Your Illinois SNAP Redetermination Notice (IL444-1893), Explained
Also called: IL444-1894, IL 444-1893, IL 444-1894, Medical, Cash and SNAP and/or State Food Redetermination Notice, Medical, Cash, SNAP and/or State Food EZ REDE Notice
Last reviewed 2026-07-18
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What this notice usually means
Form IL444-1893 is the Medical, Cash and SNAP and/or State Food Redetermination Notice from Illinois DHS. Some households get Form IL444-1894 instead. This is called the EZ REDE Notice, and it needs no interview. Illinois runs SNAP on a 6-month certification period. DHS mails your redetermination notice on the 1st day of the month before your last certification month. The notice means your SNAP case is up for renewal. Illinois DHS decides if your SNAP benefits, loaded onto your Illinois Link Card, keep going after you send back the form.
See every source line for this notice
“Medical, Cash and SNAP and/or State Food Redetermination Notice (IL444-1893) is used to renew SNAP benefits for both Change Reporting households and Simplified Reporting households.”
“Medical, Cash, SNAP and/or State Food EZ REDE Notice (IL444-1894) is used to renew SNAP benefits for Simplified Reporting households.”
“All initial SNAP applications and SNAP redeterminations processed by IDHS on or after 10/22/2025 will receive a 6-month certification period.”
“At the first 6-month SNAP redetermination an interview will be required. At the following 6-month redetermination, known as EZ REDE, an interview will not be required.”
“If you qualify for the SNAP/State Food Program, you will get an Illinois Link Card. Each month, the amount of your food benefits will be added to your Link Card account, and you can use it like a debit card to pay for food at most grocery stores.”
What to do now
- 1
Watch for your redetermination notice
DHS mails Form IL444-1893 on the 1st day of the month before your last certification month. Check your mail and your account at ABE Manage My Case around that time.
- 2
Return the form by the 1st of your last month
Send your completed IL444-1893 or IL444-1894 to your local FCRC by the 1st day of the last month of your certification period. Applying in person instead? You have until the 15th day of that month.
- 3
Know what happens if you're late
DHS can still process your form if it arrives during the calendar month right after your certification period ends. Your benefits start again from the date DHS receives it. After that month, DHS treats it as a new application, not a renewal.
- 4
Complete your interview if one is required
Your first 6-month redetermination needs an interview. The next one, called EZ REDE, does not need one. Call the number on your notice to schedule or confirm.
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Deadline
Your own notice has your real certification end date. DHS mails your redetermination notice on the 1st day of the month before your last certification month. Return your form to the FCRC by the 1st day of that last month to stay on time. Applying in person works through the 15th day. A later return can still count, if DHS gets it during the following calendar month. After that, DHS treats it as a new application.
“Medical, Cash and SNAP Redetermination Notice (IES) (IL444-1893) will be mailed on the 1st day of the month prior to the last month of the 6-month certification period.”
“The customer's IL444-1893 or IL444-1894 is due to the FCRC by the 1st day of the last month in the certification period if: completed in Manage My Case (MMC); submitted to the Central Scan Unit (CSU); or mailed through the U.S. postal service.”
“A SNAP customer applying in-person must submit an application by the 15th day in the last month of the certification period for a timely application.”
“IES allows the certification period to close for SNAP at schedule cut-off if the IL444-1893 or the IL444-1894 is not returned or processed before the certification period ends.”
“The FCRC processes an IL444-1893 or IL444-1894 if it is returned during the calendar month after the certification period. Benefits are prorated from the date the IL444-1893 or IL444-1894 is received.”
“If the IL444-1893 or IL444-1894 is received later than the calendar month after the end of the current certification period, process as an initial application.”
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Sources
- Illinois Department of Human Services, Workers' Action Guide WAG 19-03-03: SNAP REDE Process (dhs.state.il.us)Retrieved 2026-07-18
- Illinois Department of Human Services, Policy Memo: Reinstatement of Six-Month Redetermination Process and EZ REDE for SNAP (dhs.state.il.us)Retrieved 2026-07-18
- Illinois Department of Human Services, Policy Manual PM 19-03-02: How Often a SNAP Case is Redetermined (dhs.state.il.us)Retrieved 2026-07-18
- State of Illinois, Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) portal (abe.illinois.gov)Retrieved 2026-07-16
Last reviewed 2026-07-18
Related notices
Related words
Renewal
Renewal is the process that keeps your Medicaid case active. The agency often checks this first with data it already has. This check is called ex parte. It happens before the agency asks you for anything.
Redetermination
A redetermination is a new check of your Medicaid or SSI case. It works differently for each program. This page covers them separately.
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