard deduction leaves $1,063. Half of that is $531.50, so the excess shelter deduction is $900 minus $531.50, or $368.50, which is under the cap. Net income is $694.50. Thirty percent of that, rounded up, is $209. The benefit is $306 minus $209, or about $97 a month.
Family of four in Yakima, $3,200 a month from work, $1,500 rent. Gross income is under the $5,500 limit for four. The earned income deduction removes $640, leaving $2,560. The $229 standard deduction leaves $2,331. Half of that is $1,165.50, so the excess shelter deduction is $334.50. Net income is $1,996.50, and 30% of that rounded up is $599. The benefit is $1,023 minus $599, or about $424 a month.
Both examples are illustrations, not guarantees. DSHS may also apply a standard utility allowance, count other household members' income, or verify shelter costs differently, and any of those will move the number.
Washington income limits that apply after approval
Washington uses broad-based categorical eligibility, which DSHS calls Categorical Eligibility. Its EA-Z Manual states that it "eliminates resource requirements, the gross income test, and net income test for AUs with countable income up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines." In practice that means two things for an approved household: there is no asset test to fail at renewal, and your income can rise substantially before you lose eligibility.
| Household size | Washington gross monthly limit (200% FPL) |
|---|
| 1 | $2,660 |
| 2 | $3,607 |
| 3 | $4,553 |
| 4 | $5,500 |
| 5 | $6,447 |
| 6 | $7,393 |
| 7 | $8,340 |
| 8 | $9,287 |
| Each additional person | add $947 |
These standards run April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Because the federal gross standard is 130% and Washington's is 200%, a household that would be cut off in a non-BBCE state can stay on Basic Food in Washington. Net income still matters, because it drives the benefit amount, but it is not a second cutoff for a household that cleared the gross test.
What the Washington Quest card covers
The Quest card works like a debit card at any retailer displaying the Quest logo. You create your own four digit PIN, and DSHS warns against sharing it or writing it on the card.
Covered:
- Fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread, and cereal
- Snack foods and non alcoholic beverages
- Seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat
- Cold deli items, including refrigerated rotisserie chicken sold cold
- Groceries at farmers markets and farm stands that accept EBT
- Online grocery orders from approved retailers
Not covered:
- Hot foods and foods sold hot and ready to eat
- Restaurant meals, hot deli counters, and food trucks
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, and tobacco
- Vitamins, supplements, and medicines
- Pet food, paper goods, cleaning products, and other household supplies
- Delivery fees, service fees, tips, and bag fees on online orders
Washington does not run the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program, the optional state program that lets elderly, disabled, and unhoused recipients buy prepared restaurant meals with EBT. Only a handful of states operate one, and Washington is not among them, so the hot food restriction applies to every Basic Food household in the state with no exception for age or disability.
Online grocery purchasing
Washington households can spend Basic Food benefits online at USDA approved retailers, which include Amazon, Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons, QFC, and Costco among others. The rules are the same as in a store: eligible food items only, and SNAP cannot pay the delivery fee, the service fee, or a tip. You will need a second payment method on file for those charges. The current approved retailer list is published by USDA and changes as new stores are added.
When benefits arrive
Washington spreads deposits across the 1st through the 20th of each month, with each household's date assigned individually and printed on the approval letter. DSHS makes benefits available by 6 a.m. Pacific on your scheduled day. For the full breakdown, see the Washington EBT deposit schedule.
Washington's two produce match programs
Washington is unusually generous here, and the two programs are separate. Both are run by the state Department of Health.
SNAP Market Match operates at more than 100 farmers markets and farm stands. You go to the market information booth, swipe your EBT card for the amount you want to spend, and receive that amount in EBT tokens plus the same amount again in Market Match dollars. Starting January 1, 2026, the match is $10 or more per day, with the exact cap set by each market. Match dollars buy fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, mushrooms, fresh herbs, and food producing seeds and plants. They do not buy dried or canned produce, nuts, eggs, baked goods, seafood, meat, or dairy.
