If you're new to SNAP, you might not know if you have to spend all your month's benefits in the same month or risk losing them.
SNAP benefits do roll over from month to month
So if you receive $120 in benefits in March and spend $100, you will still have a balance of $20 in April that you can use.
But: don't let your benefits go unspent more than 6 months
While benefits roll over, do keep in mind that if you don't use your EBT card at all for an extended period of time (like 6 months) then it's possible the benefits will be cleared off the card.
Be careful if you accumulate a large balance
Also keep in mind that if you let your benefits accumulate, you do face greater risk if you become a victim of EBT theft, because you would be losing a larger amount.
As of today, only up to 2 months' worth of of benefits can be reimbursed after electronic EBT theft. So if you have 6 months' worth of benefits on there and they get stolen, you're out a lot of dollars.
If you have a large balance, consider using the Propel app or another to block out-of-state transactions or lock your card when it's not in use (available for California users).
