group of kids and their teacher sitting outside and having lunch.

Pennsylvania Summer EBT – SUN Bucks Resources for Schools

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) resource page for schools. School staff may contact the SUN Bucks School Help Desk at sebt@csc.csiu.org or 800-683-5100.

Please note the Help Desk is for school staff only.

Center for Schools and Communities division of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit staff are here to guide schools through the processes of this important nutrition benefit for Pennsylvania school children.

If you are a family looking for SUN Bucks assistance, you will need to utilize the SUN Bucks Resources for Families listed at end of this webpage.

Assisting Families with SUN Bucks Questions

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is the lead agency for SUN Bucks benefits and is the one that can assist families with benefit questions. Pennsylvania Department of Education and the SUN Bucks School Helpdesk can’t assist families. Schools are limited too in their ability to assist, but they can do a few things to guide families to the answers they need.

Schools should make sure the SUN Bucks Resources for Families are easily accessible to the public, primarily via the school’s website or by including them in the school’s automated communication system.

When a family has specific questions about their child’s benefit, the school should:

1. Check the school’s 2024 SUN Bucks file submission to confirm the child was reported correctly. Contact the SUN Bucks School Helpdesk if there is an error.

2. Make sure the family knows:
a. A child is automatically eligible for the summer 2024 benefit if any of the following are true:

  • The child attended a school that participates in the NSLP or SBP and the household received SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance with qualifying income between 7/1/2023-8/31/2024. (These are the directly certified students).
  • The child attended a school that participates in the NSLP or SBP and was eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on Other Categorical Eligibility (homeless, foster, migrant, runaway, Head Start), or a Household Application for Free/Reduced Meals.
  • The child attended a non-NSLP/SBP school but received SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance with qualifying income between 7/1/2023-8/31/2024 and is between 6-18 years of age.

b. Not all students at CEP schools automatically receive SUN Bucks.

c. DHS will issue 2024 benefits starting in mid-August until October 2024.

d. Families can apply for the benefit directly with DHS if their child is not automatically eligible for the benefit. There is a fillable application in English and Spanish on the DHS SUN Bucks webpage. Applications received by 8/31/2024 will be considered for the 2024 benefit. Applications received after 8/31/2024 will be considered for the summer 2025 benefit.

3. Provide the family with the SUN Bucks resources for families.

DHS SUN Bucks Resources for Families

DHS SUN Bucks webpage

  • Eligibility Navigator – a tool on the DHS SUN Bucks webpage that allows families to determine if their child is automatically eligible for SUN Bucks and whether they need to apply.
  • SUN Bucks application – available in English and Spanish as a fillable PDF form on the DHS SUN Bucks webpage.
  • Family FAQs print version – available on the DHS SUN Bucks webpage.

Family FAQs recorded version: 1-877-762-1575

SUN Bucks questions via phone: 1-877-395-8930, or 1-215-560-7226 in Philadelphia.