If you have children in New York and have not yet received the SUN Bucks 2026 benefits — the extra $120 for summer groceries — it is not too late. New York State keeps its application window open until September 8, 2026, meaning you still have time to claim the benefits for your children if they did not arrive automatically. The state began issuing benefits on June 16, 2026 and will continue through the end of the year for those who apply within the deadline. Any application submitted after September 8, 2026 will be considered for the 2027 summer program.
In New York, SUN Bucks benefits are loaded directly onto the EBT card you already use for SNAP — you will not receive a new card in the mail. This means that if your child is automatically eligible, the money may already be on your card without you having received any prior notice. Check your balance as soon as possible.
Who receives SUN Bucks automatically in New York
Most eligible children in New York do not need to apply for anything. Your child will receive the $120 automatically if they meet any of the following conditions during the eligibility period — July 1, 2025 through September 8, 2026:
They are between the ages of 6 and 16 and your household receives SNAP, Temporary Assistance (TANF), or Medicaid. Or, your child has been directly certified to receive free or reduced-price meals at their school through the National School Lunch Program.
Important: attending a school that offers free meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is not enough on its own to qualify automatically — unless the child also receives SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid.
What to do if you have not received benefits automatically
If your child does not fall into any of the automatic enrollment groups but you believe they may be eligible, you can submit an application before September 8, 2026. Paper applications in multiple languages are available at your county office or through New York State’s online portal.
If you have not received an eligibility letter by August 1, 2026 and believe your child should qualify automatically, call New York’s SUN Bucks helpline at 1-833-452-0096. The line has operators available in multiple languages.
How to use the $120 and when it expires
In New York, SUN Bucks are loaded directly onto your existing SNAP EBT card as an additional deposit. You can spend them exactly like your regular benefits: at authorized grocery stores, food retailers, farmers markets, and online platforms that accept EBT, such as Amazon Fresh or Walmart.com.
The benefits expire 122 days from the date they were loaded — not from the first time you spend them. To find your exact expiration date, log into your account at ebtedge.com or call the number on the back of your EBT card. If the funds expire unspent, they cannot be recovered.
One thing many New York families do not know: if you have both SUN Bucks and regular SNAP benefits on the same card, the system automatically spends SUN Bucks first, precisely because they have an earlier expiration date. You do not need to do anything special — just use your EBT card normally and the system will take care of spending the soonest-to-expire funds first.
How much time you actually have left to act
If your child is automatically eligible and you have not yet seen the deposit on your card, check your balance today. If your child needs to apply, you have until September 8 — but the sooner you do it, the sooner the money will arrive. And remember: once loaded, the 122-day expiration clock starts immediately, so applying late means having less time to spend the benefits before they expire.