Government Benefits in North Carolina
Where North Carolina residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, home energy assistance, and unemployment insurance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.
How This Works
SNAP, Medicaid, LIHEAP, and unemployment insurance are all administered at the state level, so each state runs its own application portal and sets some of its own rules — including, for Medicaid, whether the state expanded eligibility to more adults under the Affordable Care Act, and for unemployment insurance, the maximum weekly benefit and how long you can collect it. The cards below link you straight to North Carolina's official application system for each program. Exact SNAP/Medicaid income limits change with annual poverty-guideline updates, so we intentionally don't publish a specific number for those — the portal will show your exact cutoff for your household size. Unemployment insurance figures below are official published caps from the U.S. Department of Labor, current as of January 2026.
Food and Nutrition Services (SNAP)
NC Dept. of Health & Human Services
ePASS also screens for Medicaid and other NC DHHS programs.
NC Medicaid
Medicaid ExpandedNC Dept. of Health & Human Services
North Carolina expanded Medicaid in December 2023, the most recent state to do so — adults without dependent children can now qualify based on income alone.
LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)
NC Dept. of Health & Human Services
Administered through county Departments of Social Services.
Unemployment Insurance
Has Waiting WeekNC Division of Employment Security
Max Weekly
$350
Min Weekly
$15
Max Duration
12–20 weeks (tied to the state unemployment rate)
One of the shorter maximum durations in the country.
Looking for more programs available to North Carolina residents?
North Carolina residents also qualify for every nationwide program on our full benefits tool — WIC, Lifeline phone/internet discounts, ACA health insurance subsidies, SSI, SSDI, Section 8, VA disability compensation, TANF, Pell Grants, Head Start, and unemployment insurance.
See All 16 Programs →