How to Set Up and Test EBT on Clover

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for merchants and developers to enable, configure, and test Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) payment processing in the sandbox environment.

Prerequisites

• A Clover Developer account and a test merchant account.
• A Clover Developer Kit (Dev Kit) associated with your sandbox account.
• An understanding that EBT is an entitlement that must be professionally enabled; it is not a self-service setting.

Part 1: Merchant Setup

These steps must be completed by the business owner (merchant) to accept EBT from customers.

1. Get Government Authorization:
   Your business must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FN). Apply for and receive a valid FNS number if you don't already have one.
2. Request the EBT Entitlement from Clover:
   Contact your Clover Business Consultant (sales representative). Request to have the EBT entitlement activated for your production merchant account. You will need to provide your FNS number to complete the request. Once Clover enables the entitlement, EBT will automatically appear as a payment option on your Clover devices.

Part 2: Developer Setup (Sandbox Environment)

Developers must configure their test environment to build and test EBT functionality.

1. Enable the EBT Entitlement in Sandbox:
   The EBT entitlement must also be enabled for your test merchant account. Contact Clover Developer Relations (DevRel) to request that they configure the EBT entitlement for your test merchant ID in the sandbox.
2. Configure Your Application:
   When a customer pays with EBT, the Clover device displays a screen for them to choose between EBT SNAP/Food and EBT Cash. This selection determines the transaction type. Since the payment flow can be initiated for any tender, your application must verify the tender type in the sale response. If the tender is not EBT when one was expected, your application must be prepared to handle the actual tender used or void the payment as appropriate immediately.

Part 3: Testing EBT Transactions

Use your Dev Kit in the sandbox to test EBT payment flows.

1. Use the EBT Test Card
   Clover does not provide physical EBT test cards. You must perform tests using manual card entry.

• EBT Test Card Number: 5076800002222223
• Expiration Date: Use any future date. (Note: Some real EBT cards do not have a printed expiration date. For manual entry in these cases, use 12/49).
• CVV: Use any 3 digits.
• PIN: Use any 4 digits.

2. Test EBT Food (SNAP) Scenarios

• Transaction: Initiate a payment for an approved food item.
• Card Entry: Verify that your application successfully processes an EBT transaction using manual card entry with the test number provided.
• Refunds: Process a refund. For SNAP refunds, the customer must re-present the card or manually enter the card number, and then enter their PIN. Verify the refund is credited back to the card's SNAP balance.
• Cash Back: Confirm that cash back is not an option.

3. Test EBT Cash Scenarios

• Transaction: Initiate a payment for general merchandise.
• Card Entry: Verify that only card swipe is supported (manual entry is disabled).
• Refunds: Direct refunds to an EBT Cash balance are not supported. Verify that your application can process a refund for an EBT Cash purchase to an alternate tender, such as a Clover Gift Card or store credit.

4. Test Decline and Failure Scenarios

• Insufficient Funds: Attempt a transaction for an amount over $100. It should be declined.
• Network Offline: Attempt a transaction with an amount of exactly $45.67 to simulate a "No Host Response" and test timeout handling.
• Handle Voids: Use the ReversePaymentRequestIntentBuilder to test voiding an EBT transaction within the 25-minute window. Verify that re-presentment of the card is not required for a void.
• Incorrect PIN Entry: Attempt an EBT transaction and enter an incorrect PIN. Verify that the transaction is declined and provides the user an opportunity to retry.

Overview of Clover support for electronic benefit transfer (EBT):