Hi Zoe! Welcome to CalFresh! 🎉 I've been on the program for about 6 months now and can absolutely confirm what everyone else is saying - your benefits definitely roll over month to month! No need to worry about losing them. One thing that really helped me when I first started was setting up a simple system to track my spending. I use a small notebook where I write down my starting balance each month, what I spend, and what's left over. It's helped me get comfortable with the rollover feature and plan better for weeks when I know I'll need more groceries (like when my kids have friends over during school breaks!). Also, since you mentioned the paperwork being confusing - totally normal! The CalFresh system can be overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it. And definitely look into that childcare deduction everyone mentioned. $950/month is a significant expense that should absolutely be factored into your benefit calculation. This community has been such a lifesaver for navigating CalFresh questions. Everyone here is so helpful and knowledgeable. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions as you get more familiar with the program. You're going to do great! 💪

Hi Zoe! Welcome to CalFresh! 🌟 I've been receiving benefits for about a year now and can absolutely confirm what everyone else is saying - your benefits DO roll over month to month! It was such a relief when I first learned this too. Just wanted to add a couple of tips that have really helped me: 1. Consider shopping at discount grocery stores like Food 4 Less or WinCo if you have them in your area - your CalFresh dollars can stretch so much further there, especially for pantry staples. 2. Don't feel guilty about letting benefits accumulate! I used to worry I was "doing it wrong" if I didn't spend everything each month, but now I see it as smart budgeting. 3. If you ever need to replace a lost EBT card, you can usually get a temporary one issued the same day at your county office, and your full balance transfers over. And yes, definitely call about that childcare expense! That's a huge deduction that could significantly increase your monthly benefits. You sound like you're already thinking about this so thoughtfully - your kids are lucky to have such a careful planner for a mom. This community is amazing for ongoing questions, so don't hesitate to ask anything else that comes up! 💕

This exact thing happened to my sister last year! The county kept going back and forth on her income calculations and she was so frustrated she almost gave up. But the appeals rep was right - when they finally sorted it out, she got all her retroactive benefits AND they removed the overissuance notice completely. The key thing is that conditional withdrawal form you signed. That was really smart because it protects you if the county doesn't follow through on what they promised. My sister didn't do that at first and had to restart her whole appeal when the county "forgot" about their commitment to fix things. You should definitely get your September and October benefits once this gets resolved. In her case, it took about 3 weeks after they corrected everything, and the money showed up as separate deposits on different days. Keep checking your EBT balance regularly because like others said, they don't always notify you when they add the backdated amounts. Stay on top of them with weekly check-ins though - these cases have a way of sitting in someone's inbox if you don't keep following up. You're doing everything right, just hang in there! 🙏

I'm so sorry you're going through this mess! As someone who's been navigating CalFresh for a while, I can tell you that income calculation errors are unfortunately super common. The good news is that since the appeals rep has already acknowledged the county made a mistake, you're in a really strong position. You should absolutely get your retroactive benefits for September and October - they're legally required to issue them once they correct the error. In my experience, it usually takes 2-4 weeks after they fix your case for the money to show up on your EBT card, often as separate deposits for each month. The overissuance notice should disappear completely since it was based on their calculation error, not anything you did wrong. Make sure to ask them to document that the overissuance was due to county error when they contact you about the resolution. One tip: start calling weekly for status updates and keep detailed notes of every conversation. Get names, dates, and exactly what they tell you. This system moves slowly unless you stay on top of it, but your conditional withdrawal was the smart move to protect your rights while giving them a chance to fix things. Hang in there! 💪

