Households who qualify receive monthly food payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (NJ SNAP). Although SNAP is a federal program, the New Jersey Department of Human Services is in charge of managing it on a state level (DHS).
Based on the seventh digit of your SNAP case number, NJ SNAP benefits are deposited on the same schedule each month. The New Jersey DHS states that a number of factors, including household size, income, and resources, determine SNAP eligibility.
Through your county welfare agency or online, you can apply for NJ SNAP. To check your eligibility, to apply online, to apply in person, or by mail to your regional office, click here.
If you are approved, the DHS will mail you a Families First card, which is New Jersey’s equivalent to the EBT card.
The first five days of each month are when NJ SNAP funds are deposited, according to the seventh digit of your case number. In Warren County, all benefits are distributed on the first of each month, which is the lone exception. The NJ SNAP February 2023 deposit schedule is as follows:
Case number ends in: | Benefits available: |
1 or 2 | Feb. 1st |
3 or 4 | Feb. 2nd |
5 or 6 | Feb. 3rd |
7 or 8 | Feb. 4th |
9 or 0 | Feb. 5th |
Most grocery stores, certain retailers, and participating farmers’ markets accept the Families First EBT card. You can use your benefits online as well, but be careful to confirm that EBT cards are accepted as payment.
Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SNAP Retailer Locator to learn where you can use your NJ SNAP benefits. Visit this page for a list of stores that accept NJ SNAP benefits.
A monthly list of the names and locations of farmers’ markets across the US that are currently permitted to receive SNAP benefits is made available by the USDA’s Food Nutrition Service (FNS).
The New Jersey Department of Human Services says that you can use your NJ SNAP money to buy the following:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Beans, fish, poultry, meat
- Rice, bread, tortillas, cereal
- Milk and cheese
- Seeds and plants that produce food
There are other advantages to NJ SNAP. In addition to receiving free or inexpensive landline or cell phone service under the Federal Lifeline Program, New Jersey SNAP participants can sign up for a 50% off Amazon Prime EBT reduced subscription.
Don’t forget to bring your EBT card on your next visit to a museum, aquarium, or zoo to receive free or discounted admission.
Children may be eligible for free or reduced-cost breakfast, lunch, and snacks at school if they receive NJ SNAP benefits and have children. Look online for discounted or free services that are offered to NJ SNAP participants for more information.
The USDA imposes limitations on what you can buy, though. Alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, non-food goods, vitamins, and medications are not allowed to be purchased with NJ SNAP benefits. In New Jersey, using SNAP assistance to purchase hot or cooked food or meals is likewise illegal.
Continue Reading the Latest News:
- Suspect in the Murder of 8 Persons on a Nyc Bike Path Found Guilty on All Charges
- Washington State is Defeated by No. 6 Arizona 63-58 to Even the Series
- Emergency SNAP Extra Benefits Will End; NJ Assemblyman Pushing to Increase NJ’s Minimum SNAP Benefit