SNAP Produce Match operates at participating grocery and retail stores. Spend at least $10 of your SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables and you earn a $10 coupon toward your next produce purchase. You can earn one coupon per transaction, there is no monthly cap, and qualifying items include fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables with no added salt, sugar, or fat, plus fresh herbs. In store coupons expire one month from the print date, online coupons after 90 days. The program works on Amazon Fresh and Safeway.com orders as well as in person.
To find a participating market or store, check the Department of Health's fruit and vegetable incentive pages at doh.wa.gov.
Lost card, stolen benefits, and spoiled food
These three situations have different answers, and conflating them costs people money.
A lost, stolen, or damaged card should be reported to EBT Customer Service at 1-888-328-9271 immediately. The card is deactivated and a replacement is mailed.
Benefits already spent off a lost or stolen card are not replaced. DSHS states plainly that if the card is lost or stolen and the benefits are used, those benefits cannot be replaced. The federal authority that allowed states to replace electronically stolen SNAP benefits expired, so there is no skimming replacement available now. Calling the moment you notice the card is gone is the only protection.
Food destroyed in a household disaster is replaceable. If food you bought with Basic Food benefits is lost to a fire, a flood, or an extended power outage, including a Public Safety Power Shutoff, report it to DSHS at 1-877-501-2233 within 10 days of the loss. If the 10th day falls on a weekend or holiday, the next working day counts as timely. DSHS verifies the loss through a collateral contact such as the fire department, the utility, the Red Cross, or a home visit, and replaces the value of the destroyed food up to one month's allotment. No federal disaster declaration is needed.
Unused benefits expire. Basic Food benefits roll over month to month, but if there is no debit from the food account for 274 days the balance is expunged, and expunged food benefits cannot be restored. Food and cash accounts age separately, so using one does not reset the clock on the other. A small purchase every few months keeps the account active.
SUN Bucks for the summer
Washington participates in Summer EBT, branded SUN Bucks and administered by DSHS with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. It pays a one time $120 per eligible child each year, loaded onto a separate SUN Bucks card starting in early June. As many as 577,000 Washington children are expected to receive it.
Most children are enrolled automatically. A child qualifies automatically if the household receives SNAP or TANF and the child is age 8 to 18, or if the child attends a school in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program and is individually approved for free or reduced price meals. Children who do not fall into an automatic category, including younger children in households that do not get SNAP or TANF, may need to submit an application through DSHS. SUN Bucks buys the same groceries as Basic Food and does not reduce your monthly allotment.
The three month work rule now applies statewide
Adults age 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the household, sometimes called ABAWDs, can generally receive Basic Food for only three months in a 36 month period unless they work or train at least 80 hours a month, receive unemployment benefits, or meet an exemption. This federal rule took effect July 4, 2025, and it removed the old exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth.
Washington previously had geographic waivers that suspended the time limit in parts of the state. Those ended. DSHS states that as of February 1, 2026 no areas in Washington are waived, so nonexempt adults in every county are now subject to the three month limit. The current 36 month clock began January 1, 2024 and runs through December 31, 2026, with a new period starting January 1, 2027.
Exemptions DSHS lists include having a child under 14 in your assistance unit, being pregnant, being age 65 or older, receiving Paid Family and Medical Leave, being an American Indian or Alaska Native or a first or second degree descendant of a tribal member, having a work registration exemption, and being unable to work 80 hours a month. If you think you are exempt, say so and ask DSHS to document it in your case file. The exemption is not automatic if the agency does not know about it.
Immigration rules and Washington's state funded backup
Federal SNAP eligibility narrowed on July 4, 2025. Basic Food is now limited to citizens and nationals, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Refugees, asylees, and parolees who do not hold a green card no longer qualify for federal benefits. Many green card holders must wait five years first, with exceptions including children under 18, 40 quarters of work history, blindness or disability, and a military connection. In a mixed status family, the members who do qualify can still receive benefits.
