Michigan’s EBT system runs on the Bridge Card, a state-issued debit card from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) that holds your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits and, if you qualify, cash assistance in a separate account on the same card. Most Michigan households qualify for food assistance under a gross income limit set at 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which works out to roughly $5,360 a month for a family of four in fiscal year 2026.
Who Qualifies for Food Assistance
Michigan uses broad-based categorical eligibility for its Food Assistance Program (FAP), the state version of SNAP. That raises the gross income threshold to 200 percent of the federal poverty level instead of the standard federal 130 percent, and it eliminates the separate asset test, so bank balances and vehicle values don’t disqualify you.1Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. BEM 213 – Categorical Eligibility
Approximate gross monthly income limits at 200 percent of poverty for FY2026:
- 1 person: about $2,610
- 2 people: about $3,526
- 3 people: about $4,442
- 4 people: about $5,360
- Each additional person: add about $918
Clearing the gross income test gets you in the door. Your actual monthly benefit depends on net income after deductions for rent, child care, and medical costs for elderly or disabled household members. The net income test sits at 100 percent of poverty — $1,305 for one person and $2,680 for a family of four in FY2026.2Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Income Eligibility Standards A household near the top of the gross range with high housing costs can still receive a meaningful benefit once those deductions apply.
Cash Assistance Through the Family Independence Program
The Family Independence Program (FIP) delivers monthly cash through the same Bridge Card, but the rules are stricter. FIP is for families with children, and it enforces a $15,000 countable asset limit covering cash, bank accounts, stocks, and similar holdings. Your primary home doesn’t count.3Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. BEM 400 – Asset Eligibility FIP income thresholds differ from food assistance and vary by household size.
Cash loaded through FIP covers a wider range than SNAP: clothing, transportation, diapers, household supplies. It sits in a separate account on the card, and the register distinguishes between food and cash balances automatically.
Non-Citizens, Students, and Adults Without Dependents
Citizenship isn’t required for food assistance, but immigration status matters. Legal permanent residents generally wait five years from the date they got their green card before qualifying. Refugees, asylees, and certain other humanitarian immigrants qualify right away. Children who are legal permanent residents are exempt from the five-year wait regardless of when they received their status.
College students enrolled at least half-time are ineligible for SNAP unless they meet one of several exemptions: working at least 20 hours per week, participating in federal or state work-study, caring for a child under six, receiving FIP, or being under 18 or over 49.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2015 – Coupon Allotment for Eligible Households If none fit, enrollment blocks the benefit even at very low income.
Working-age adults without dependents face time-limited benefits unless they meet a work requirement of 80 hours per month in work, training, or approved volunteer activity. Fall short, and benefits stop after three months within any 36-month period.5Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements Effective March 1, 2026, Michigan expands this requirement under new federal guidelines: the age range runs from 18 through 64, and adults whose youngest child is 14 or older are also subject to it. Several higher-unemployment areas are exempt, including Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Saginaw, Bay City, Eastpointe, and fifteen mostly rural northern counties.6Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Work Requirements for Food Assistance If your county isn’t on that list and you’re in the age range, document your hours every month. Falling below 80 starts the three-month clock.
How to Apply
The fastest route is the MI Bridges online portal, where you can finish the application in a single sitting.7Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MI Bridges Paper applications are available at any county MDHHS office and can be returned in person, by mail, or by fax.
Gather these before you start:
- Social Security numbers for every household member who is applying, or proof they’ve applied. Household members not applying don’t need to provide a number or show immigration documents.8Social Security Administration. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts
- Proof of identity: Michigan driver’s license, state ID, birth certificate, or passport.
- Income verification: recent pay stubs, tax returns, benefit award letters, or bank statements, less than 30 days old.
- Proof of residency: a lease, utility bill, or similar document showing your Michigan address.
- Expense documentation: rent or mortgage, heating costs, child care, and medical expenses for elderly or disabled members. These feed directly into your benefit amount.
After you submit, MDHHS schedules a phone interview with a caseworker. The interview is mandatory. Miss it and your application stalls. Most cases are processed within 30 days of filing. Households with almost no income and very little cash on hand may qualify for expedited processing, which puts benefits on the card within seven days.
When Benefits Load Each Month
Michigan staggers deposits across the first three weeks of each month based on the last digit of your case ID. Benefits load between the 3rd and the 21st: case numbers ending in 0 load on the 3rd, ending in 1 on the 5th, 2 on the 7th, and so on through 9 on the 21st. Benefits are available the moment they load, usually early in the morning. Unused balances carry forward from month to month, but the state removes the entire balance if the account goes untouched for a full year.
