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USDA Wants Chip SNAP Cards Nationwide; 8 States Issue Them
The US Department of Agriculture on 23 October 2026 proposed requiring all states to move SNAP EBT cards to chip and contactless technology within two years of a final rule, after states approved 753,929 claims worth $360.4 million to replace benefits stolen mainly through card skimming. USDA's own status file lists eight states issuing chip EBT cards, up from two in January.
Key takeaways 6
- USDA proposed on 23 October 2026 that all SNAP EBT cards move to chip and contactless.
- States would have two years from a final rule; comments are due by 22 December 2026.
- USDA's status file lists eight states issuing chip EBT cards, up from two in January 2026.
- Six more states have projects in progress; 36 states have none.
- States approved 753,929 claims worth $360.4 million for stolen benefits before funding lapsed.
- USDA estimates one-time costs of about $283 million in fiscal 2028 and 2029.
The US Department of Agriculture on 23 October 2026 proposed requiring every state to move SNAP food benefit cards to chip and contactless technology within two years of a final rule, to stop thieves who copy the magnetic stripes on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards with skimming devices.
About 42 million people received SNAP benefits in an average month in fiscal 2025, on EBT cards that still largely rely on magnetic stripes and PINs. Before federal funding for replacing stolen benefits lapsed on 20 December 2024, states approved 753,929 claims worth $360.4 million, figures the department says capture only the thefts households reported. Comments on the proposal are due by 22 December.
Eight states so far
USDA's own status file shows how far states have to go. In January 2026 it listed two states issuing chip EBT cards, Alabama and California. The version last updated on 20 October lists eight, adding Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia, all of which were in progress in January. Six more, Arkansas, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, have projects under way.
That leaves 36 states with no chip card project. USDA lists 25 of them, plus the District of Columbia, as bordering states whose retailers must be prepared to accept chip cards from neighbouring states.
What the rule would change
The proposal would define EBT cards to include chip cards used by insertion or by tap, require states to notify households and retailers before switching, and end manual paper vouchers, so that retailers without a terminal would generally need a mobile device; USDA is considering some exceptions. Mobile wallets are not included; USDA says it will continue a mobile payment pilot first. It estimates one-time costs of about $283 million in fiscal 2028 and 2029 for states, the federal government, households and businesses, and ongoing costs of about $152 million through fiscal 2037.
What this does not show
The state count comes from USDA's map file, not from the states, and the rule itself counted seven chip-card states as of August. Replacement claims stopped being reported after federal funding lapsed, so there are no national theft figures after early 2025. HaiPay did not contact USDA or the states.
What to watch
How many states issue chip cards before a final rule.
Whether retailers and processors ask for more than two years.
And whether the mobile payment pilot leads USDA to allow EBT cards in digital wallets.
About HaiPay's card acquiring
HaiPay, which publishes this news section, offers card acquiring for online merchants. Its product page lists 3D Secure 2.0 authentication, PCI DSS Level 1 certification, tokenization and masking of sensitive card data, device fingerprinting and a real-time risk scoring engine with customizable blocking rules, controls aimed at card-not-present fraud rather than the in-store skimming the USDA rule addresses. The page does not list EBT acceptance. Learn more about HaiPay's card acquiring.
Data highlight
8 states
US states issuing SNAP EBT chip cards to participants, according to the USDA status file
20 October 2026
Count of US states listed as issuing SNAP EBT chip cards to participants in USDA's plain-text status file snap-ebt-chipcard-102026.txt (server last-modified 20 October 2026), downloaded by HaiPay on 27 October 2026: Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia. The January 2026 file listed two (Alabama and California). Six states had projects in progress and 36 had none. USDA's proposed rule of 23 October 2026 counted seven chip-card states as of August 2026.
Data as of 27 October 2026 · UTC
Methodology and limitations
Compiled by HaiPay on 27 October 2026. The proposal is USDA Food and Nutrition Administration Federal Register document 2026-21658, published 23 October 2026, read in full; figures on stolen-benefit replacements, participants, the two-year timeline and costs are taken from its text and regulatory impact summary. State status comes from the plain-text descriptions of the map on USDA's SNAP EBT Modernization page: snap-ebt-chipcard012726.txt (January 2026) and snap-ebt-chipcard-102026.txt (October 2026, server last-modified 20 October 2026), both downloaded on 27 October 2026. In the October file, chip cards had been issued in eight states (Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia) and projects were in progress in six (Arkansas, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania); the January file listed two issuing states (Alabama and California). The remaining 36 states had no project; 25 of them and the District of Columbia are listed as bordering states whose retailers must be ready to accept out-of-state chip cards. Territories are not counted. The rule's own count of seven chip-card states as of August 2026 differs from the October file, which may reflect a state that began issuing in between. Replacement data cover only claims households filed that were approved as of the second quarter of fiscal 2025; federal funding for replacements lapsed on 20 December 2024. HaiPay did not contact USDA or the states.
Data and research materials
- SNAP EBT chip card status by state, January and October 2026 (USDA files, compiled by HaiPay) ↓CSV · 3 KB
51 rows (50 states and the District of Columbia) compiled by HaiPay on 27 October 2026 from USDA's plain-text SNAP EBT chip card status files snap-ebt-chipcard012726.txt and snap-ebt-chipcard-102026.txt. For each jurisdiction: status in January 2026, status in October 2026 (chip cards issued, project in progress, bordering state with no project, or no project listed) and whether it changed. Territories are not included.
HaiPay's charts and the CSV table on this page may be reused with attribution to HaiPay and a link to this article. The underlying files and the proposed rule are published by the US Department of Agriculture and are US government works.
Term definition
- Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
- The card system US states use to deliver SNAP and other benefits, which works like a debit card at retailers.
- Card skimming
- Copying card data, usually from the magnetic stripe, with a device hidden on a payment terminal, so a cloned card can be used.
- EMV chip
- A chip on a payment card that creates a one-time code for each transaction, making copied card data much harder to reuse.
- NFC
- Near-field communication, the short-range wireless technology behind tap-to-pay cards and phones.
4 sources
- Federal Register
Proposed rule published 23 October 2026, comments due 22 December 2026: chip and NFC EBT cards within two years of a final rule; 753,929 approved replacement claims worth $360,441,561 as of FY2025 Q2; seven chip-card states as of August 2026; about 42 million people a month in FY2025; one-time costs of roughly $283 million in FY2028-2029.
Accessed 27 October 2026 · UTC
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA page with the state chip card status map and the X9.58-2024 EBT standard; links the plain-text status files.
Accessed 27 October 2026 · UTC
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
SNAP EBT chip card status, plain text description of the map (October 2026)
Status file last modified 20 October 2026: chip cards issued in AL, CA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, OK and VA; projects in progress in AR, ME, NM, NY, OR and PA.
Accessed 27 October 2026 · UTC
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
SNAP EBT chip card status, plain text description of the map (January 2026)
Earlier status file (January 2026): chip cards issued in AL and CA; projects in progress in AR, MA, MD, MI, NJ, OK and VA.
Accessed 27 October 2026 · UTC
How to cite
HaiPay News, "USDA Wants Chip SNAP Cards Nationwide; 8 States Issue Them", https://www.haipay.net/news/usda-snap-ebt-chip-card-rule-eight-states, 27 October 2026
