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Policy Watchtower/Proposed rule

USDA proposes chip and tap-to-pay SNAP EBT cards within two years of final rule

Agriculture DepartmentFood and Nutrition AdministrationProposed ruleOct 23, 2026

Check: The would require States to move SNAP benefits to chip and tap-to-pay (NFC) EBT cards within two years of the , and retailers must supply their own EBT equipment.

Read in the Federal Register

What it does

Retailers, including Tribally owned stores that accept SNAP, would need equipment that accepts chip and tap payments as States replace cards. Magnetic stripe transactions would continue to be accepted for now as a fallback. Most retailers already pay for their own EBT equipment under the 2014 Farm Bill, and the rule would write that into regulation. Comments are due 2026-12-22.

Why it matters for tribal funding

Tribes eligible. Tribes or Native organizations are among those who can apply or are covered, alongside others.

Who it covers: Tribal enterprises.

Rules it touches: 7 CFR 271, 7 CFR 274, 7 CFR 278

What to do next

  1. Check whether Tribally owned SNAP retailers have point-of-sale equipment that accepts chip and NFC cards.
  2. Submit comments on the two-year timeframe and retailer costs by 2026-12-22 at regulations.gov ( FNS-2025-0137).

Sources

Every signal is built from public records. The highlighted words appear in the source exactly as shown.

  • Federal Register: tribal termsProposed RuleOct 23, 2026

    Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Electronic Benefits Transfer Card Security Measures

    • Quoted from the source: “The Department is proposing a two-year timeframe after the date of publication of a final rule for implementing requirements regarding the issuance of SNAP benefits via EBT cards utilizing chip and NFC technology.”
    • Quoted from the source: “All other retailers must source their own equipment to be able to process EBT transactions.”
    Read in the Federal RegisterU.S. government record, public domain.

Terms with a dotted underline open a plain-language definition. This is guidance, not legal advice: the official text always controls. A free public service from GrantsPath, a Native-owned business.