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Washington's SUN Bucks Program

Summer is a time for play, learning, and making memories and kids need good food to do all of that! We're excited to share information about SUN Bucks, Washington State's new program designed to help families buy groceries for their school-aged children during the summer months when school meals aren't available.

What is SUN Bucks?

SUN Bucks (also called Summer EBT) provides a one-time payment of $120 for each eligible school-aged child in your household. This money is loaded onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, similar to how SNAP benefits work. You can use it at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other authorized retailers to buy nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and breads.

Who is eligible?

Most children will automatically qualify for SUN Bucks if at any point since July 2024 they were either:

  1. Enrolled at a school that offers the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program AND individually approved for free or reduced-price meals at school.
  2. Age 8-18 and a member of a household that receives benefits from the TANF or SNAP.

If your child is automatically enrolled, you will receive notification beginning in June 2025.

Do I need to apply?

If your child is not automatically enrolled, you can submit an online SUN Bucks application. Your child may still be eligible by application if they are both:

  1. Enrolled at an NSLP or SBP participating school.
  2. Living in a household with income that meets NSLP Income Eligibility Guidelines to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Online applications for SUN Bucks in 2025 are currently open through August 2025.

We encourage families to apply online for faster processing, but if you are unable to submit an application online, you may print, complete and mail a paper SUN Bucks application to:

DSHS Customer Service Center
P.O. Box 11669
Tacoma, WA 98411-6699

Paper applications are available in additional languages under Form 14-554.

Questions or need to apply?

  • Visit the official Washington State SUN Bucks website: https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sunbucks
  • Call the SUN Bucks Contact Center: 1-833-543-3230 (TTY: 1-800-833-6348) available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except holidays).
  • You can also sign up for text alerts about your child's SUN Bucks status at textsunbucks.dshs.wa.gov.

We encourage all eligible families to take advantage of this valuable program to help keep children fed and healthy all summer long!