Activate P EBT Card Login: How to Activate Your P-EBT Card

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a food assistance program that helps families with students and children who are unable to access free or reduced-price meals at school or in child care centers when they are not physically present because of COVID-19. P-EBT has two eligible groups: Student and Child Care (previously called P-EBT for Children Under 6).

P-EBT benefits for eligible children are added electronically to cards that are like debit cards that families can use to buy food at participating stores, including most grocery stores and some online retailers. Families who have already have an FNS EBT card will have benefits added there, while other families will receive a new P-EBT card.

P-EBT is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has been approved to continue Student and Child Care P-EBT through the 2021-22 school year. However, there are some changes to benefit amounts for students and young children and to eligibility criteria for students this year.

Activating your P-EBT Card

When you receive the card, it will have to be activated before you can use it. You have two options for activating your new EBT card: online or by phone.

For online activation of your EBT card as a first-time cardholder

1. Go to ebtEDGE.com.
   1. Select “Cardholder Login” link on the left-hand side.
   2. Click on the “Register Here” link to create a new user ID and password.
2. Login using the ID and password you created.
   1. Click the “Add Account” button and enter the 16-digit card number found on the front of your card.
   2. Enter the date of birth for the oldest child receiving the P-EBT benefit.
      1. The format is mm/dd/yy – only enter the last two digits of the birth year.
      2. Use the tab key to move between fields.
   3. Enter a Social Security Number (SSN). If there is no SSN on file, you will be prompted to enter the mailing zip code.
3. Click on your card to view your account balance and transactions.
4. To use your card in a store, you will need a PIN.
   1. Select “Account Services” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and click PIN select.
   2. Enter the date of birth for the oldest child receiving the P-EBT benefit.
      1. The format is mm/dd/yy – only enter the last two digits of the birth year.
      2. Use the tab key to move between fields.
   3. Enter an If there is no SSN on file, you will be prompted to enter the mailing zip code.
   4. Select 4 numbers as your PIN, using numbers that would be significant to you and not a simple series like 1111, 1234, to protect against fraud.
   5. Re-enter the 4 numbers you selected for your PIN.
   6. Click UPDATE.
5. Using the ID and password you created, you can review your transactions and account information at www.ebtEDGE.com and monitor your account activity.

For activation of your Mountain State EBT card by phone as a first-time cardholder

1. Call 866-545-6502. This number is on the back of your card and in the inserts provided with your card.
2. Press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish.
3. Enter the 16-digit card number on the front of your card.
4. When prompted enter date of birth for the oldest child receiving P-EBT Using your keypad, enter the date of birth using mm/dd/yy – only enter the last two digits for the birth year.
5. When prompted enter an If there is no SSN on file, you will be prompted to enter the mailing zip code.
6. Listen for option 4 to set the PIN for your new card.
   1. Select 4 numbers as your PIN, using numbers that would be significant to you and not a simple series like 1111, 1234, to protect against fraud.
   2. Re-enter the 4 numbers you selected for your PIN.

Who is eligible for Student P-EBT?