This whole thread has been such an incredible resource! I'm dealing with a similar lockout situation right now and was getting so frustrated until I found this discussion. It's honestly mind-blowing how many helpful workarounds everyone has shared - the automated phone balance check, store balance inquiries, Claimyr service, calling county offices right at 8am, even the tip about using incognito mode. I had no idea about most of these options! What really strikes me is how we've all had to become experts at navigating these broken systems just to access basic services we're entitled to. It shouldn't require a community forum and third-party services to check our own benefit balance, but I'm so grateful that spaces like this exist where people actually help each other with real solutions. Going to try several of these suggestions tomorrow and will definitely write down my security answers somewhere safe once I get back in. Thanks everyone for turning what could have been an isolated, frustrating experience into a learning opportunity for the whole community!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently locked out of my EBTEDGE account too and was feeling so stressed about it until I found this discussion. The range of solutions everyone has shared is incredible - from the automated phone balance check to Claimyr to calling county offices at 8am. What really gets me is how we've all had to become system navigation experts just to access our own benefits. It's wild that there's no simple, reliable way to reset these accounts through official channels. I'm planning to try the automated phone system today for my balance and then use Claimyr tomorrow to get my account reset. Really appreciate Miguel updating us on what worked - that kind of follow-through helps so many people who find this thread later. This community support makes dealing with these broken systems so much more manageable!

I just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been in your exact situation! My CalFresh benefits ended about 4 months ago when I missed my recertification interview (work schedule conflict), but I've been successfully using my EBT card for Museums for All discounts ever since. I've visited 5 different museums throughout California, and the California Science Center was actually the first place I tried it. The staff there are incredibly welcoming and familiar with the program - they just glanced at my card and immediately processed the discount. No questions, no hassle, just "enjoy your visit!" What I love about the Science Center specifically is that it's such a full day experience. My 8 and 10-year-olds spent hours in the ecosystems exhibit and couldn't stop talking about the earthquake simulator. The fact that you can get in for such a reduced price makes it feel like you're giving your kids this amazing educational experience without the financial stress. One tip: if you're planning to visit other museums in the future, I'd recommend checking out the Natural History Museum and the Getty Center too - both were super easy with the EBT card and have incredible exhibits that kids love. Don't hesitate about this weekend - your kids are going to have such an amazing time, and you should feel good about using a program that exists specifically to make these experiences accessible to families like ours! 🎆

I just wanted to share my recent experience to add to all the positive stories here! I'm a newcomer to this community but have been dealing with a similar situation. My CalFresh benefits ended about 2 months ago due to a change in my work hours, but I still had my physical EBT card. Last weekend I took my kids to the California Science Center and it went perfectly! I was honestly nervous reading some of the mixed experiences in this thread, but the staff there were so professional and kind. I just presented my EBT card at the ticket counter and they immediately gave us the discounted admission without any questions or verification attempts. My kids (ages 7 and 9) had an absolute blast - they're still talking about the space shuttle and the earthquake simulator! We spent almost 6 hours there and it felt like such great value for the discounted price. For anyone else who might be hesitant like I was, I'd say definitely go for it. The worst that could happen is you pay regular admission, but based on all these experiences (and now mine too), it seems like the vast majority of museums honor the program exactly as it's intended - to provide access to families who need it, regardless of current benefit status. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories here - it really gave me the confidence to try it! 🚀

I'm really glad I found this thread! I just started getting CalFresh benefits last month and had no idea that online EBT shopping was even possible. This whole conversation has been like a crash course in navigating the system. I was planning to try ordering groceries online soon since I work long hours, so knowing about the approved stores list and potential issues ahead of time will save me so much frustration. It sounds like Walmart and Amazon Fresh are the way to go for reliability. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to learn from people who've actually dealt with these systems instead of trying to figure it out from confusing government websites!

One more thing that might help future users - if you're getting the "restricted" error but you know you're at an approved store like Walmart, try logging out of your Instacart account completely and logging back in before attempting checkout again. I had this weird glitch where my EBT card kept showing as restricted at Walmart even after I'd successfully used it there before. Customer service told me their system sometimes holds onto old error states and logging out/in forces it to refresh. Also, if you're using the mobile app, try switching to the desktop website version - sometimes the mobile apps have bugs that the web version doesn't. These technical workarounds shouldn't be necessary but unfortunately the online EBT systems are still pretty buggy!