Healthy Incentives Program – How HIP Works Script
Did you know HIP gives you extra SNAP money for fruits and vegetables?
HIP stands for the Healthy Incentives Program, a state program in Massachusetts that stretches your SNAP to buy produce from participating local farms.
If you live in Massachusetts, and you receive SNAP benefits, you can automatically participate in HIP.
You can get up to $40 extra each month for HIP fruits and vegetables.
How does it work?
First, check your SNAP balance.
You need SNAP on your EBT card to make your HIP purchase.
Next, find a participating HIP farm on the map at DTAFinder.com.
Then, visit the HIP location.
Look for HIP signs.
Let’s say you have $100 in SNAP on your EBT card and you haven’t used any HIP this month.
You decide to swipe your EBT card for $20 of fruits and vegetables from the HIP farm.
HIP will instantly give you back the $20 that you spent and turn it back into SNAP on your EBT card.
You’ll leave the HIP farm vendor with your produce and $100 of SNAP on your EBT card as if you never spent any SNAP at all.
Let’s take a look at your HIP receipt.
You’ll see the amount of SNAP you started with, the amount of SNAP that you spent on your fruits and vegetables, and the amount that HIP gave back.
When you look at your final SNAP balance, you’ll see that HIP’s already been added back in.
The HIP Earned Month to Date section on the bottom of the receipt shows you how much HIP you’ve used this month, not how much you have left.
If you keep buying HIP vendor’s fruits and vegetables, HIP will keep putting the money back on your EBT card.
Your HIP monthly cap starts over on the first of every month with a new $40 for HIP fruits and vegetables.
For more information, visit mass.gov/HIP