Ticket RailPFH practiceGet the app
Menu

Getting your card

How do you get a food handlers card?

To get a food handlers card, check what your state or county requires, take a course it accepts, pass the test at the end, then print the certificate and give your manager a copy. With NEHA's PFH (Professional Food Handler) that's a $15.00 online course of about two hours and a 70% pass mark, per NEHA as of October 2026.

  • ExamPFH
  • UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 5 sections
  1. Four steps from hire to card
  2. First job, first test
  3. Have these ready before you start
  4. Before you sign up
  5. Sources

Four steps from hire to card

  1. Find your rule

    The card is a state or county requirement. Look yours up in the state-by-state card rules. Not sure your job counts? Read who needs a food handlers card. Your manager usually knows the answer too.

  2. Pick a course your state takes

    Where a course accredited by ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) counts (California, Texas, Illinois, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maricopa County in Arizona), NEHA's PFH is one option. Washington uses its own portal, Oregon wants a state-approved provider, and Utah takes only providers on its list; the Utah food handlers permit page has the details. Southern Nevada gives its own in-person test.

  3. Take the course, then the test

    PFH is self-paced: two hours, seven modules, then an online assessment. You need 70% or higher, and an online purchase gives you one attempt (NEHA online course handbook, as of October 2026). Run the free food handler practice test before you open the real one.

  4. Print it and hand it in

    Once you pass, NEHA's certificate is ready to download and print, with a secure QR code on it (NEHA certificate policies, as of October 2026). Keep a photo on your phone and get a copy to your manager before your state's deadline.

First job, first test

A test in your first week, before you've learned where the walk-in is, feels like a lot to land on a new hire. It's smaller than it sounds. The assessment checks the rules the course just walked you through: cold food at 41°F (5°C) or below, hot food at 135°F or above, 20 seconds of handwashing, staying home with vomiting or diarrhea.

The one-attempt rule is the part to respect. Fail the online assessment and you retake the course and the test, and there may be a cost (NEHA policies, as of October 2026).

Money: PFH is $15.00 online, in English or Spanish (NEHA shop, as of October 2026). Some employers pay for it. Before you pay anyone, read what a food handlers card costs and whether a free food handlers card is real where you live.

Have these ready before you start

  • A computer with Chrome, Firefox or Edge and working sound. NEHA's handbook lists a keyboard, a mouse and a 1024 × 768 screen.
  • About two hours. The course is self-paced with no deadline, so you can split it over a few nights.
  • A printer, or a folder to save the certificate PDF in.
  • Your legal name, spelled the way your employer has it. It goes on the certificate.
  • Your state's deadline, from the table on the state rules page.

Before you sign up

Can I get my food handlers card online?

In most of the places we checked, yes. PFH, ServSafe and StateFoodSafety are online. Washington has its own online portal. Southern Nevada is the exception on our list: its card comes from an in-person test (Southern Nevada Health District, as of October 2026).

Do I need an application or a membership first?

No. NEHA asks for no application and no membership in any association, NEHA included (NEHA handbook, as of October 2026).

What if I fail the PFH test?

You retake the course and the assessment, and there may be a cost. A failed assessment cannot be appealed (NEHA complaints and appeals policy, as of October 2026).

Is Ticket Rail where I get the card?

No. Ticket Rail is an independent study site, not affiliated with NEHA. We issue no card and sell no course; the practice questions here are for getting ready.

Sources