Businesses who meet the USDA’s definition of a Direct Marketing Farmer or Farmers’ Market.

No, the additional year begins from your last payment date. However, If you process more than $500 in sales over the year of your grant subscription, the subsequent year of your subscription will also be covered through the grant. 

Your subscription payments will be covered for one free year beginning with your last payment date. Following the additional year monthly payments will resume with auto-payments that will be debited from your bank account just like they are now. However, If you process more than $500 in sales over the year of your grant subscription, the subsequent year of your subscription will also be covered through the grant

No, the 1-year grant begins on your renewal date and will end after 12 months, despite when your business is open or closed for the season. If you process more than $500 in sales over the year of your grant subscription, the subsequent year of your subscription will also be covered through the grant.

No, but you will still receive the free year once your paid subscription ends. 

You should no longer need to apply for the MarketLink new grant period; if you need a reader or other equipment, please contact us at info@marketlink.org. If you process more than $500 in sales over the year of your grant subscription, the subsequent year of your subscription will also be covered through the grant.

The USDA defines farmers’ markets as "multi-stall markets at which farmer-producers sell food products they produced (fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, grains, etc.) directly to the general public, at a central or fixed location." This means a traditional market where multiple vendors set up stalls at a fixed location on a regular schedule. The majority of the cumulative sales revenue at the farmers’ market must be Staple Foods to qualify as a SNAP Retailer.

The USDA defines Direct Marketing Farmers as “individual producers of agricultural products that sell directly to the public.” This means farmers who grow or raise their own products and the majority of their sales are made directly to the public by means of farmers’ markets, farm stands, U-Pick It, and/or a CSA program.

The majority of your sales also must be picked up by the customer - not delivered - or you will be considered a delivery route (which is a separate category of FNS authorization).

Unfortunately, no. Only Direct Marketing Farmers and Farmers’ Markets are eligible for the grant-funded equipment. However, free wired equipment for 501(c)3 Food Buying Cooperatives may be available through each State’s EBT program. Click here for contact information for your State’s EBT program.

It depends. If a grower owns/operates the business and is selling their product along with other locally grown products, you may be eligible. This is determined on a case-by-case basis. Please apply and we will assess your eligibility.

MarketLink is different because USDA awarded a contract to the NAFMNP based on the best value for the agency as well as for direct-marketing farmers and farmers markets to provide a complete solution - a farmer or market may process SNAP, credit, and debit through our equipment. State funding is intended for SNAP only.

Equipment options through the MarketLink program are available to any farmers market and direct marketing farmer across the country, whether they are eligible for free equipment or not.

Yes, Community Gardens are eligible and can apply as a Direct Marketing Farmer as long as they are producing their own agricultural products and selling them directly to the public.

Yes, however it’s important to note that SNAP sales are not permitted for goods delivered more than 2 weeks out from the transaction date. Farmers who accept SNAP for CSA shares may require a credit card to hold the order, then charge the SNAP card in-person upon pickup.

Yes you are eligible; if you have received equipment through your state then it may impact whether or not you can receive equipment through MarketLink. This will depend on your state’s program regulations and the status of your equipment.

You can still purchase MarketLink equipment. You can purchase equipment (card reader & printer) to accept SNAP, credit & debit. Please review our Purchase Equipment page to learn more.

There is no deadline to utilize MarketLink; however free equipment might only be available for a limited time.

You can check your application's status by logging onto the USDA website and clicking on the link to “Check Status of Previously Submitted Application”.

You can also call the SNAP Retailer Service Center at 1-877-823-4369 (then select options 2,1) and ask for the status of your application. They will ask security questions to verify your identity, including your FNS #, and the owner's full name, social security number, and date of birth. They will only speak with someone listed on the application.

Any business that wants to accept SNAP must submit an application with the USDA to become a “SNAP Authorized Retailer”. Approval can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks, and it’s important to monitor your application’s status throughout the process.

