Westchester County Department of Social Services

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally-funded program which issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food. SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and others feed their families. Eligibility and benefit levels are based on household size, income and other factors. Electronic Benefits Cards can be used at a checkout counter the same way a debit card is used. There are many supermarkets throughout the county where recipients can use their benefit card.

Westchester County residents can apply online at the New York State My Benefits New York web site.

Applicants may also mail in an application.  Applications can be obtained by calling (914) 995-3333 or by download from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

Residents may also apply during regular business hours at any Westchester County Department of Social Services District Office.  

You can check to see if you might be eligible for SNAP via the New York State online pre-screening tool

If your income, based on your household size, is less than or equal to the amounts in the charts below, you may be eligible for SNAP benefits.

If your household's gross income is below these amounts, it does not ensure that you will be eligible for SNAP. A SNAP budget must be calculated for your household in order to determine eligibility and benefit amount.

The only way to determine if your household is eligible for SNAP benefits is to apply.

* Chart information is based upon SNAP Standards effective October 1, 2022.

* Chart information is based upon SNAP Standards effective October 1, 2022.

* Chart information is based upon SNAP Standards effective October 1, 2022.

For more help call DSS at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices. 

In most cases, once you submit your application, our office will process it and send you a notice telling you whether or not you are eligible for benefits within 30 days.

During the 30 days, you may need to complete an eligibility interview and give proof of the information you provided. 

To process your application, the following documentation is REQUIRED:

• Identity for all individuals in your SNAP household
• Address, if you have one
• Household composition
• Age of all individuals in your SNAP household
• Social security number of all individuals in your household
• Citizenship of all individuals in your household
• Earned income (ALL gross income for the 4 weeks prior to your application date) for all household members
• Unearned income of all individuals in your household
• Resources if over age 60

Documentation of the following is OPTIONAL but may increase your SNAP benefits:

• Rental/shelter expense
• Medical bills if over age 60/disabled
• Other expenses (such as dependent care expenses)

After filing an application, the Department of Social Services may contact you to schedule a required eligibility interview. 

Failure to submit required documents may result in the denial of your application.

If you are age 16 – 59 years old and able to work, you will probably need to meet the general work requirements to get SNAP benefits.

The general work requirements include:

• Registering for work
• Participating in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned
• Taking a suitable job if it is offered
• Not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing your work hours below 30 a week without a good reason.

If you are age 18–49, able to work, and don’t have any dependents, you may need to meet both the general work requirements and other specific work requirement for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) in order to get SNAP for more than 3 months in 3 years (the time limit).

For more information about these requirements, exceptions that may excuse you from having to meet these requirements, and what happens if you are receiving SNAP but stop meeting these requirements please visit the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service website.

For more help, and to see our Temporary Assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Employment plan please visit our Office of Employment Services on the web, or call DSS at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices. 

If you are 60 years old or older, or you have a disability, and you have no household earned income you may be eligible to participate in the SNAP Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP).

ESAP is intended to simplify the SNAP application, recertification and verification processes for eligible households, where all adult members are seniors and/or disabled.

Call DSS at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices to find out if you are eligible to use the simplified application. 

Any food for the household, such as:

• Fruits and vegetables;
• Meat, poultry, and fish;
• Dairy products;
• Breads and cereals;
• Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and
• Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.

Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy:

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
• Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
• Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
• Foods that are hot at the point of sale
• Any nonfood items such as:
  • Pet foods
  • Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.
  • Hygiene items, cosmetics

For more help call DSS at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices. 

Check Balance
You can check your EBT balance by visiting www.ebtEDGE.com or by downloading the ebtEDGE App available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

You can also check your balance by calling, toll free, (888) 328-6399. The hotline is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, and Russian, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

First Mobile App and Website Users and Prior ConnectEBT Users
If you were using the old ConnectEBT.com system to manage your EBT account, you will have to create a new registration with ebtEDGE following the steps below.

You must register your EBT Card account and select your User ID and password by using either the ebtEDGE app or at www.ebtEDGE.com for access. Registering on either one also registers you on the other. Have your EBT Card handy when registering.

If you already have your www.ebtEDGE.com User ID and password, you're ready to use the same ID and password for the ebtEDGE App.

For more information see the ebtEDGE Cardholder Portal and Mobile Application User Guide.

Lost, Stolen or Damaged EBT Card
If your EBT card is damaged, lost or stolen, you must contact EBT Customer Service to report the issue with your card and have it deactivated so that no one else can use it.

You can report the issue with your card online or by phone.

• Online: Visit the ebtEDGE website or use the ebtEDGE mobile app which can be downloaded for free on your mobile device through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
• By phone: Call the toll-free hotline at (888) 328-6399

EBT Card Freeze
Use the new freeze/unfreeze card feature to help you secure your EBT card and protect your benefits from scam-related theft through the ebtEDGE mobile app.

You can freeze your EBT card when it is not in use and then unfreeze the card to make a purchase. Freezing your card is easy. Follow these four simple steps:

1. Open www.ebtEDGE.com or download the ebtEDGE app on your mobile device (available on the: Google Play Store and Apple App Store).
2. Securely log in to your account.
3. Tap the new “Freeze/Unfreeze Card” icon on the home screen.
4. Select “Freeze My Card Everywhere” and click “OK.”

Your benefits can be stolen through scams like skimming and phishing.

Card skimming scams directly copy card and personal identification number (PIN) information from EBT cardholders using a device placed on top of a store's card reading machine. The stolen data is used to access your EBT account and spend your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cash benefits. Skimming can happen anywhere you swipe your EBT card, including automated teller machines. Find out how to protect yourself (in English and Spanish).

• Contact EBT Customer Service to report your card stolen and change your PIN—by calling 888-328-6399, by visiting connectebt.com, or through the Connect EBT mobile app.
• Contact the Westchester County Department of Social Services Office of Program Integrity to notify us that your benefits have been stolen.
  • E-mail:
  • Phone: (888) DSS-0009 or (888)-377-0009 or (914) 995-5643
• Contact local law enforcement to file a police report.

For more help call DSS at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices.

In partnership with Westchester County Department of Social Services, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester provides nutrition education to SNAP participants under the SNAP-Ed Program. The program enables participants with limited budgets to make healthier food choices. The ESNY classes meet in convenient places such as schools, senior centers and other community based locations.

Learning through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNP) is hands-on. Classes are taught in English and Spanish. Program participants prepare, cook and taste a variety of different foods and everyone who participates in a series of classes receives a certificate.

To learn more or enroll in a class, visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester EFNP website,  call (914) 285-4620 or see this flyer in English or Spanish.

Many who are struggling with food costs don't qualify for SNAP.  Westchester County partners and helps fund many local food pantries and other programs that may be of assistance if your family is hungry.

Feeding Westchester: We invite you to visit Feeding Westchester's searchable database of local food pantries throughout the County, and check their Mobile Food Pantry schedule to find a stop near you.

United Way 211: You may also find additional food resource by calling the United Way’s 211 hotline.  Just dial 211 or (914) 993-3700, or search the Hudson Valley 211 online database.