What does 'SNAP amount due' mean on my grocery receipt when using EBT? Numbers don't add up

i think that means eligible snap items totaled $150 but u only had $100 on ur card so thats why u paid the other $100 cash. not all items in ur cart were snap eligible probably

This is a common source of confusion with CalFresh/SNAP receipts. What you're seeing is actually the total value of SNAP-eligible items in your purchase, not what you owe. In your case, $150 of your $200 purchase was for SNAP-eligible food items, but since you only had $100 left on your EBT card, the system automatically used that $100 from your benefits and then charged the remaining $100 to your other payment method. The breakdown would be: - SNAP-eligible items: $150 - Non-eligible items: $50 - Total purchase: $200 - Paid by EBT: $100 (your available balance) - Remaining paid by cash: $100 ($50 from eligible items + $50 non-eligible

I've had this EXACT issue before!!! So frustrating how unclear the receipts are!! For weeks I thought the store was trying to overcharge my CalFresh account or something. They should really explain this better to people instead of using confusing terms like "SNAP amount due" when it's not actually "due" at all! 🤦‍♀️

This is actually a great question that many CalFresh recipients encounter. The term "SNAP amount due" on receipts refers to the total eligible food items in your purchase that qualify for SNAP/CalFresh benefits, not what you still need to pay. In your scenario: - $150 = Total SNAP-eligible items in your cart - $100 = Amount available on your EBT card (which was fully used) - $50 = Amount of eligible items that couldn't be covered by EBT (paid in cash) - $50 = Amount of non-eligible items (also paid in cash) The receipt is basically showing you how much of your purchase qualified for SNAP benefits, which is useful information for budgeting. Always check your remaining EBT balance at the bottom of your receipt to confirm the correct amount was deducted from your benefits.

This exact thing happened to me last week and I was so confused! Luckily, I was able to get through to someone at my county CalFresh office who explained it. If you're ever stuck with questions like this and can't get through on the regular line, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real person in minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Saved me so much stress when I had that receipt confusion and needed to speak to someone right away to make sure my benefits weren't messed up!

Wait I have another question related to this - does this mean even if I paid cash for some SNAP eligible items, they're still tracking what I bought that was eligible? Do they use this info for anything?

totally normal. happen every time u don't have enough benefit 2 cover all ur eligible food. nothing 2 worry about

Yeah so many ppl get confused by this. happened to my sister and she thot they were charging her extra $$ but it just means u bought more eligible food than u had benefits for.

Thanks everyone for the helpful explanations! I understand it now. It's just showing me that $150 of my purchase was SNAP-eligible, but since I only had $100 on my card, I had to pay the other $50 of eligible items plus the $50 non-eligible items with cash. Makes total sense now but the wording on the receipt is definitely confusing! I appreciate all the quick responses.

Just wanted to add that some grocery stores have started putting little icons or symbols next to SNAP-eligible items on their shelf tags, which can be super helpful when you're shopping. Also, if you're ever unsure about whether something is eligible, the cashier can usually run a quick check before you complete your purchase. This way you can decide if you want to pay cash for non-eligible items or swap them out for something that's covered by your benefits.

I had this same confusion when I first started using CalFresh! What really helped me was downloading my grocery store's app - most major chains like Safeway, Kroger, and Ralph's now show SNAP eligibility right in the app when you search for items. You can even build your shopping list and it'll tell you which items are covered before you even get to the store. Also learned that things like vitamins, hot prepared foods, and household items aren't eligible, but stuff like bread, milk, fruits, veggies, and meat are. The receipt terminology is definitely confusing though - they should just say "SNAP eligible total" instead of "amount due"!

This is such a common confusion point! I work as a benefits counselor and see this question a lot. The "SNAP amount due" wording is really misleading - it should say something like "SNAP eligible total" instead. What it's showing you is that out of your $200 purchase, $150 worth of items were eligible for SNAP benefits. Since you only had $100 left on your EBT card, the system used all of that for eligible items, and then you paid the remaining $100 in cash (which covered the $50 of remaining eligible items plus $50 of non-eligible items like maybe cleaning supplies, vitamins, or prepared foods). Your benefits are fine - this is totally normal when you don't have enough EBT balance to cover all eligible items in your cart!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm new to using CalFresh and had the exact same panic when I saw "SNAP amount due" on my receipt last month. I actually went back to customer service thinking they charged me twice! 😅 The cashier was super nice and explained it, but I wish they would just print a little explanation on the receipt or change the wording. For anyone else who's new like me - I've found that keeping track of my EBT balance on my phone helps me plan better. You can check it by calling the number on the back of your card or sometimes through your state's EBT app. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here!