What the Card Buys
SNAP covers food intended for home preparation: fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cereal, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages, and seeds or plants that produce food.9Food and Nutrition Service. What Can SNAP Buy A simple test at the shelf: items with a “Nutrition Facts” label are eligible; items with a “Supplement Facts” label (vitamins, protein powders) are not.
Federal law blocks SNAP use for alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared foods, live animals, pet food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC Chapter 51 – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Cannabis and CBD items are also excluded. The hot-food rule catches people out most often: a rotisserie chicken from the hot deli counter is ineligible, but the same chicken sold cold from the refrigerator case is fine.
Double Up Food Bucks
Michigan participates in Double Up Food Bucks, which matches every dollar you spend on fruits and vegetables with your Bridge Card at participating grocery stores and farmers markets. Spend $10 on produce and get $10 in credits toward more produce on your next trip.11Double Up Food Bucks. How Double Up Food Bucks Works
Summer EBT for School-Age Children
The federal Summer EBT program (SUN Bucks) provides $120 in grocery benefits per eligible school-age child during the summer months when free or reduced school meals aren’t available.12Food and Nutrition Service. Summer EBT Eligible children are generally enrolled automatically based on free or reduced-price lunch participation during the school year. The benefit loads onto an EBT card and follows the same purchasing rules as SNAP.
Activating and Managing Your Bridge Card
Your Bridge Card arrives in the mail and won’t work until you call 1-888-678-8914 to set a four-digit PIN. The line is open 24 hours.13Conduent. Michigan Bridge Card Information Don’t share the PIN with anyone, including store employees. You are responsible for any transaction made with your card and PIN.
Check your balance by calling that same number or logging in through the EBT Edge cardholder portal.14Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. View Benefits – MI Bridges Your last transaction receipt also shows the remaining balance. Check it often — it’s your first warning that something is wrong.
If the card is lost or stolen, call 1-888-678-8914 right away to report it.15Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. EBT Lost Card The state cancels the compromised card and mails a replacement, which usually takes three to five business days.13Conduent. Michigan Bridge Card Information Any benefits left on the old card transfer to the new one. Anything a thief spent before you reported it may not be recoverable.
Keeping Your Benefits: Recertification
Benefits don’t continue on their own. Michigan requires full recertification at least every 12 months, and benefits end at the close of your certification period if you don’t complete it.16Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. BAM 210 – Redetermination/Ex Parte Review Some households get a 24-month period with a mid-point check-in at 12 months.
File renewal paperwork through MI Bridges or your local MDHHS office by the 15th of your recertification month to avoid a gap.16Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. BAM 210 – Redetermination/Ex Parte Review MDHHS mails a notice before your period ends, but mark the date yourself. Missing the deadline is one of the most common reasons people lose benefits they still qualify for.
If you have earnings, expect a semi-annual contact report around month five of a 12-month certification. Return it promptly. Ignoring mid-period paperwork can close your case before the full recertification ever comes due.
Skimming and Stolen Benefits
EBT card skimming — devices installed on card readers to capture your number and PIN — is a nationwide problem. If charges appear that you didn’t make, change your PIN immediately at 1-888-678-8914 and report the theft to your local MDHHS office.17Food and Nutrition Service. Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits
Congress authorized states to reimburse SNAP benefits stolen through skimming, but that authority covered only benefits stolen between October 1, 2022, and December 20, 2024. As of this writing, federal law has not extended it, so benefits stolen after December 20, 2024, may not be replaced.17Food and Nutrition Service. Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits Prevention matters more than ever: cover the keypad when entering your PIN, skip readers that look loose or tampered with, and check your balance often.
Appealing a Denial or Reduction
If MDHHS denies your application, reduces benefits, or closes your case, you can request an administrative hearing using the DHS-18 form, submitted to your local MDHHS office.18Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules for MDHHS Timing matters: if you request a hearing before the effective date of a reduction or closure, your current benefits typically continue until the hearing is resolved. Wait past that date and you’ll have a gap even if you win.
At the hearing, an administrative law judge reviews whether MDHHS applied the rules correctly. You can bring documents, witnesses, and a representative such as a legal aid attorney. Many denials turn on paperwork problems rather than genuine ineligibility, and the hearing is your chance to supply what was missing or correct a misunderstanding.