In Ohio, SNAP is also called Food Assistance. Apply online at benefits.ohio.gov, by phone at 1-844-640-6446, or through your county Job and Family Services (JFS) office. Ohio is one of the few states that uses the federal 130% of poverty gross income limit for most households: $3,575 a month for a family of four from October 1, 2026. There’s no asset test. Benefits load on the Ohio Direction Card.
Ohio’s planned ban on buying sugary drinks with SNAP, set for October 1, 2026, was paused in September 2026 after USDA asked for time to take public comments.
Ohio SNAP at a glance
| Ohio | |
|---|---|
| Run by | Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, through 88 county JFS agencies |
| Apply online | benefits.ohio.gov |
| Phone | 1-844-640-6446 (applications) |
| Gross income limit | 130% of poverty |
| Asset test | None |
| EBT card | Ohio Direction Card, 1-866-386-3071 (24/7) |
| Deposit days | Between the 1st and 20th, on your assigned date |
| Self-employment | Counties can deduct a flat 50% of gross self-employment income |
| Sugary drink restriction | Approved, start paused |
| Summer EBT 2026 | Yes, $120 per child |
Ohio income limits from October 1, 2026
| Household size | Gross monthly limit (130%) | Net monthly limit (100%) | Maximum benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,729 | $1,330 | $306 |
| 2 | $2,345 | $1,804 | $562 |
| 3 | $2,960 | $2,277 | $808 |
| 4 | $3,575 | $2,750 | $1,023 |
| 5 | $4,191 | $3,224 | $1,217 |
| 6 | $4,806 | $3,697 | $1,463 |
| 7 | $5,421 | $4,170 | $1,616 |
| 8 | $6,037 | $4,644 | $1,841 |
| Each extra | +$616 | +$474 | +$225 |
These are USDA’s official figures. The benefits.ohio.gov page still showed older numbers ($1,632 for one person) in September 2026. If someone in your household is 60+ or disabled, you only need to pass the net income test. See SNAP for seniors and SNAP for people with disabilities.
How to apply
- Online at benefits.ohio.gov.
- Phone 1-844-640-6446.
- Mail, fax or in person at your county JFS office. Find it in ODJFS’s county agency directory.
- Interview: your county mails you a date and time. It’s by phone unless you ask to come in. See SNAP interview tips.
- Decision within 30 days, or 7 if you qualify for expedited SNAP.
Ohio’s sugary drink rule: on hold
USDA approved Ohio’s waiver in March 2026 to stop SNAP from buying sugar-sweetened drinks, including fountain drinks, starting October 1, 2026. It would cover drinks listing sugar or another caloric sweetener as the first or second ingredient after carbonated water.
In September 2026, Ohio paused the start because USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration asked for time to publish a Federal Register notice and review public comments. There’s no new date yet. Ohio has said it will notify recipients and stores before it begins. Until then, SNAP buying rules in Ohio are the same as before. See the SNAP soda and candy ban states list.
Gig workers and small businesses
Ohio lets counties deduct a flat 50% of gross self-employment income as business costs, or actual costs if you document more. For a DoorDash driver grossing $1,800 a month, that means $900 counts as income before the usual 20% earnings deduction. See SNAP for gig workers.
Work rules
The 3-month time limit covers adults 18 to 64 without a child under 14 at home unless they work, volunteer or train 80 hours a month or have an exemption. See SNAP work requirements.
After approval
- Ohio Direction Card: loaded on your assigned day between the 1st and 20th. In Cuyahoga County, for example, the date follows the last digit of your case number (5 means the 12th). See the EBT deposit schedule.
- Card help: 1-866-386-3071. Change your PIN monthly; see how to change your EBT PIN.
- SUN Bucks: $120 per child for summer 2026, with automatic enrollment for SNAP, Ohio Works First and income-eligible Medicaid families. See Summer EBT.
Ohio’s error rate and funding
Ohio’s FY2025 payment error rate was 6.76%, well below the national 10.62%, which puts it in the 5% cost-sharing tier under the 2025 law (only states under 6% pay nothing). The state passed House Bill 730 to address the higher administrative share, and Ohio now publishes county-by-county error rates every quarter. During the November 2025 federal shutdown, an executive order sent $25 million to food banks and to the lowest-income households.
About 1.4 million Ohioans get SNAP, according to the governor’s office (October 2025).
More states and topics: SNAP and EBT guides. Every state’s portal: how to apply for SNAP. SNAP also qualifies you for a Lifeline free government phone plan.
Sources: ODJFS: Food Assistance, Ohio Benefits: SNAP, ODJFS: county agency directory, Ohio Administrative Code 5101:4-6-11 (self-employment), USDA: Ohio food restriction waiver, Ironton Tribune: Ohio sugary beverage ban delayed, Cuyahoga County: Ohio Direction Card, Ohio SUN Bucks, Governor of Ohio: shutdown food assistance, Ohio Legislature: HB 730, USDA: FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments, USDA: FY2025 payment error rates by state.