Items that can be purchased with SNAP include:
- Food or food products meant to be eaten by people
- Vegetable seeds and food producing plants, roots, and trees for family consumption
- Baby formula, diabetic, and diet foods
- Edible items used in preparing or preserving food such as spices and herbs, pectin, and shortening
- Water and ice labeled for human consumption
- Snack foods
- Meals delivered to elderly or disabled SNAP recipients if the organization providing the meal is authorized to accept EBT cards.
Items that cannot be purchased with benefits include:
- Prepared hot foods in grocery stores
- Any prepared food (hot or cold) sold and meant to be eaten at the store
- Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
- Cleaning products, paper products, toiletries, and cooking utensils
- Pet foods
- Items for food preservation such as canning jars and lids, freezer containers, or food wrapping paper
- Medicines, vitamins or minerals
- Items for gardening such as fertilizer and peat moss
Retailers will not give cash change on an EBT purchase. The EBT card will not allow a person to receive cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
Food purchased with SNAP benefits is exempt from the state sales tax. However, sales tax is charged on the value of manufacturer's coupons that might be used in the transaction, and the sales tax must be paid in cash.
Example: An EBT cardholder's groceries add up to $27.50. She has manufacturer's coupons which total $3.50, to reduce her grocery bill to $24.00. $24.00 is deducted from her EBT account, and she will owe Virginia's food sales tax on the value of the coupons (2.5% food sales tax times $3.50 equals 8.75 cents, rounded to 9 cents). When items that were purchased with SNAP benefits are returned to the store, the merchant credits the money back to the EBT account. Cash is not given back.
At the checkout counter, tell the cashier beforehand that you will pay with your
EBT Card. Depending on the store, you may need to separate the items.
