What WIC gives your family and how to sign up
If you are pregnant, or you are raising a baby or a child under five, WIC will pay for part of your groceries every month. It also covers infant formula, adds a separate amount each month just for fruits and vegetables, and gives you staff you can ask about feeding and breastfeeding. Everything the program provides is free.
The person applying for a child does not have to be the child's mother. Fathers, grandparents, and foster parents can enroll a child they are raising, and you do not have to be out of work to qualify.
This page explains what WIC gives you each month, who can get it, and how to sign up through the agency in your state.
The food you get every month
Your benefits come on an eWIC card. The card is loaded once a month with a specific list of foods, and you swipe it at the register the same way you would a bank card. Grocery stores that take WIC include most major chains and many smaller markets, and in a lot of states you can use the card at farmers markets too.
The food list usually includes milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, breakfast cereal, whole grain bread or tortillas or brown rice, juice, peanut butter, and beans. You also get a separate dollar amount each month that can only be spent on fruits and vegetables — fresh, frozen, or canned, whichever your family will actually eat.
If you have a baby and you are not breastfeeding, or you are doing some of both, WIC pays for infant formula, usually a specific brand your state has a contract with. As your baby gets older, the card starts covering baby food as well. Formula costs more than almost anything else a new parent buys, so for many families this is the most valuable part of the program. If you need formula right away and cannot wait for an appointment, the NHPB guide to free baby formula covers food banks, hospitals, and other places that may be able to help while you wait.
Help that comes along with the food
Every WIC office has staff whose job is answering feeding questions. If you are breastfeeding, or trying to decide whether to, you can sit down with someone one on one, and many offices have peer counselors — mothers who have done it themselves. Many offices can also lend you a breast pump at no cost.
As part of signing up, staff do a free, quick health check for each person enrolling — usually height, weight, and a simple iron test. They can also connect you with a doctor, a dentist, immunizations for your kids, and other programs such as SNAP or Medicaid if your family is not already signed up. Questions about picky eating, food allergies, or feeding a family on very little money are all normal things to bring to them.
Who qualifies
WIC is for women who are pregnant, women who were recently pregnant — including a pregnancy that ended in a loss — mothers who are breastfeeding, babies, and children up to their fifth birthday. Any adult raising an eligible child can apply for that child, so a father, a grandparent, a foster parent, or a legal guardian can sign a child up.
There is an income limit, and it depends on how many people live in your household. The limits are updated every year, so check the current numbers with your local office instead of trusting an older chart you found online.
If you already get SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF, that settles the income part by itself — you show your enrollment paperwork instead of proving your earnings. Some states use their own names for these programs, and enrollment counts the same no matter what your state calls it.
You do not have to be out of work or have no income at all. Working families qualify all the time, and a large share of the babies born in this country are on the program. There is nothing unusual about signing up.
Where and how to apply
You apply through the WIC agency that serves the area where you live. These offices are usually run out of county health departments and community clinics, and every state, along with many tribal governments and the U.S. territories, has its own program. USDA keeps a current directory of all of them — pick your state from the list on the USDA directory of state and tribal WIC agencies at https://www.fna.usda.gov/wic/locator and you will get the phone number and website for your program. Many programs let you start the application online or over the phone.
The office will schedule an appointment with you, either in person or by video. Bring identification for each person who will be enrolled, something recent that shows your address, and either proof of your income — pay stubs, a tax return, or a letter from your employer — or your SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF paperwork. Everyone who is enrolling comes to the appointment, including the baby. Staff do the health check, go through the food list with you, and at many offices they set up your eWIC card before you leave that first visit. USDA's guide to applying for WIC (website: https://www.fna.usda.gov/wic/apply) lays out the documents and the steps if you want to look them over ahead of time.
Signing up costs nothing at any step. If a website asks you to pay a fee to apply for WIC, it is not the real program — close it and go through your state agency instead.
Once you are on the program, the office will ask you to check back in from time to time to stay enrolled. They set the schedule and will tell you when, and many of these check-ins can now be done by phone or video.
What WIC does not cover
WIC pays for food and formula only. It does not cover diapers, wipes, soap, or anything else in the store that is not on the food list. If diapers are what you are short on, the guide to free diapers lists diaper banks, charities, and other groups that give them out.
WIC is also separate from SNAP, and being on one does not affect the other. Many families use both at the same time — SNAP helps with groceries in general, and WIC covers the specific foods and formula on its list.
If you are pregnant and food is only one of the things you are worried about, the NHPB guide to assistance for pregnant women covers help with medical care, housing, baby supplies, and other costs that come with a new baby.
Forum discussion
Interested in reading what others are saying about the WIC program or have a question of your own? Take a look at our WIC discussion forum thread, which is moderated. You can read experiences from people across, see how others are navigating the program, and potentially find information on additional local nutritional assistance.
WIC is run by state and tribal agencies under federal rules, and the food lists, income limits, and office procedures change over time and vary from one program to the next. Confirm the current details with your local WIC office before you count on any specific benefit.
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