this whole system is rigged against working families i swear!! my kid wants to help out and gets punished for it by taking away our food money. what kind of message does that send to teenagers?? so frustrating

I went through this exact situation last year! My 17-year-old started working at Target and I was so worried about reporting it. Here's what I learned: yes, you absolutely have to report it, but it's not as scary as it seems. Since you said your IRT is $4,050 and she's only making around $400-500/month, you can wait until your next SAR7 to report it - no need to stress about the 10-day rule. When you do report, make sure you emphasize that she's a full-time student and include her school enrollment verification along with her paystubs. Also, don't forget about the earned income deduction! They automatically deduct 20% of her gross earnings before calculating your new benefit amount. So if she makes $500, only $400 counts toward your household income, and then they only reduce your benefits by about 30% of that amount. In our case, my son was making about $600/month and our benefits went down by roughly $180. It hurt at first, but honestly, having him contribute to his own school supplies and clothes actually freed up some of our food budget. Plus he felt so proud being able to help out! Just make sure to keep good records of everything for when you submit your SAR7.

just fyi ive been on calfresh for 6 yrs and sometimes the letter comes a week AFTER the money hits your ebt... makes no sense but thats how they do it lol

Glad to hear you got your benefits Jessica! This whole thread has been super helpful. I'm new to CalFresh and had no idea about these summer benefits. My kids just finished their first year at a new school and I wasn't sure if we'd qualify since we moved to Kern County in February. Should I be expecting Sunbucks too if we're already getting regular CalFresh? And does it matter that my youngest is only 4 and in pre-K? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so much better getting info from real people who actually go through this stuff!

UPDATE: Finally got it fixed! The Claimyr service connected me with a worker after about 50 minutes. The worker confirmed it was a security freeze from the app crash. She asked a few verification questions and unfroze my account right away. My EBT card is working again! For anyone else dealing with this - definitely try Claimyr or go to the office in person. The regular EBT customer service line can't help with this specific issue. Thanks everyone for your help!

I'm so glad you got this resolved! This thread is really helpful - I had no idea about the Claimyr service or that you could set up PIN reset authorization questions. I've been dreading using the BenefitsCal app because I keep hearing about these crashes, but now I know what to do if it happens to me. It's frustrating that we have to rely on workarounds for what should be basic functionality, but at least there are solutions. Thanks for updating us with what worked!

Anyone else notice that sometimes the EBT Edge app shows the wrong balance after benefits are deposited? Last month my CalFresh went in but the app still showed my old balance for like 12 hours. I panicked thinking I didn't get my benefits, but when I checked later it was updated. Their system is so unreliable!

I just want to add my experience from last month - I had my card locked for almost a week because I thought someone might have seen my PIN at the grocery store. My benefits still deposited right on schedule (the 3rd of the month for me). The deposit system is completely separate from the card lock feature, so you're totally fine! One small tip: I noticed that sometimes after unlocking the card, it takes a few minutes for the unlock to actually take effect at store terminals. So if you unlock it right before shopping and it gets declined, wait like 5-10 minutes and try again before panicking. Saved me an embarrassing moment at checkout!

ANOTHER THING to know is that even if you miss your recertification paperwork deadline, you still have a 30-day grace period to submit it without losing benefits completely!! They might stop benefits briefly but when you submit within that 30 days they'll restore from the discontinuation date. A lot of workers don't tell clients this!!!

Hey Henry! I'm new here but went through something similar last year. Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble getting through to your worker by phone, you can also visit the Contra Costa County office in person at 40 Douglas Dr in Martinez. I know it's not always convenient, but sometimes showing up in person gets faster results than waiting on hold. They have walk-in hours on certain days. Also, when you do get through to your worker (whether by phone or in person), make sure to ask them to put a note in your case file about your mail access issue - this creates a paper trail that protects you if there are any problems with missed deadlines. Good luck!