Help CenterThis guide will explain how to set up Electronic Benefit Transfer functions and tenders (also known as EBT or Food Stamps) for state welfare programs in the United States through the GoPOS software and PCProg software.
NOTE: Some states will have multiple EBT tenders, such as EBT debit, cash, or credit. This guide will set up the basic function with an EBT tender. Please check with your local state government for further details. For any additional questions or assistance on programming Food Stamps with GoPOS and PCProg, contact Optima Support at 1-888-475-2767 or email possupport@optimagopos.ca.
Criteria and Parameters
To set up EBT, you must set up at least one department or item with Food Stamp enabled, an EBT tender key with Food Stamp enabled, and a Food Stamp Subtotal fixed function key.
Setup through PCProg
EBT can be setup either through the departments or through individual products (via Settings > Setting 1 enabled). In this guide, we will use departments, but the process will be very similar for products.
In Departments maintenance, highlight a department, and then under Options, enable Food Stamps.
Perform these steps to the other departments you like to enable Food Stamps with. Once completed, click on Save, then close the window.
Next, you will need to set up a Food Stamp tender in Tenders Maintenance. From the main PCProg window, click Tenders, then create a new Tender.
Name the food stamp tender as you wish (typically EBT or EBT Tender). If you are creating EBT Food Stamp or EBT Food option, enable the option Food Stamp. If you are creating the EBT Cash option, enable EBT Cash. Both of these options can only be enabled if a payment terminal is selected under EFT.
EBT Food
EBT Cash
You can also enable Overtender Not Allowed and Entry Compulsory. They're optional but recommended. Also, ensure that you tie in a payment terminal under EFT. Once this tender is configured, click on Save, then close the Tenders window.
Next, you will need to add the EBT tender key into a keyboard. In addition, you will also need to add the Food Stamp Subtotal key in keyboard program.
In a keyboard through Keys Maintenance, add the EBT tender key or keys on your keyboard.
To add the EBT Subtotal key, first add a new key. Then, select Fixed Function in the Type drop down menu. Under the Function drop down menu, select Food Stamp Subtotal.
Once the keys are placed onto the keyboard, save and close the window, then Send the configuration to the APOS terminal.
Once the configuration is successfully sent to the APOS, test the functionality of the food stamp subtotal and tender.
Setup through GoPOS
These steps are similar to setting up the Food Stamp functions in PCProg.
To enable the Food Stamp options, they will need to be set up in either Departments or Items (with Setting 1 enabled via Menu > Settings > Options) through the GoPOS Home Screen menu. We will use a Department in GoPOS to enable Food Stamps.
In the GoPOS Home Screen menu, select Departments.
Assuming you already set up a department with items assigned to that department, tap and hold a department to open the department settings.
Next, under the Options section, enable Food Stamp, then Save. You can apply these steps to the other departments if you wish. Once you configured your departments by enabling the Food Stamp option, tap Back to go back to the GoPOS Home Screen.
The next step is to go to Tenders from the Home Screen menu. In here, create a new Food Stamp tender by tapping on Add New Tender. Typically, this would be named as EBT, EBT Food or EBT Cash.
EBT Food
EBT Cash
Once an EBT tender is created, in the Options section, enable Food Stamp. For EBT Cash option tender, enable EBT Cash.
You can also enable Overtender Not Allowed and Entry Compulsory. Both are optional but recommended for this function.
Ensure that you tie in the EBT tender with a payment terminal under EFT. If you are using a Pax Terminal, ensure that the Credit option remains disabled.
Once the EBT tender is configured, tap Save, then tap Back, and then Back again to go to back to the GoPOS Home Screen.
Next, select Keyboards from the GoPOS Home Screen menu (Menu > Settings > Keyboards). Select the keyboard you want to program. From here, select Hide and then select Add New Key. We will add the EBT Tender and the EBT Subtotal Fixed Function.
NOTE: For keyboard programming we recommend using PCProg for ease of use.
To further resize and move the key, enable the Allow Key Resize/Move option.
Once you physically move and adjust the size of the keyboard, in the Type drop down box, select Tender. Next, in the Function drop down box, select the EBT tender function key.
To add the EBT Subtotal key, add a new key, then under Type drop down box, select Fixed Function. Under the Function drop down box, select FoodStampSubTotal.
NOTE: You can rename the key captions be selecting the Fixed radio button, and then in the Text box, rename the key.
Once an EBT tender and EBT subtotal keys are programmed, tap Save, then Back to close the Keyboard configuration window to go back to the GoPOS Home Screen. You can then select Register Mode to test the Food Stamp functions.
When selecting items that have been programmed with the Food Stamp option, they will be sold normally until the Food Stamp Subtotal key is pressed. When this happens, GoPOS will total the items that fall under the Food Stamp option. You can then press the EBT tender to pay the Food Stamp items. If there are remaining items that are not covered under Food Stamps, there will be a remaining balance shown on screen where the remaining goods and balance need to be paid with another form of tender.
If you need additional assistance relating to Optima APOS hardware, Optima GoPOS software, or Optima PCProg software, please contact Optima Support.
Toll-Free: 1-888-475-2767
Email: possupport@optimagopos.ca