The Michigan Bridge Card is the state’s EBT card, issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to deliver food and cash assistance to eligible residents. One plastic card holds two separate electronic accounts: food benefits under the Food Assistance Program (FAP), and cash benefits under the Family Independence Program (FIP). You swipe it like a debit card at authorized retailers, pick EBT Food or EBT Cash on the terminal, and enter your four-digit PIN.1ConnectEBT. Michigan Bridge Card Carrier The two accounts never mix, so food dollars stay for food and cash stays for cash.
Michigan also loads Bridge Cards for smaller programs like State Disability Assistance and Refugee Cash Assistance, but FAP and FIP account for most cardholders.2Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Who Qualifies for Food Assistance
Most Michigan households need gross monthly income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The exact dollar figure depends on household size and updates each year. As of March 2024, Michigan eliminated the asset limit for most food assistance households, so savings accounts, vehicles, and similar resources generally do not count against you.3Michigan Legal Help. Income and Asset Limits for the Food Assistance Program
After MDHHS verifies your income, it also subtracts certain monthly expenses: rent or mortgage, heating, child care, and child support you pay to someone outside your home. These deductions lower your countable income and can raise your monthly benefit. Two households earning identical paychecks can end up with different allotments because of what they spend on shelter and dependents.
Adults Without Dependents
Adults ages 18 to 54 who can work and have no dependents in the household hit a federal time limit: three months of food assistance in any three-year period, unless they work or participate in a qualifying training program for at least 80 hours per month. Paid or volunteer work, job training, and SNAP Employment and Training programs all count.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
Exemptions apply to people with a physical or mental health condition that limits their ability to work, pregnant individuals, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and anyone who was in foster care on their 18th birthday. If you lose benefits for failing the work rule, you can regain them by working 80 hours in a single month or qualifying for an exemption.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
College Students
Students enrolled more than half-time at a college, university, or trade school must meet at least one federal exemption on top of the standard income rules. Common exemptions include working 20 or more hours per week, participating in a federal or state work-study program, caring for a child under six, or receiving other need-based financial aid. Without an exemption, students are generally ineligible regardless of income.
Who Qualifies for Cash Assistance
The Family Independence Program serves families with children and screens more strictly than food assistance. FIP looks at both income and assets, and applicants must cooperate with child support enforcement and participate in employment-related activities to keep receiving benefits. Because FIP runs on federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money, it also carries lifetime limits and work participation rules separate from food assistance.
How to Apply
All food and cash assistance applications in Michigan start with form MDHHS-1171, the Assistance Application.5Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application and Program Supplements You can submit it through the MI Bridges online portal, by mail, by fax, or in person at a local MDHHS office. Gather these before you start:
- Social Security numbers for everyone in the household
- Proof of Michigan residency such as a utility bill or lease
- Pay stubs, benefit letters, or other income documentation
- Monthly shelter costs
- Any child care costs or child support you pay
Once your application is in, a specialist calls you for a phone interview to verify what you submitted. The interview is required by federal rules and covers household makeup, income, and expenses. MDHHS has up to 30 days to approve or deny.6BenefitsCheckUp. Michigan Food Assistance Program If you’re approved, food benefits are effective from the date you originally filed, not the date of approval.5Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application and Program Supplements
Expedited Processing
Households in an emergency can qualify for expedited processing, which cuts the deadline from 30 days to seven. People experiencing homelessness and households with very low income or resources relative to their shelter costs are typical candidates.7Michigan Legal Help. An Overview of the Food Assistance Program Say so when you apply or during your interview. Waiting the full 30 days when you qualified for seven is a common and avoidable mistake.
When Benefits Load Onto the Card
Michigan staggers deposits across the first three weeks of each month based on the last digit of the head of household’s recipient ID number. That ID does not appear on the card itself, so check with your caseworker or your MI Bridges account if you don’t know yours.8Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Bridges Transaction Deadlines and Issuance Schedules
Food assistance deposits by last digit of the recipient ID:
- 0: 3rd of the month
- 1: 5th
- 2: 7th
- 3: 9th
- 4: 11th
- 5: 13th
- 6: 15th
- 7: 17th
- 8: 19th
- 9: 21st
Cash assistance runs on its own schedule and deposits in two installments per month keyed to the same ID digit.8Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Bridges Transaction Deadlines and Issuance Schedules
Using the Card
The Bridge Card works anywhere the Quest logo is displayed, which covers most grocery stores, supermarkets, and many convenience stores. At the terminal, pick EBT Food or EBT Cash and enter your PIN. Your remaining balance prints on the receipt.1ConnectEBT. Michigan Bridge Card Carrier
Food benefits pay for staple grocery items: bread, fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, cereals, and seeds or plants that produce food. They do not pay for alcohol, tobacco, vitamins, medicine, hot prepared foods, or nonfood items like cleaning supplies or paper products. Cash benefits from FIP are more flexible: they can cover nonfood household needs or be withdrawn as cash at ATMs, with some location limits described below.
Retailers cannot charge sales tax on food assistance purchases. That’s both federal and Michigan law.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 205.54g – Sales Exempt From Tax If a store adds tax to your food assistance transaction, that’s an error to flag at the register.
Managing Your Account
Check your balance any time through the MI Bridges portal, the EBT Edge website, or by calling 888-678-8914.10Summer EBT. Michigan Summer EBT Info The receipt from your last purchase also shows what’s left.
You must report any household change to MDHHS within 10 days. That includes starting, stopping, or changing a job; someone moving in or out; a birth, death, marriage, or divorce; and any change of address. For income changes, the 10-day clock starts when you receive the first paycheck reflecting the change, not when the change itself happens. Missing the deadline can mean a reduced benefit or a closed case.11Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. DHS-280 – Reporting Changes
If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, call 888-678-8914 right away to freeze the account and request a replacement. A new card usually arrives within five to seven business days. Guard your PIN the way you would a bank PIN, never share it, and never write it on the card. If someone drains your benefits using a stolen PIN, recovery is difficult.
Prohibited Uses and Penalties
Federal law bars using cash benefits at liquor stores, casinos and other gambling establishments, and adult entertainment venues. Transactions attempted at blocked locations are declined at the terminal.
Trafficking EBT benefits, meaning selling, buying, or exchanging food assistance for cash or nonfood items, is a crime under Michigan law. Penalties scale with the dollar value involved:12Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 750.300a – Food Stamps or Coupons, Conduct as Crime
- $250 or less: misdemeanor, up to 93 days in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both
- $251 to $1,000: felony, up to 5 years in prison, a fine up to $10,000, or both
- Over $1,000: felony, up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both
Prior convictions push the penalties into the next tier. Prosecutors can also combine multiple offenses within a 12-month period and aggregate the total value, turning a string of small transactions into a felony charge.12Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 750.300a – Food Stamps or Coupons, Conduct as Crime
MDHHS can also pursue an Intentional Program Violation (IPV) determination separate from any criminal case. An IPV finding disqualifies you from food assistance for a set period and requires repayment of any overpaid benefits.13Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Intentional Program Violation – BAM 720 False statements on your application, hidden income, or failing to report changes you were told to report can all trigger an IPV investigation. The disqualification stays on your record and affects future eligibility even after you’ve repaid the money.