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Pennsylvania EBT card: balance, replacements and where to use it
Pennsylvania SNAP benefits are loaded onto the Pennsylvania ACCESS Card. These are the official ways to check your balance, fix a card problem and apply, with the source for each answer.
Phone numbers
- EBT Recipient Hotline (balance, lost or stolen card, card problems), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 1-888-EBT-PENN (1-888-328-7366)
- Statewide Customer Service Center (SNAP case questions): 1-877-395-8930
- Customer Service Center, Philadelphia: 215-560-7226
- COMPASS technical help line: 1-800-692-7462
- DHS fraud tip line: 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477)
Pennsylvania DHS: SNAP · Pennsylvania DHS: EBT
On this page
- What is the Pennsylvania EBT card?
- How do I check my Pennsylvania EBT balance?
- What if my EBT card is lost, stolen or not working?
- How do I lock my Pennsylvania EBT card?
- How do I apply for SNAP in Pennsylvania?
- When do Pennsylvania SNAP benefits arrive?
- Is a call or text about my EBT card real?
- Where can I use my Pennsylvania EBT card?
- Can I use EBT at restaurants in Pennsylvania?
- Does Pennsylvania restrict soda or candy with SNAP?
What is the Pennsylvania EBT card?
Short answer: A debit-style card called the Pennsylvania ACCESS Card.
Pennsylvania delivers SNAP benefits on an EBT card called the Pennsylvania ACCESS Card. After you are approved, you get the card and choose a PIN.
At the register, you swipe the card and enter your PIN. The store gets an approval or a decline, and the amount of your purchase is taken out of your SNAP balance.
If you get cash assistance, it is on the same kind of card and can be taken out at ATMs around the state.
How do I check my Pennsylvania EBT balance?
Short answer: Call 1-888-328-7366, use ConnectEBT, or use the myCOMPASS PA app.
There are three official ways. You can call the EBT Recipient Hotline at 1-888-EBT-PENN (1-888-328-7366), which is open 24 hours a day. You can use the ConnectEBT website or app. Or you can use the free myCOMPASS PA mobile app, which also shows your transactions.
DHS tells people not to use third-party apps to check their EBT balance. Stick to the three official options.
What if my EBT card is lost, stolen or not working?
Short answer: Call the EBT hotline at 1-888-328-7366 any time.
The EBT Recipient Hotline takes reports of lost or stolen cards and of cards that do not work, and DHS lists the same number for requesting a replacement.
You can also ask for a replacement through the Statewide Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930 (215-560-7226 in Philadelphia), or at a county assistance office. When a new card is requested for a household, the old card is deactivated.
If you think your card was skimmed, DHS says to contact your county assistance office to report it and replace the card, and to report skimming to the fraud tip line at 1-844-347-8477.
How do I lock my Pennsylvania EBT card?
Short answer: Use the ConnectEBT website or app.
DHS encourages people to keep their card locked when they are not using it, to guard against skimming and theft. You lock and unlock it on the ConnectEBT website or app.
A locked card blocks purchases, balance checks and other transactions, so unlock it before you shop. You can lock it everywhere, or only outside Pennsylvania, which still allows online purchases. An auto re-lock setting can lock it again 30, 60 or 90 minutes after you unlock it.
How do I apply for SNAP in Pennsylvania?
Short answer: Online through COMPASS, in person at a county assistance office, or by mail.
Pennsylvania takes SNAP applications online through COMPASS, in person at your county assistance office, or by mail. DHS says you do not need to know whether you are eligible before you apply. It reviews the application and tells you.
For help with the COMPASS website, DHS lists a technical help line at 1-800-692-7462.
This site cannot tell you whether you qualify or how much you would get. Those decisions are made by DHS.
When do Pennsylvania SNAP benefits arrive?
Short answer: Spread across the first 10 business days of the month.
A Governor's Office release in November 2025 said SNAP benefits are issued to eligible Pennsylvanians over the first 10 business days of the month.
That release does not say how a household's own day is chosen. To find out when yours arrives, ask the Statewide Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930 (215-560-7226 in Philadelphia).
Is a call or text about my EBT card real?
Short answer: DHS will not ask for your EBT card details in an unsolicited call or text.
DHS says it will never ask for information about your EBT card, SNAP or other benefits through unsolicited or random calls or texts. Messages telling you your card is blocked and asking for your card number have been reported as a scam.
DHS sends informational texts and calls about benefits only from 1-833-648-1964. Report suspicious messages to the fraud tip line at 1-844-347-8477.
Where can I use my Pennsylvania EBT card?
Short answer: At SNAP-authorized stores across the state.
In November 2025, DHS said more than 10,600 retailers across about 38,000 locations in Pennsylvania accept SNAP.
The EBT hotline can tell you where the card is accepted. For specific chains, see our store pages.
Can I use EBT at restaurants in Pennsylvania?
Short answer: Not through the Restaurant Meals Program.
Pennsylvania is not on USDA's list of states that run the Restaurant Meals Program, so regular SNAP benefits cannot be used for hot meals at restaurants there.
Does Pennsylvania restrict soda or candy with SNAP?
Short answer: Not on USDA's list.
Pennsylvania is not on USDA's list of states with an approved SNAP food restriction waiver. Under federal rules, soda and candy are eligible foods there. This can change if the state asks for a waiver.
For decisions about your benefits, contact Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).