If you are searching for a free tablet, you are in the right place since I will show you how to get one. Tablets are essential devices in modern-day life. They help entertain you by playing games, watching videos, and playing music. Additionally, tablets are essential for school-going children since they assist them in their studies. You can also use the devices for daily activities, such as creating documents and videos. You will soon learn more about getting a free tablet with EBT.
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is a system that allows a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamp) beneficiary to pay for food using the SNAP benefits. When a beneficiary shops at a SNAP-authorized store, their SNAP EBT account is debited to cater for the purchase at the store. EBT operates in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, and Guam.
For your understanding, EBT has been the primary method of SNAP issuance in the United States since June 2004. It operates like a debit card whereby you can visit certain shops to purchase food when your account is loaded with money. When Covid’19 struck the country, the government, through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), introduced another card known as the P-EBT as part of the federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. P-EBT provided benefits similar to SNAP to kids that would have gotten free or reduced-price school meals.
Qualifications for the EBT Program
To benefit from the EBT program, you must qualify for it. By the way, to get the EBT card, you must be a beneficiary of SNAP. Therefore, the qualifications of EBT are just those for SNAP. There are a few ways one can qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They include the following.
- Gross monthly income — you can qualify through your household income which must be 130 percent or below the poverty line. The program uses the poverty line to calculate SNAP benefits. The net income, or household income after all the deductions are applied, must fall at or below the poverty line.
- Assets must fall below particular limits.
- Families without a member who is 60 or older or one with a disability must have assets amounting to $2,750 or less, and households with such a member should have assets of $4,250 or less.
When referring to income, you should note that SNAP counts cash income from every potential source, such as earned income (before deductions of payroll taxes), and unearned income, such as Social Security, unemployment insurance, cash assistance, and child support.
However, some people are not eligible for SNAP, irrespective of their income or assets. These include individuals on strike, some students attending college more than half time, people without a documented immigration status, and certain lawfully present immigrants. Again, unemployed people aged 18 to 49 without kids in their homes and who don’t have disabilities are limited to three months of SNAP assistance every three years in many parts of the country.
Applications For EBT Program
To receive your EBT card, you must apply for SNAP. You can apply for the program by following simple steps, which include the following.
- Gather the necessary documents
- Log in or register to open an account
- Answer various questions about your household
- Submit your application
The government requires you to apply online by visiting the relevant website in your state. You can liaise with the local authorities to know how you can make your application. For example, suppose you reside in New York. In that case, you can visit the New York government services SNAP application page and proceed.
Documentation Required for the EBT Program Application
There are several things you should have when applying for your SNAP benefits. They include the following.
- Recent pay stubs
- Social Security Card
- Current rent/mortgage statement
- List of household resources
- The current property tax bill
- Current homeowner’s insurance bill
- Address proof of the applicant
- Income Proof or Student information
- Your contact details
The documents help the government to prove that you qualify for the program. You can be in need, but with the government getting the relevant docs from you, they can certify that you are eligible.
Documentation For Free Tablet With EBT Participation
If you apply for a free government tablet through SNAP, you must show that you are a beneficiary of the program. The various documentations that you can provide include the following.
- Benefit award letter
- Statement of benefits
- Benefit verification letter
- Approval letter
Remember that you can provide any of the documents above since it is unnecessary to provide them all. Each document should contain the following details.
- Your name or dependent’s name
- The program name: in our case, it is SNAP
- Name of the government or Tribal agency that gave the document
- An issue date within the previous 12 months or a future expiration date
Ways to Get a Free Tablet With EBT Programs
You can obtain a free tablet with EBT programs in two main ways. They include the Affordable Connectivity Program and Non-governmental organizations. Let us see the two ways to understand how you get a free tablet through them.
A. Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program FCC ensures that eligible households can afford the necessary broadband for school, work, healthcare, and much more. The program provides a discount of not more than $30 per month toward internet service for qualifying households and up to $75 monthly for households on eligible Tribal lands.
Eligible households can get a one-time discount of not more than $100 to buy a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer from a participating provider. You should contribute at least $10 and, at most, $50 toward the purchase price. Unfortunately, the Affordable Connectivity Program is a one-per-month service discount. Also, only one device discount should go to an eligible household.
