How Forage Works

Forage simplifies both application development and regulatory compliance for processing EBT transactions. You can use Forage software to update your website, app, and Android POS terminals to accept EBT as a form of payment. Forage's team of experts shares knowledge, checklists, and templates to help you work through the FNS authorization process faster.

Phases of a Forage partnership

Forage supports you at each of the following phases of building, launching, and scaling EBT payments:

Apply for FNS authorization
Integrate Forage
Implement FNS development requirements
Prepare Sandbox demo
Complete FNS testing
Launch and grow your EBT business

Phases 1–3 can be done in parallel.

flowchart LR
    subgraph PARALLEL [Run in parallel]
        P1[Phase 1<br/>FNS authorization]
        P2[Phase 2<br/>Integrate Forage]
        P3[Phase 3<br/>FNS requirements]
    end
    START([Start]) --> PARALLEL
    PARALLEL --> P4[Phase 4<br/>Sandbox demo]
    P4 --> P5[Phase 5<br/>FNS testing]
    P5 --> P6([Phase 6<br/>Launch])

📘
Confirm prerequisites before starting
Before you start the process, make sure that you meet the prerequisites for working with Forage.

Phase 1: Apply for FNS authorization

The USDA FNS needs to approve every merchant that accepts government-sponsored EBT SNAP benefits as a payment method. Forage's regulatory experts work with you to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), a Business Requirements Document (BRD), and any other documents that FNS requests. You can complete these materials and start the integration, phases two and three below, at the same time.

Can you skip Phase 1?

Selling through an ecommerce platform? Reach out to the platform to confirm whether FNS has already approved them. If so, skip to Phase 5: Complete FNS testing.

Already authorized for online EBT SNAP? Email FNS to notify them you're switching to Forage processing, then skip to Phase 5: Complete FNS testing. Forage will confirm any additional FNS requirements.

Phase 2: Integrate Forage

Explore the Forage Payments API content to pick the Forage integration option that's right for you. If you haven't already, see Integration Options for a decision guide. Forage offers developer quickstart guides for each integration type and reference docs to help you build.

Phase 3: Implement FNS development requirements

FNS requires all apps and websites that accept EBT SNAP as a form of payment to meet a set of customer experience standards. Consult Forage guides, including the guide to FNS-compliant receipts and confirmation screens, and work with the team to ensure that your app or website meets these regulatory standards.

Phase 4: Prepare Sandbox demo

After the LOI and BRD have been approved, merchants need to demo their EBT SNAP checkout flow in a sandbox environment during a real-time meeting. FNS provides up to ten scenarios that the demo must complete. Scenarios vary depending on your EBT SNAP implementation. In addition to attending the meeting, Forage partners with you to prepare for the demo.

Phase 5: Complete FNS testing

FNS requires production testing after a successful sandbox demo. The test scripts span forty different checkout scenarios that vary depending on your EBT SNAP implementation. Forage runs the test scripts with you, documents a changelog, and updates FNS on every round of testing.

Phase 6: Launch and grow your EBT SNAP business

After you receive FNS authorization and launch EBT SNAP as an online payment method, Forage partners with you to create a go-to-market strategy combining your goals and EBT SNAP best practices. You can also use Forage's dashboard and APIs to monitor your growth.

Key takeaways

The Forage partnership is a six-phase process, but the phases aren't strictly sequential. You can start the integration work while FNS authorization is still in progress. Forage's regulatory team handles the most complex parts of the FNS process alongside you.

For the technical prerequisites before you start, see EBT Standards and Integration Reference. For choosing between integration approaches, see Integration Options.