RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) expects to process full November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments by Friday morning. Approximately 600,000 households should see the full benefit amount loaded on their EBT cards by Friday. The development comes following the U.S. House and U.S. Senate resolution to end the federal government shutdown announced late Wednesday evening, and subsequent guidance from the USDA on Thursday to states to issue full benefits.
“I am grateful to NCDHHS for working around the clock to ensure North Carolinians get their full November benefits as quickly as possible,” said Governor Josh Stein. “People will be able to go to the grocery store this weekend to purchase the food they need to keep their loved ones healthy and strong.”
“As soon as we received authorization from the federal government, we immediately began working to get benefits out to the nearly 1.4 million people who depend on SNAP to keep food on the table,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “I am thankful that we will be able to make food benefits available on Friday, and to our team for their unwavering commitment to fight hunger.”
Since the beginning of October, there has been uncertainty around issuance of SNAP benefits across the country including quickly changing guidance from the USDA and lawsuits challenging the legality of not utilizing federal contingency funds to maintain the issuance of SNAP benefits in November. North Carolina signed on to one of the lawsuits.
“It was wrong and unlawful for the federal government to use our children as political pawns during the shutdown. Now that the government has reopened and we’ve won our case against USDA for breaking the law, North Carolinians will get the rest of their November SNAP payments. Thank you to the folks at DHHS for working so hard to get these payments out,” said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
On Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, following initial guidance from the USDA, NCDHHS loaded partial November SNAP benefits at approximately 65% of the normal maximum allotment for over 586,000 households. Households that typically receive the maximum amount saw their benefits reduced by 35%, while those who normally receive less experienced even deeper reductions. Thousands of households received no benefits at all due to USDA’s SNAP benefit formula. All North Carolina SNAP beneficiaries will now see their full November benefits on their cards by Friday. For some people, depending on the time of month they usually receive SNAP benefits, they will be getting November benefits early. SNAP participants will receive their December benefits on their usual schedule.
NCDHHS is communicating with beneficiaries and people who are impacted and posting regular updates on the NCDHHS website dedicated to the federal government shutdown. We are also updating the SNAP website to include more details and an FAQ.
North Carolina SNAP beneficiaries should continue to check their balance on their EBT cards. Any benefits on your EBT card are available to use. Check your balance on the ebtEDGE app, at ebtEDGE.com, or by calling the number on the back of your card (1-888-622-7328).
If you or your family is in immediate need for food resources, please call 2-1-1 to be connected with local resources. You can also visit the NCDHHS website dedicated to food access to find a food pantry closest to you.