You can qualify for ACP services through income if your household has an income of 200% or below the Federal Poverty Guideline. Apart from qualifying for the program through SNAP, you may qualify for the Lifeline program through any of the following benefits.
- Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program
- School Breakfast Program
- Medicaid
- Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers)
- Public Housing
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- WIC
- Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
- Lifeline
- Tribal TANF
- Tribal Head Start (income based)
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Affordable Housing Programs for Alaska Natives, American Indians, or Native Hawaiians
B. Non-governmental organizations
Various NGOs offer free tablets if you participate in EBT or other benefit programs. They include the following.
- Adaptive.org
- Accelerated Schools Organization
- Everybody
- Computer Technology Support Corps
- Computers for education
- City.org
- Salvation Army
Most non-governmental organizations require you to apply for a free tablet online. Apart from tablets, they also offer free laptops and desktop computers.
Top 5 Providers For Free Tablets With EBT Card 2023
When you apply for a free tablet from the government, you usually get one through various service providers. The providers who offer ACP services include the following.
1. Q Link Wireless
Q-link Wireless is an ACP service provider in the US that gives you a free tablet through the ACP service. They offer tablets for SNAP beneficiaries. You can apply for the ACP program and select to pay an amount of up to $10.01.
The tablets from Q Link are mid-range; you can get them depending on the product’s availability. The Lifeline provider gives free tablets to low-income households, and participants of assistance programs such as SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, etc., can apply.
2. Easy Wireless
Easy Wireless also offers free tablets through SNAP. You must apply for ACP, then request the free tablet. Apart from EBT for SNAP, you can apply using other federal assistance programs such as Medicaid, WIC, TANF, LIfeline, etc. You must provide a document that proves that you participate in SNAP or any other eligible program.
3. Life Wireless
The service provider is among the country’s most reliable ACP and Lifeline providers. With your SNAP benefit documentation, you can apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program and a free tablet. The company also allows you to apply for ACP through other benefits, such as Medicaid, Lifeline, WIC, etc. Once you start benefiting from ACP services, you can apply for a free tablet.
4. T-Mobile
T-Mobile is among the largest service providers in the United States. The company offers free tablets through SNAP/Food Stamps or other benefit programs. However, you can get the tablet if you apply for the ACP program. Once you start benefiting from ACP, you can apply for a free tablet.
5. StandUp Wireless
StandUp Wireless is among the most widely used ACP network service providers offering free tablets. You only need to apply for ACP through the EBT programs and apply for a free tablet. You will need to contribute between $10 and $50 towards the buying price of the tablet.
Additional Benefits For EBT Free Tablets
Apart from a free tablet, you also get a free broadband service from the Affordable Connectivity Program for various online services. Some service providers also combine ACP with Lifeline to give you free minutes, texts, and data for your communication services.
As I mentioned, the program provides a discount of at least $30 per month toward internet service for qualifying households and not more than $75 monthly for households on eligible Tribal lands.
Does it have to be a free government tablet with EBT?
You are not tied to receiving a free tablet with the SNAP EBT since we have other ways you can get your free tablet when you apply for the ACP. First, you can apply for ACP to get a free tablet through income. You can apply for the service if your household income is 200% or below the federal poverty guidelines. Other benefit programs include WIC, Lifeline, Medicaid, Tribal TANF, and Public Housing.
You can also apply for ACP to get a free tablet if you received a Federal Pell Grant within the current award year or meets the eligibility requirements for a participating service provider’s existing low-income internet program.
Free tablet with EBT near me
It is possible to locate a free EBT tablet provider near you. You only need to visit the Federal Communications ACP section, then scroll down and locate a link to the various service providers per state. Once the page opens, you can scroll down to the bottom to find various ACP providers per state.
Most program providers operate in many states. Instead of following the lengthy process to locate a service provider, you can find them by visiting the ACP providers page.
Bottom line
A tablet allows you to benefit from various services. Children can use them to access educational materials as well as entertainment. You can also use a tablet to carry out various office work such as creating documents, preparing videos, etc. However, some households cannot afford the devices due to low income. The government offers free tablets through EBT as well as other benefit programs. We also have some non-governmental organizations that offer free tablets through ACP service.