Summer EBT for Children Program - 2025 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, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025.

Background

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 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 and the District of Columbia, 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 2025 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 Thrifty Food Plan cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on Nov. 30^th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit level from the previous year. The November 2023 to November 2024 percent change is 1.55 percent, which results in a monthly benefit level of $40 (rounded down from $40.62). This adjustment results in no change in monthly benefit levels for 2025 as monthly benefits. The benefits for 2025 remain at $40 monthly and $120 total.

Alaska: The adjustments are based on the Alaska monthly Thrifty Food Plan cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on Nov. 30^th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit levels for the three Alaska geographic areas from the previous year. The November 2023 to November 2024 percent change is 1.56 percent. This percent 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 2025 monthly benefit for Urban Alaska is $52 (rounded down from $52.51 and for Rural 1 Alaska is $66; (rounded down from $66.96); these are unchanged from 2024 as are the total summer benefits ($156 and $198, respectively). The monthly benefit for Rural 2 Alaska increases slightly from $80 in 2024 to $81 (rounded down from $81.49) while total summer benefits increase to $243 in 2025 from $240 in 2024).

Hawaii: The adjustment is based on the Hawaii monthly Thrifty Food Plan cost for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on Nov. 30^th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit level from the previous year. The November 2023 to November 2024 percent change is 1.46 percent. The 2025 monthly benefit of $59 (rounded down from $59.71) and total summer benefits of $177 are unchanged from 2024.

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 SNAP. Therefore, the adjustments are based on the same increase in monthly Thrifty Food Plan cost for the contiguous states for a reference family of four. The change for the 12-month period ending on Nov. 30^th of the preceding calendar year is used to adjust the benefit level from the previous year. The November 2023 to November 2024 percent change is 1.55 percent. The monthly 2025 benefits of $59 (rounded down from $59.87) and $177 for total are unchanged from 2024.

The 2025 benefit levels are presented below, along with the 2024 benefits.