Are POS terminals used only for food stamps?
Food stamp rules require the government to supply POS equipment to authorized food stamp retailers, to enable them to participate once a state converts to EBT. States have discretion in deciding whether the equipment can be used for cash EBT transactions. States can also decide whether they will pay for POS devices at other locations to afford greater access to cash benefits. Q: Can POS devices be used to access state and federal benefits in cash? It depends on the equipment and fees. The government is supposed to provide merchants with a POS device, pay for processing fees and train the merchants for free. Some states are now saying that if retailers want a government terminal, it can only be used for food stamps EBT. There is pressure for retailers to go out and pay for the equipment themselves so that when someone comes into the store with food stamps, they can also access their cash benefits to buy toilet paper and diapers at the same time. The food stamp-only terminals are troubli
