Bringing Proven Financial Safeguards to EBT Cardholders

Families who rely on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards can lose essential resources when their information is stolen. This Aspen Institute announcement introduces their real-time transaction blocking pilot program, with the first cohort of states launching in 2026. The pilot is designed to launch real-time transaction blocking for a subset of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants, minimize disruption, and measure the technology’s impact, while Aspen Institute helps states determine whether and how the technology could be expanded. It will also examine additional ways states can strengthen EBT security.

While the resource focuses primarily on SNAP, the issue matters to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs who deliver their benefits through EBT contractors/systems. Benefit theft can disrupt a family's ability to meet basic needs and can create additional stress for families already navigating financial instability. TANF practitioners can use this resource to better understand emerging approaches to benefit protection and to consider how states can make benefit delivery more secure without creating unnecessary barriers for legitimate transactions.