Maryland begins statewide rollout of chip-enabled EBT cards

Maryland is beginning a statewide rollout of new EBT cards with EMV chip-and-tap technology, a security-focused change affecting people who receive SNAP food benefits and cash assistance through the Maryland Department of Human Services.

Gov. Wes Moore announced the rollout on July 23. The state describes the new cards as more secure and fraud-resistant than older EBT cards and says the effort is part of broader work to protect benefit access and reduce fraud.

The announcement does not mean every benefit recipient has already received a new card. State materials available with the announcement did not specify when individual recipients will receive cards, how many cards will be issued, who will provide them, or whether recipients must take any action.

A statewide change in benefit-card technology

The new cards are EMV-enabled and can be used with chip-and-tap technology. The rollout is being administered through the Maryland Department of Human Services, which oversees the affected benefit programs.

For recipients, the key confirmed change is the state’s move to deploy a different EBT card technology statewide. The state has presented the change as a way to make cards more resistant to fraud, including card skimming and unauthorized theft of benefits.

Maryland has not stated an expected numerical reduction in fraud losses from the rollout. It also has not said that the technology will prevent every type of EBT fraud. The available state announcements describe a security improvement, not a guarantee that unauthorized benefit theft will end.

Who is affected

The rollout concerns Maryland residents who receive benefits through EBT, including SNAP recipients and people receiving cash assistance. SNAP provides food-purchasing benefits, while cash-assistance recipients also rely on EBT card access for their benefits.

The state’s stated goal is to strengthen protection while maintaining access to benefits. Because the program is statewide, the announcement applies to Maryland benefit recipients rather than to a single county or a limited pilot program.

No county-by-county timetable was included in the retrieved state materials. The announcements also did not provide an individual mailing schedule, a deadline for activating new cards, or instructions on what a recipient should do if a new card has not arrived.

Part of a broader benefits-access effort

The Department of Human Services has linked the card rollout to wider efforts to protect benefit access and reduce fraud. Its July 23 materials also said Maryland has made a major improvement in SNAP payment accuracy since 2022.

However, the available excerpt did not provide the current SNAP payment-error rate or quantify the size of that improvement. The payment-accuracy statement is separate from a measured estimate of the chip-and-tap cards’ effect on fraud; the state did not provide such an estimate in the materials reviewed.

The rollout is a confirmed statewide state action, not a proposal awaiting approval. But key implementation details remain unannounced, including the replacement schedule, total number of cards, vendor and any steps recipients may need to take.

What comes next

Recipients and organizations that assist benefit users will need further guidance from the Department of Human Services on the timing and mechanics of the transition. As of the July 23 announcement, the next known step is the statewide deployment itself; the state had not published a completion date.

Until additional instructions are issued, recipients should not assume that all cards have been replaced or that the new technology removes every risk of unauthorized benefit use. The confirmed information is that Maryland has launched the statewide EMV chip-and-tap card rollout through DHS and is describing it as a more secure, fraud-resistant option for EBT access.

Sources

• Governor Moore Announces the Statewide Rollout of More Secure, Fraud-Resistant Chip-and-Tap EBT Cards, Office of Governor Wes Moore
• Maryland DHS news: statewide chip-and-tap EBT rollout, Maryland Department of Human Services

Look for updates to this story

Related News

• USDA will require SNAP retailers to stock more staple foods beginning in fall 2026
• Baltimore Mayor Scott Adds Infrastructure to Second-Term Plan
• St. Louis basic-income pilot paid 540 families $500 a month
• Calvert County moves Dunkirk-area Election Day voting to Ward Farm Park