Congress created Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) as a temporary response to help families cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at a reduced price through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
To be eligible for a 2023 Summer P-EBT benefit, a student must:
1. As of May 2023, be attending a school that participates in the NSLP.
2. Be determined as eligible for free or reduced-price school meals for the 2022-2023 school year.
Students are not eligible to receive a 2023 Summer P-EBT benefit if, for the 2022-2023 school year, they were homeschooled, attended a school that did not participate in NSLP, or attended a cyber school or a district’s virtual academy that existed before the pandemic.
The 2023 P-EBT benefit is a fixed amount of $120 per eligible student. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) will issue the benefits in late July and mid-August 2023.