Updated Aug. 22, 2026.
By Hola Iowa
Iowa closed the 2026 application period Aug. 14, but issued benefits remain available for 122 days. Any unused balance expires at midnight on day 122 and cannot be restored.
Iowa families received a one-time SUN Bucks grocery benefit of $120 for each eligible child. However, the money does not remain on the card indefinitely.
Each benefit has its own expiration date based on when Iowa issued the payment. Therefore, families do not share one statewide deadline for using their remaining balance.
The balance and recent transactions are available through ConnectEBT, the ConnectEBT mobile app or Iowa EBT Customer Service at 1-800-359-5802.
When SUN Bucks and regular SNAP benefits appear on the same EBT card, Iowa uses the SUN Bucks balance first. Account activity does not extend the 122-day expiration period.
- Benefit: $120 once for each eligible child.
- Applications: The 2026 application period ended Aug. 14.
- Expiration: Midnight on the 122nd day after issuance.
- Expired balance: Cannot be restored, replaced or appealed.
- Balance and card help: 1-800-359-5802.
Each $120 benefit has its own 122-day deadline
The expiration period begins when Iowa issues the money, not when a family activates the card or makes its first purchase.
For example, a benefit issued June 10 receives its own 122-day period. A payment issued later receives a different expiration date.
Any money left at midnight on the 122nd day disappears from the account. The balance shows $0 beginning on day 123. Iowa cannot restore expired, lost or stolen benefits.
Families can review the deposit and transaction history through ConnectEBT. The ConnectEBT mobile app also displays the current balance and recent transactions.
Families can check the balance online, through the app or by phone
ConnectEBT provides online access to the current balance and transaction history. Families can also use the ConnectEBT mobile app or call 1-800-359-5802. The automated system and customer service line operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Card activation requires the 19-digit card number, the five-digit ZIP code and the child’s eight-digit date of birth. The cardholder then creates a four-digit PIN.
A family without active SNAP benefits that expected a SUN Bucks card but did not receive one can call Iowa HHS at 1-877-347-5678. The agency can verify the child’s eligibility and the mailing address associated with the case.
The current expiration, balance and card rules are available through the Iowa HHS SUN Bucks information.
A lost card can be replaced, but lost benefits cannot
Iowa distinguishes between the physical card and the money in the account. EBT Customer Service can replace a card that was lost, stolen or cannot be activated.
The replacement number is 1-800-359-5802. Families who moved must update their address at 1-833-631-2508 before requesting another card.
Replacing the card does not restore money that expired or that someone spent after stealing the card information. Iowa does not provide an appeal for those losses.
After the balance reaches $0, Iowa HHS advises families to keep the physical SUN Bucks card. The state may use the card again during a future summer.
The 2026 SUN Bucks application period has ended
Iowa stopped accepting 2026 applications Aug. 14. The deadline does not cancel benefits that the state already issued, but households can no longer submit a new application for this summer.
Children could qualify automatically through SNAP, the Family Investment Program, foster care, qualifying Medicaid coverage or approval for free or reduced-price school meals. Attendance at a Community Eligibility Provision school did not automatically qualify every student.
Iowa HHS has not announced the application dates, income limits or portal for 2027. The state will publish that information later.
SUN Bucks follows federal SNAP purchasing rules
Families can use SUN Bucks for food allowed under federal SNAP rules. Eligible purchases include fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, breads, cereals, snacks and nonalcoholic drinks.
The benefit does not cover alcohol, tobacco, vitamins, medicine, hot food prepared for immediate consumption or nonfood products.
Double Up Food Bucks can also match SUN Bucks purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at participating locations.
Related coverage: Hola America’s updated guide explains what Iowa families can buy with SNAP and SUN Bucks.
Iowa has not opened the 2027 application period
Iowa HHS will publish the next application period and online portal at a later date. Until then, every remaining 2026 SUN Bucks balance remains subject to its individual 122-day expiration period.
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