Washington is one of the states that funds a backup. The state Food Assistance Program (FAP) provides food benefits to legal immigrants who are ineligible for federal Basic Food solely because of immigration status, and DSHS sets FAP at 100% of the federal SNAP benefit level, a level in place since July 1, 2015. DSHS has projected that roughly 30,000 Washington residents losing federal SNAP under the 2025 law would move to FAP. You apply for FAP through the same Basic Food application, and you must meet every other Basic Food rule, including the work requirements.
Keeping benefits after approval
- Report changes. Report income over the limit, a household member moving in or out, and address changes. Most Basic Food households are on simplified reporting and must report when gross income exceeds the 200% standard for their size.
- Complete your mid certification review if DSHS sends one. Missing it closes the case.
- Recertify before your certification period ends. Most households are certified for 12 months, and many with elderly or disabled members for 24. The date is on your approval letter.
- Keep your address current. A returned Quest card or a returned review form is one of the most common reasons benefits stop.
Manage all of this through washingtonconnection.org or by calling the DSHS Customer Service Contact Center at 1-877-501-2233. For other Washington programs, see our Washington benefits page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a single person get in Basic Food in Washington?
The maximum is $306 a month for FY2027. Most single adults with income receive less, because DSHS subtracts 30% of countable net income from the maximum. An eligible one person household never receives less than the $25 minimum benefit.
Can I buy hot food or restaurant meals with my Washington Quest card?
No. Washington does not operate the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program, so hot and prepared foods are not eligible for any Basic Food household, including seniors, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness. Cold deli items and groceries you cook at home are covered.
Will DSHS replace benefits stolen from my EBT card?
No. DSHS states that if your card is lost or stolen and the benefits are used, those benefits cannot be replaced. Report a missing card to 1-888-328-9271 immediately so it can be deactivated. Food that spoiled in a fire, flood, or extended power outage is a different situation and can be replaced if you report it within 10 days.
Does Washington have an asset limit for Basic Food?
Not for most households. Washington's Categorical Eligibility rule eliminates resource requirements for assistance units with countable income up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, so bank balances and vehicle values are not tested.
How does SNAP Market Match work at Washington farmers markets?
Go to the market information booth, swipe your EBT card for the amount you want to spend, and you receive that amount in EBT tokens plus the same amount again in Market Match dollars. The match is $10 or more per day starting January 1, 2026, set by each market, and it buys fresh fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, and food producing plants.
Do my unused Basic Food benefits expire?
Benefits roll over month to month, but a food account with no debit for 274 days is expunged, and expunged food benefits cannot be restored. Make a purchase at least every few months to keep the account active.
Am I subject to the three month time limit in Washington?
If you are 18 to 64, have no child under 14 in your household, and do not meet an exemption, yes. As of February 1, 2026 no areas of Washington are waived, so the limit applies in every county. Working or training 80 hours a month, receiving unemployment benefits, being pregnant, or having a documented inability to work 80 hours a month all keep you eligible.
Can my child get SUN Bucks and Basic Food at the same time?
Yes. SUN Bucks is a separate one time $120 per child summer benefit on its own card and does not reduce your monthly Basic Food allotment. Children in SNAP households age 8 to 18 are generally enrolled automatically.
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, SNAP FY2027 cost of living adjustments: maximum allotments, deductions, minimum allotments, and income eligibility standards, effective October 1, 2026
- Washington DSHS, Categorical Eligibility for Basic Food, EA-Z Manual, income standards effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027
- Washington DSHS, ABAWDs: Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents ("As of February 1, 2026, no areas in Washington are waived")
- Washington DSHS, EBT and EFT Make Getting Benefits Easier (Washington Quest card, 1-888-328-9271, benefits used off a lost card cannot be replaced)
- Washington DSHS, Benefit Issuances and Use of Benefits: Replacement (10 day reporting for household disaster) and expungement after 274 days
- Washington DSHS, Food Assistance Program for Legal Immigrants (FAP) program summary, revised April 20, 2026
- Washington State Department of Health, SNAP Market Match and SNAP Produce Match program pages and FAQ
- Washington DSHS and OSPI, SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) 2026 announcements
- P.L. 119-21 sections 10102, 10104, and 10108 (work rule, internet costs, immigrant eligibility, effective July 4, 2025)