MarketLink offers free assistance with that application, and we can even submit it on your behalf. We encourage you to schedule a phone call with one of our Regional Representatives to discuss the details of the application and how we can help.

If you’d like to submit on your own or review details of the process, check out these step-by-step instructions on our website.

Kindly see our Step-by-Step guide page to review what you will need to prepare before applying for your SNAP Retailer Authorization.

Anywhere from 2-8 weeks from the time you submit the required “supporting documents”. March-August is the busiest time of the year for applications, so expect it to take longer if you apply then.

A SNAP Permit and the FNS number assigned to it is good for 5 years. After that point, the owner will receive an email and likely a letter stating they need to reauthorize the permit. As long as there has been no change in ownership or location of the farm/market, then to reauthorize you will only need to follow the instructions in the email/letter to go to a website and enter in a code.

1. You may call us at 443-212-8084 or
2. Email info@marketlink.org to request an appointment from a MarketLink team member to go through the application with you

Yes. The equipment we provide is wireless and app-based. The equipment is a SNAP card reader that works concurrently with the TotilPay Go app. Customers will need to provide their own smart device to run the TotilPay Go app on (Android 5 +, Apple iOS 12+ devices).

Android 5 + or Apple iOS 12+. Click here to learn more.

No, the TotilPay Go app can be used on a personal or business related device.

No, for TotilPay Go customers there is no per-transaction fee for SNAP sales.

It can process credit/debit cards depending on which credit/debit provider you choose. We are partnered with both Square and WorldPay to offer credit/debit card processing.

The terms and conditions with Square includes:

• No contract required and no monthly fees.
• Per transaction for credit/debit sales: $0.10, + 2.6% of the sale
• You also need to purchase a credit/debit card reader from Square (~$50). Both card readers will connect to the TotilPay Go app at the same time, and TotilPay Go will track all your sales in one place.

The terms and conditions with Worldpay includes:

• • 3 year contract required +$120/per year subscription cost
  • Per transaction for credit/debt sales: $0.15, + 1.79% of the sale
  • Credit, debit and SNAP sales can all be used with the same card reader we provide.

If you first need to get approved by the USDA as a SNAP Retailer, that step alone can take 4-8 weeks.

Once you’ve been authorized by the USDA to accept SNAP (receive your SNAP permit) you’ll need to fill out the TotilPay Go MarketLink Merchant Application, a short online form. Allow 1-2 days for processing, then your SNAP card reader will ship Fedex 2-Day. So if you’ve already been approved by the USDA to accept SNAP, getting the equipment is usually a very quick process.

Click here to view instructions on purchasing an additional card reader.

$129 for the ChipperBT (card reader only) or $319 for the Woosim P240i (printer card reader combo). You will also need to purchase an additional TotilPay Go license for the additional card reader ($19.95/month or $191.40/year for MarketLink customers).

Very little - the busiest Farmers’ Markets use less than 1 GB per month.

The 1 year of grant-funded TotilPay Go subscription starts when you receive the Welcome Email from TotilPay Go with instructions on how to activate the app. This Welcome Email arrives after you submit the TotilPay Go MarketLink Merchant Application and it is accepted.

There will be no transaction fees for SNAP/EBT sales, and the transaction fees for the credit/debit processing will depend on which provider you choose (WorldPay or Square). This applies whether you qualify for free equipment OR are purchasing equipment through MarketLink.

Complete this online form to cancel your subscription.

Yes, you are signed up for auto-renewal of a yearly subscription, but TotilPay Go will email you several times to warn you when the end of the free year is approaching so that you can cancel or modify as desired. To cancel your subscription before auto-renewal, complete this form.

If you would like to change from a yearly subscription to a month-to-month subscription, complete this form.

Complete this online form to cancel/suspend your subscription.

Complete this form to turn on/reinstate your subscription.

For Direct Marketing Farmers and Farmers’ Markets, the cost is $19.95/month or $191.40/year.

Click here for step-by-step instructions.

Click here for step-by-step instructions.