Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule for 2023 - Pennsylvania Food Stamps (2024)

If you are a Pennsylvania ACCESS EBT cardholder, it can be confusing to find out when you will be receiving your monthly SNAP or Cash Assistance payments. In this post, we will provide you with the Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule for 2023 so know exactly when you will receive your monthly benefits deposit.

If you are looking for the payment schedule for extra food stamps under Emergency Allotment, see our Pennsylvania Monthly Extra Food Stamps Schedule for 2023.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS)is responsible for administering the EBT card program.

You can use your PA EBT card to access your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), cash benefits, and medical assistance.

In this post, we will cover the following topics:

• Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule
• Pennsylvania EBT Cash Benefit Schedule
• What to do if you did not receive your EBT Benefits
• How to Check Pennsylvania EBT Card Balance
• What to do if you did not receive your EBT Benefits
• Pennsylvania EBT Customer Service
• Pennsylvania EBT Card FAQs

To find out when you will receive your monthly Pennsylvania EBT benefits payment, keep reading below.

Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule for 2023

In the state of Pennsylvania, the DHS distributes SNAP (Food Stamps) and TANF (Cash Assistance) benefits to those who qualify.

In addition, there is no single date on which all EBT benefits are issued.

Instead, Food Stamps Benefits are deposited on EBT Cards over the first 10 business days of every month.

Additionally, Cash Assistance Benefits are deposited between the 11th and 20th business day of the month.

When your food stamps benefit or cash assistance benefit is deposited on your EBT Card depends on the last digit of your case number.

Both cash and SNAP benefits are posted to EBT accounts between midnight and 6 a.m. each day.

After 6 a.m. no additional benefits are added to EBT accounts.

If you are expecting a benefit that is not posted to your account as of 6 a.m. call the PA EBT hotline (1-888-328-7366) back the next day.

Here is the schedule of payment based on the last digit of your case number:

Pennsylvania SNAP Benefits Deposit Schedule

For cash benefits, see the deposit dates below based on the last digit of your case number.

Pennsylvania Cash Benefits Deposit Schedule

Once your benefits are deposited into your account, you can begin using them with your SNAP EBT card to purchase eligible food items.

If you need help finding your Pennsylvania Case Number, please contact your local DHS office.

To find a DHS County Assistance Office near you, click here.

What to do if you did not receive your EBT Benefits

If you did not receive your EBT benefits for the month, it could be due to several reasons, including:

• You did not complete the process to renew your benefits
• Your certification period has expired and the DHS did not receive your renewal paperwork
• You no longer meet the eligibility requirements
• Failure to comply with employment requirements
• Missed an appointment with the DHS
• Did not respond to a letter from the DHS asking for information
• You committed food stamps fraud

For further information regarding the status of your benefits, please contact your local DHS office.

You can locate the address and telephone number for your County Assistance Office, click here.

You can Appeal the Decision to Cutoff your Benefits

When a decision is made by the Pennsylvania DHS to deny, suspend, reduce, or terminate your benefits, you will receive a notice about this decision.

You have a right to appeal.

Here’s how the appeal process works:

You or someone acting on your behalf must fill out and sign the form on the back of the
notice you received.

If you need help filling out the form, contact your service coordinator, County Assistance Office, or enrolling agency for assistance.

The notice that is sent to you will have directions on where to send your appeal request.

Additionally, you can also write or phone your service coordinator, County Assistance Office, or an
enrolling agency to make an appeal request if assistance is needed.

The agency will then send you the appeal request form for your signature.

You have 30 days from the date of the notice to send your request for an appeal.

Pennsylvania EBT Card Balance Check

Here are the four (4) ways you can check the balance on your Pennsylvania ACCESS EBT Card.

Option 1 – Check your Last Receipt

The first option for checking your Pennsylvania EBT Card balance is to check your last receipt.

This is the easiest and quickest way to locate the current balance on your Pennsylvania EBT Card.

Once you locate your last receipt, the card balance will be listed at the bottom of your grocery store receipt or the ATM receipt if you also get cash benefits.

You should get in the habit of keeping your most current EBT receipt, that way, you always have a quick way to check your balance before you shop.

Option 2 – Login to PA Connect EBT Card Account

The second option for checking your Pennsylvania EBT Card balance is online through theConnectEBT website.

