How to Apply

• If you purchase food and prepare more than ⅔ of your meals together, you are a household.

• When calculating your SNAP benefit level, all household members’ income and expenses are taken into account.

When you call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline, our counselors will pre-screen you for SNAP to determine if you are eligible. 

Here is what you can expect:

SNAP prescreens are a way for the FoodSource Hotline to determine a households eligibility status before applying for benefits. The more information callers have available when they call can help the pre-screen process go quicker. It is helpful for the callers to have on hand:

• Total household income- i.e. earnings, unemployment, disability benefits, child support, etc.
• Monthly household expenses- Rent, mortgage, property taxes, home insurance (utilities are counted as a deduction but callers do not need to have the amount).
• Other expenses that can be counted- Child support if there is a legal obligation to be paid out for a child/children that are not part of the SNAP household, childcare expenses (if you are working, in a training program, or looking for work), medical expenses only counted for seniors or households receiving a form of government disability benefits.

With help:

Call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333, and our counselors will help you apply for SNAP over the phone.

• Free & confidential, serving Massachusetts.
• Our counselor have in depth knowledge of SNAP regulations and have the most accurate and up-to-date information on any recent changes.
• Counselors will take the time to examine your specific situation and help you find all the deductions that could increase your benefit amount.
• They will also keep in touch with you through the application process to provide information and assistance if needed. 

On your own:

You can complete and submit a SNAP applictation on your own, online through DTA Connect.

You can fax a paper application to 617-887-8765 or mail it to:

DTA Document Processing Center
PO Box 4406
Taunton, MA 02780

Once your application has been received, a caseworker from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) will call you to conduct an interview over the phone. Your caseworker is the person you will work with and send updates to until your application is complete.

*Interviews are currently being waived during the pandemic. Interviews are only required at this time if you do not submit all of the necessary paperwork 

You can submit verifications with your application or separately. You have 30 days to submit these documents to your DTA. These include:

1. Identity for Head of Household (driver's license, birth certificate, passport)

2. Proof of MA residence (bill, lease agreement, bank statement, mail)

3. Social security numbers for all household members applying

4. Proof of income for the previous four weeks (pay stubs last month, pension, child support, etc).

5. Immigration Status for non-citizens (proof of legal non-citizen status if you or a household member is applying for SNAP but is not a U.S. citizen) 

A note on shelter & utilities: You do not have to send verifications of shelter or utility expenses unless requested by DTA because you directly answer these questions in the application.

Additionally, these optional documented expenses may significantly increase your benefit amount:

1. Child and adult care expenses

2. Housing costs (rent or mortgage and utilities)

3. Out-of-pocket medical expenses (if age 60 or over, or disabled)

4. Child support payments being made to a child living outside of the household

If you are having trouble getting proofs, ask DTA for help!

You can upload your verifications online, mail copies (do not send originals), fax them, or bring them to your local DTA office.  

If you mail or fax the verifications be sure to include your name and the last four number of your social security number on each of the documents. Verifications should be sent to:

DTA
PO Box 4406
Taunton, MA 02760-9975

FAX NUMBER: 617-887-8765

Once all of the verifications have been received and the interview completed (when applicable), DTA will determine your eligibility and send an approval or denial letter.

You may receive an EBT card in the mail within 10-30  business days. Until the DTA processes and approves your application, you will not have any benefits on your card. Benefits are electronically transferred onto the card once the case is approved.

Once your EBT card arrives in the mail, pin your card by calliing the EBT Line: 1-800-997-2555

• Shop at any store that accepts EBT. Shop online at Amazon, Stop & Shop, Walmart, ALDIs, Hannaford, or Price Chopper. 
• SNAP cannot be used to buy alcohol, tobacco, personal care items, or hot food with SNAP. 
• Because SNAP is a federal program, you are able to use your benefits to shop outside of Massachusetts where SNAP is accepted. 

SNAP recipients are also automatically enrolled in The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).

HIP puts money back on your EBT card* when you use SNAP to buy healthy, local fruits and vegetables from HIP farm vendors (up to a monthly cap of $40, $60, or $80).

• You can spend your HIP benefits on fruits and vegetables at approved HIP vendors which include farmer's markets, farm stands, mobile markets, and community supported agriculture (CSA) farm share programs. Find HIP vendors here.
• Learn more about HIP here.

If you have questions about how to apply for SNAP in Massachusetts, call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

To get information from the DTA about your pending case, call the DTA Assistance Line at 1-877-382-2363.