SUN Bucks 2025 Application

SUN Bucks is an income-based food assistance program. You can check if your household is income eligible by clicking here.

To check if your child is eligible, you can take the interactive eligibility quiz by clicking on the chat bot icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the SUN Bucks webpage. Select your language, then click “Take Eligibility Quiz.”

Many students will automatically be approved for SUN Bucks without families having to do anything. You can apply as long as your child attends a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or is a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school. You can check to see if your child’s school is NSLP or CEP using the SUN Bucks School Search Tool.

To apply, visit the 2025 SUN Bucks application, and select North Carolina in the drop-down menu.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federal program that operates in most public schools, some charter schools, and a few private nonprofit schools. As part of this program, children part of households who meet income criteria can get free or low-cost meals at school. 

Some NSLP schools are called Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools. These are schools that provide meals to all students at no cost without needing to submit an application. To check ifyour child’s school was an NSLP or CEP school for the most recent school year, visit the SUN Bucks School Search Tool.

Some schools use different programs to provide students with meals at no cost. These programs are not the same as the NSLP or CEP meal programs. 

To check if your child(ren) automatically qualify or if they should apply, take the interactive eligibility quiz by clicking on the chat bot icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the SUN Bucks webpage. Select your language, then click “Take Eligibility Quiz.”

To apply in Spanish, visit the 2025 SUN Bucks application, click the circular icon on the top right of the screen and select “Spanish.” Then, select North Carolina from the drop-down menu.

Yes, you can request an application be mailed or emailed to you in two ways:

1. Email DCFW.SunBucks@dhhs.nc.gov, or
2. Call 1-866-710-0141, choose your desired language, and then select Option 2 to speak with a SUN Bucks customer service representative.

Families should only apply for SUN Bucks in the state where their child finished the school year.

You should fill out one single application and include all the children in your household to make sure that your household income is calculated accurately.

Important: A household may have a child who needs to apply and a child who automatically qualifies based on their school enrollment and whether they meet the automatic eligibility criteria. You will not need to apply for a child who automatically qualifies for SUN Bucks, but you MUST still include them as part of your household. If you are uncertain if a child automatically qualifies, you can apply for them. If they do automatically qualify, you will be notified.

If you're submitting a SUN Bucks application, you can either write in the best address you have or say that you don’t have a stable address. If you don’t have a stable address, you can also write in the county of the Department of Social Services (DSS) office (find more information here) that you’d like the card to be sent to and it will be mailed to that DSS office for you to pick up.

Yes, if you have a child in foster care placed in your home through court order and they are enrolled in an NSLP or CEP school, please include the foster child in your application to be certain the child’s enrollment in SUN Bucks is not missed.

The student’s ID number is not required to submit an application, but it is strongly encouraged to aid in the school enrollment verification and application processing.

Student IDs can be found on most student report cards, ID cards, and on the parent portal. If you cannot find your child’s student ID, please contact the child’s school.

Case numbers are typically listed on the original approval letter for the applicable program. If you no longer have your program approval letter, please contact your caseworker at your DSS office for assistance.

SUN Bucks is an income-based program, NCDHHS needs to know the gross income for everyone in the household to confirm that the household’s income is within the threshold limits to qualify. Gross income is the amount of income received from all sources BEFORE taxes or other deductions are taken out.

A household is defined as a group of people, related or unrelated, that usually live together and share income and expenses. Income for all household members must be reported in the application. If a child in the household has a source of income, their income should also be included in the application.

You will receive communications from NCDHHS stating whether your application is approved or denied in May 2025. In your application, remember to provide a valid email address and phone number so you can be contacted, and an address for mailing your card if you are approved.

If you need to change your address after you submit your application, call 1-866-710-0141, choose your desired language, and then select Option 2 to speak with a SUN Bucks customer service representative.

If your situation has changed or you didn’t include relevant information you believe may impact your application decision, you can reapply.

If you have questions about your denial, please call 1-866-710-0141, choose your desired language, and then select Option 2 to speak with a SUN Bucks customer service representative.