Anyone get their CalFresh Emergency Allotment today? Mine's missing despite recertification approval
Is anyone else still waiting for their emergency allotment to hit their EBT today (April 16th)? It's almost noon and nothing's showing up in my account yet. I was expecting it this morning based on that official notice they sent out (screenshot below), but then I found another county document saying April 17th instead. Super confusing! Some background: I just finished my recertification last month which was a whole ordeal - it finally processed at the end of March. Our household income went up slightly so we only qualified for $16 in regular benefits (down from $375 last period). That's fine with me as long as I still get the emergency supplemental amount they promised. Can someone confirm which date is correct for the emergency allotment? Has anyone actually received theirs yet today? Getting worried since we're really counting on this for groceries this week.
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Liam Mendez
same boat here... waiting all morning and NOTHING on my card yet!! typical govt BS
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Emily Jackson
•Glad I'm not the only one! Do you know if we're supposed to get the full emergency amount even if our regular benefit is tiny? That's what I understood but now I'm second-guessing everything.
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Sophia Nguyen
•They usually load emergency allotments in batches throughout the day. Sometimes it doesn't hit accounts until late evening. The April 17th date is probably more accurate for most recipients. And yes, you should still receive the emergency allotment that brings you up to the maximum benefit amount for your household size, regardless of how small your regular benefit is (even if it's just $16).
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Jacob Smithson
The emergency allotments ALWAYS come on the 17th in our county. They've been doing this since 2025 started. I don't know why they would send out a notice saying the 16th?? My caseworker actually told me specifically not to expect them until the 17th. And sometimes they don't load until late evening on whatever day they come.
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Isabella Brown
•Actually the dates changed back in February. My sister gets hers on the 16th but I get mine on the 17th. I think it depends on your case number or something?? Idk the whole system is too complicated
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Maya Patel
I'm going through the exact same situation! Recertified last month, income went up a bit, and now only getting $23 regular benefit. But the emergency supplement should bring it up to the maximum for our household size. My EBT account usually updates around 6pm on the day they say, so I'd check again this evening. BTW - make sure you check your EBT account online or through the app rather than just trying your card at the store. Sometimes the balance shows up online before it works at the register.
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Emily Jackson
•Thanks for the tip about checking online first! I've been refreshing the app all morning like a crazy person. Good to know 6pm might be more realistic. Fingers crossed for both of us!
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Aiden Rodríguez
The emergency allotments are scheduled for April 17th for most counties in California according to the most recent CalFresh bulletin. The only exceptions are Alpine, Madera, and Sierra counties which disburse on the 16th. Which county are you in? That might explain the discrepancy in the notices. And yes, as others mentioned, even with a minimal regular benefit ($16 in your case), you should still receive the emergency supplement that brings your total up to the maximum allotment for your household size. For example, if the maximum for your household size is $450, you would receive a $434 supplement ($450 - $16 = $434).
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Emily Jackson
•I'm in Sacramento County! That explains it - I must have seen the notice for those other counties. Thank you so much for clarifying. I'll check tomorrow then and stop panicking.
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Emma Garcia
•My friend in Nevada County got hers this morning but I'm in Alameda and still waiting. The county offices are impossible to reach by phone to confirm anything. Been calling all morning and either get disconnected or stuck on hold forever.
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Ava Kim
mine came 2day at like 5am but its always different 4 me. somtimes early somtims by dinner. dont worry yet
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Emily Jackson
•Thanks! Which county are you in? Just curious if it's one of the early ones that the other commenter mentioned.
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Isabella Brown
When I had an issue with my emergency allotment last month, I spent 3 HOURS trying to get through to an actual human at the county office. Just kept getting transferred and disconnected. I started calling at 8am sharp when they opened and still couldn't get through until after lunch. The system is so broken!!!!
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Jacob Smithson
•I have literally given up calling them directly. One time I was on hold for 2.5 hours and then they closed for the day WITHOUT EVER PICKING UP. I was so mad I filed a complaint but of course nothing happened about that either. Now I just go in person even though it takes half a day.
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Liam Mendez
•Have u guys tried that Claimyr service? Friend told me about it last month when I was having SAR7 issues and couldn't get through. It actually worked - got me to a real person in like 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and the website is claimyr.com. Saved me from losing my benefits when they needed more verification docs.
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Sophia Nguyen
UPDATE for everyone: I just checked with a colleague at the CalFresh office. The emergency allotments for April are indeed scheduled for the 17th for most counties. If you're in Sacramento County (as the OP mentioned), yours will definitely be tomorrow, not today. Also worth noting - this is likely one of the last few months for emergency allotments as the program is scheduled to phase out in August 2025. Make sure to report any income changes accurately on your SAR7 and recertification to maintain your regular benefits when that happens.
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Emily Jackson
•Thank you for confirming! I had no idea the emergency allotments were ending soon. That's going to be a huge adjustment for a lot of families including mine. I'll definitely make sure all our reporting is up to date.
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Maya Patel
•Wait WHAT?? The emergency allotments are ending in August?? That's going to cut my benefits by over $300! Is there anything we can do about this or is it definitely happening? With food prices still so high this is going to be devastating for my family.
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Sophia Nguyen
•Unfortunately it's a federal program sunset, so it will affect all states. The best preparation is to make sure your household has all eligible deductions properly reported (childcare expenses, excess medical costs for seniors/disabled, high housing costs). These can significantly increase your base benefit amount. Also consider applying for other programs like LIHEAP for utility assistance to free up more of your budget for food.
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Aiden Rodríguez
Just saw that my emergency allotment was deposited about 30 minutes ago (8:45pm on the 16th), though I'm in one of those early counties mentioned above. For most people, I'd expect to see it tomorrow. The system often loads benefits in batches throughout the day based on case numbers. One important tip - if your regular benefit amount changed after recertification, make sure that's properly reflected before the emergency allotment hits. If there was a calculation error on your regular benefit, it could affect your supplement amount too. Double-check your Notice of Action letter to confirm your regular benefit calculation looks correct.
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Emily Jackson
•Just checked again and still nothing for me. I'll wait until tomorrow as everyone suggested. My Notice of Action shows the $16 calculation based on our income, which seems right since we're just barely under the limit now. Thanks everyone for your help - I was really stressing out today!
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