In 2002, food stamps in Wisconsin transitioned from paper vouchers to EBT debit cards known as "Quest cards". In October 2008, what is commonly referred to as the "Food Stamp Program" was changed to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by the U.S Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service which oversees the program. In Wisconsin, SNAP is officially known as FoodShare.
To accept EBT at your farmers' market, you must become authorized and obtain the necessary equipment and services. This entire process, from applying for authorization to receiving your equipment, can take up to 10 weeks, and you will want to allow extra time to apply for grants if need be.
Market managers often establish one central Point of Sale (POS) terminal for their entire market. EBT customers specify how much they would like to spend at the market, and a staff member debits that amount from their cards. Customers are then given scrip (a currency unique to the market), which they can use to make food purchases from individual vendors around the market. Unused scrip can be returned for credit, or it can be saved for use at a later date. At the end of a market day, the manager can reimburse the vendors (by cash, check, or direct deposit) for the scrip they have accumulated. The market receives credit from its contracted payment processor the next business day for all EBT transactions. This model can spare individual vendors the cost of equipment and the steps involved in becoming authorized.
While the remainder of this guide emphasizes a high-volume, market-level model, the following alternatives are viable:
- If you are an individual vendor who would prefer to own and operate your own POS terminal, you can apply for individual authorization through the Food and Nutrition Service (see “Becoming Officially Authorized to Accept EBT”). Note that you will not need to send a proposal to the Department of Health and Family Services.
- If, as an individual vendor or as a market, you anticipate completing less than $100 in EBT sales per month, you might consider processing payment by use of offline vouchers instead of a POS terminal. Offline vouchers are forms that are provided by the company you contract with to process your payments (see "Equipment and Services Required to Accept EBT"). One voucher must be manually filled out per transaction, and completed vouchers are then mailed to the processor for processing and payment.
