What is EBT/SNAP Processing?

Signing up for SNAP

The government-sponsored SNAP program is designed to help low-income households receive financial assistance in purchasing food. After consumers apply for SNAP benefits through the government, they receive an EBT card loaded with funds that can be used to buy food and other necessary items. To utilize their EBT cards for purchases, they must visit government-approved retailers to accept SNAP payments. EBT cards are not universally accepted; they work solely with designated retailers. Therefore, if you sell food and want to accept customers' SNAP cards, you must register with the government first. Once registered, you will receive a 7-digit SNAP number, sometimes called an "FNS" number. This number represents your unique account with the government, enabling you to accept EBT funds for goods and services.

How do you sign up? You must register with the US Government for an FNS number, which can take several months. It's advisable to begin early.

EBT Hardware Requirements

You’ve registered for SNAP with the government and received an FNS number. What's next? To accept EBT sales, your account must be set up to handle PIN-debit transactions. EBT transactions operate similarly to PIN debit sales, requiring customer PIN entry for sale authorization. Without a dedicated PIN pad, customers cannot enter their PIN and thus cannot use their EBT card. Therefore, it’s essential to have a dedicated PIN pad if you wish to accept EBT payments.

When you purchase a new terminal from Allied Payments, it will be ready to handle EBT sales from an equipment standpoint. All new terminals from Allied Payments come equipped with an internal PIN pad for EBT and PIN-debit transactions.

If you already have a terminal for EBT sales, it might not be compatible with Allied Payments. Terminals need to be physically encrypted with Allied Payments’ security keys. When you buy a new terminal from us, we take care of this automatically. However, if you bring an existing terminal to Allied Payments, we cannot modify its encryption keys, rendering it unusable for PIN Debit and EBT sales. Thus, moving your processing to Allied Payments could be an opportune moment to invest in new hardware.

How do I set up EBT with Allied Payments?

Once you have your SNAP (FNS) number from the federal government, the process is straightforward. Provide that number to Allied Payments, and we'll ensure your account is set up correctly.

New merchants can request EBT acceptance and enter their FNS number when completing Allied Payments’ Getting Started form. However, Allied Payments does not offer standalone EBT accounts; they must be part of a credit/debit card processing account.

Existing merchants can open a ticket, and an Allied Payments Support representative will help ensure your account is set up for EBT acceptance.