Are CalFresh, SNAP, and EBT the same?
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This is a common question and it's a little confusing.
- CalFresh is the name California uses for the SNAP program, previously called "food stamps." All of these refer to the same thing: the government anti-hunger program that provides money to lower income Americans that they can spend on food (and for the most part, only food.)
- EBT stands for "electronic benefits transfer" and generally refers to the card that CalFresh/SNAP benefits are loaded on to. The EBT card is what people who receive CalFresh swipe at a grocery store to use their benefits.
- One more note: EBT cards sometimes have "cash" benefits on them too. Programs such as CalWORKS (TANF) or General Assistance provide a cash benefit that can be spent on purchases beyond just food. These benefits use the same EBT cards, but have a separate account balance called "cash" (as opposed to the "food" balance.)
This page was written based on official government sources, and has been edited for simplicity.
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