To log in,click here, then enter your Ussr ID and Password as shown below.

Once logged in, you’ll be able to view your current balance and transaction history.

If you do not have a ConectEBT account, you can create one by clicking on the “Create User Account”, as shown below.

Additionally, you can follow our step-by-step process here to create a PA Connect EBT online account.

Option 3 – Check PA ACCESS EBT Balance by Phone

Also, you can check your PA ACCESS EBT Card balance is by phone.

Call the EBT Customer Service number (1-877-395-8930) on the back of your card.

The Customer Service Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

After you call, enter your sixteen (16) digit EBT card number and you will hear your current SNAP or cash account balance(s).

Option 4 – Check at an ATM or POS machine

Here is another option to check your PA ACCESS SNAP EBT balance or Cash Benefits EBT card balance:

First, you can check your cash account balance at an ATM or POS machine.

Additionally, you can check your SNAP account balance at a POS machine (cashier) at a store before making a purchase.

It is important that you always know your EBT card account balance before you shop.

Pennsylvania EBT Card Customer Service

Here’s the number to call if you are trying to reach Pennsylvania EBT Customer Service:

1-888-328-7366

You can call 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week

You can call the Pennsylvania EBT Phone Number if:

• Your card is lost or stolen.
• Your card does not work.
• You want to change your PIN because you forgot it or if
  someone else knows your PIN.
• You want to find out how much you have left in your account.
• You have been charged for a purchase but you didn’t get the food or
  if you were charged too much for what you bought.
• You have other questions or problems.

If you need further assistance with your SNAP benefits, please contact your local DHS office.

To find a DHS County Assistance Office near you, click here.

Pennsylvania EBT Card FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked questions about the Pennsylvania EBT Card.

What Fast Food Places Take Pennsylvania EBT/Food Stamps/SNAP?

The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is afederal program that enablesqualified elderly, disabled, and homeless food stamps recipients to buy food at authorized restaurants. Any state or county can enroll in the Restaurant Meals Program.

The purpose of the program is to help expand food access to those who do not have a place to store and cook food, who may not be able to prepare food or who don’t have access to a grocery store.

Not all statesparticipate in the RMP.

Currently, the Restaurant Meal Program is running in the following states:

• California
• Arizona
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Michigan
• New York
• Rhode Island

In the state of Pennsylvania, some restaurants accept Food Stamp benefits from some homeless, elderly, or disabled people in exchange for low-cost meals.

Contact your County Assistance Office for a list of these restaurants.

What can I buy with PA SNAP Benefits?

You can use Food Stamps to buy any food or food product that is made for humans.

Also, you can also buy seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food.

However, you CANNOT use Food Stamp benefits to buy:

• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
• Lunch counter items or foods to be eaten in the store
• Vitamins or medicines
• Pet foods
• Any non-food items (except seeds and plants)

What are P-EBT Benefits?

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), helps families cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at reduced price through the National School Lunch Program.

The goal was to help with the disruption of the free or reduced-price meal program created by COVID-19 related school closures.

The P-EBT program was re-authorized last year to cover the entire 2020-21 school year and summer 2021.

Additionally, the DHS is in the process of getting approval from the USDA FNS for P-EBT benefits for the 2021-22 school year.

The video below, by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, provides a great summary of what the P-EBT program is about.

See the Pennsylvania P-EBT Update here.

Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule Summary

Here’s the bottom line:

For both SNAP EBT and TANF EBT:

When your benefit is deposited on your EBT Card depends on the last digit of your case number.

If you did not receive your EBT benefits for the month, it could be due to several reasons.

The best course of action is to contact your local County Assistance office for more information about why you did not get your benefits.

Questions?

We hope this post on the Pennsylvania EBT Deposit Schedule for 2023 was helpful.

If you need additional help regarding Pennsylvania SNAP or EBT, please let us know in the comments section below.

If you found this article helpful, we encourage you to please share it with someone using the “Share this” button below.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our other articles on Pennsylvania SNAP and EBT:
Pennsylvania SNAP Benefits FAQs
PA Food Stamps Income Limit for 2023
Pennsylvania Food Stamps Calculator
How to Create COMPASS Online Account
My COMPASS Account Login
How to get a Replacement EBT Card
PA EBT Card Discounts for 2023