Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program: 2026 Benefit Levels

Summary

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the levels of monthly benefits in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) Program. These adjustments reflect changes in the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

Dates

These benefit levels are in effect Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2026.

Supplementary Information

Section 13A of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 USC 1762, established the value of Summer EBT benefits in 2024 at $40 per child for each month of the summer and requires the Secretary to annually adjust the Summer EBT benefit amounts beginning in calendar year 2025, to reflect changes in the cost of food as measured by the TFP rounded down to the nearest dollar increment.

USDA adjusted the Summer EBT benefit levels to reflect the differences between the costs of providing meals and supplements in the outlying areas (Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and the 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Indian Tribal Organizations administering the program within the contiguous states, as consistent with law and other nutrition assistance programs. The benefit levels for the outlying areas were established in 2024 and are also annually adjusted.

This notice provides the 2026 Summer EBT monthly and total summer benefit levels. The law requires the adjusted level to be rounded down to the nearest dollar amount. The total summer benefit level is the rounded down monthly level multiplied by three.

Calculation of Benefit Levels

Contiguous States and Indian Tribal Organizations: The adjustment is based on the monthly TFP cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on November 30th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit level from the previous year. The November 2024 to November 2025 percent change is .49 percent, which results in no change in monthly benefit levels for 2026. The benefits for 2026 remain at $40 (rounded down from $40.82) monthly and $120 total.

Alaska: The adjustments are based on the Alaska monthly TFP cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on November 30th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit levels from the previous year for the three Alaska geographic areas. The November 2024 to November 2025 percent change is 3.30 percent. This percentage change is applied to the Urban, Rural I, and Rural II benefit levels from the prior year and rounded down to the nearest dollar increment. The adjusted 2026 monthly benefit for Urban Alaska is $54 (rounded down from $54.24), for Rural 1 Alaska is $69 (rounded down from $69.17), and for Rural 2 Alaska is $84 (rounded down from $84.18). The 2026 total summer benefits for Urban Alaska increase to $162, for Rural I increase to $207, and for Rural II increase to $252.

Hawaii: The adjustment is based on the Hawaii monthly TFP cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on November 30th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit level from the previous year. The November 2024 to November 2025 percent change is 6.20 percent. The 2026 monthly benefit of $63 (rounded down from $63.41) and 2026 total summer benefits of $189 have increased from 2025.

U.S. Territories (Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands): Monthly TFP costs for Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not currently produced and Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands do not participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Therefore, the benefit amount is based on the percent difference between maximum SNAP allotment in the contiguous States and Guam. This results in annual changes that are the same as the contiguous States for a reference family of four, which is .49 percent in 2026. This results in a final Territorial adjustment factor of 1.47 for 2026. The 2026 monthly benefit increased by one dollar to $60 (rounded down from $60.16) and 2026 total summer benefits of $180 have increased from 2025.

The 2026 benefit levels are presented below, along with the 2025 benefit levels.