Anyone received P-EBT cards for 2025 school year? Expected timeline?
Hey CalFresh community! I just got a notice that my kids qualify for the new round of P-EBT benefits for the 2025 school year (we're on reduced lunch at their elementary school). Has anyone actually received their cards yet? This is my first time dealing with P-EBT - we just started getting regular CalFresh six months ago. The letter mentioned benefits should arrive "within 30-60 days" but that's pretty vague! Anyone know how long they typically take to arrive in the mail? And do they come separately or together if I have multiple kids? Trying to plan our grocery budget and wondering when I can expect this extra help. Thanks for any info!
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Ana Rusula
got mine last week for my 3 kids. took about 5 weeks from when I got the letter saying we qualified
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Noah huntAce420
•Oh that's good to hear! Did they all come at once or separate cards on different days?
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Fidel Carson
I received the notification letter 6 weeks ago but still no card. Called the EBT customer service line twice and got nowhere - just automated messages. The county office said they don't handle the P-EBT cards directly and I need to wait. It's frustrating because we could really use the extra food assistance right now with how expensive groceries are getting.
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Isaiah Sanders
•Have you tried using Claimyr to reach someone? I was stuck in the same situation last month but couldn't get through to an actual person. I used their service at claimyr.com and they got me connected to a live worker in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. The worker was able to check my P-EBT status and give me an estimate of when it would arrive. Worth trying if you're still stuck!
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Fidel Carson
•Thanks for the suggestion! Never heard of that service before but I'll check it out. At this point I'll try anything to get some answers.
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Xan Dae
P-EBT is different from CalFresh even tho its on an EBT card, my kids got them last round but took almost 3 months not the 30-60 days they said lol. budgeting is hard when u dont know when help is coming
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Noah huntAce420
•3 months?! Ugh that's so much longer than they're saying. I wish they'd just give us a real timeline instead of getting our hopes up.
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Fiona Gallagher
To clarify some confusion here: The 2025 P-EBT benefits are being distributed in phases based on county and school district. The timeline of 30-60 days starts from the date of eligibility determination, not from when you received your notice. Each child receives their own card, but they're typically mailed together in one envelope. P-EBT cards are different from your regular CalFresh EBT card and will arrive separately. The cards are white with "P-EBT" printed on them rather than the standard Golden State Advantage card. If it's been more than 60 days since your eligibility notification, you can check your status at the official P-EBT portal at ca.p-ebt.org or call the dedicated P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677. The regular EBT customer service line typically can't help with P-EBT specific questions. The benefit amounts for the 2025 school year are $45-65 per eligible child per month, depending on your school's participation rate.
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Thais Soares
•The P-EBT is a scam. My neighbor with 2 kids who makes twice what I do got cards and I was denied even though my kids get free lunch at the SAME SCHOOL!!!! The whole system is rigged and they just pick and choose who they want to help
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Fiona Gallagher
•I understand your frustration, but P-EBT eligibility is determined by specific criteria set by federal guidelines. If your children receive free meals through a different program (like community eligibility provision) rather than direct certification or application approval, that could explain the difference. I'd recommend appealing the decision by calling the P-EBT helpline to review your case, as there may have been an error in the eligibility determination.
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Nalani Liu
Just an FYI - make sure you activate the P-EBT cards as soon as they arrive! The instructions come in the same envelope. I made the mistake of setting them aside when they arrived last year, and you have to use them within a certain timeframe. The benefits don't expire for a year once they're loaded, but there's an activation window. Also, you can use P-EBT at the same stores as regular CalFresh, but they're completely separate benefits with separate balances. The P-EBT customer service line (877-328-9677) is different from the regular EBT customer service, and unfortunately it's often hard to get through to a person there too.
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Noah huntAce420
•Thank you for the heads up! I definitely would have set them aside thinking I could activate them whenever. Do you remember how long the activation window is?
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Nalani Liu
•I believe it's 30 days from when they're issued, but I'm not 100% sure if that's still the case for the 2025 benefits. The instructions will tell you the exact timeframe when they arrive. Just don't do what I did and forget about them for a month!
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Ana Rusula
my kids cards came all in same envelope but they each got there own card with there names on it. gotta keep track of whats on each one seperately just fyi
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Noah huntAce420
•Thanks! That's helpful to know they come together at least. I'll make sure to keep good track of which card belongs to which kid.
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Isaiah Sanders
Wait im confused. Is P-EBT the same as CalFresh? I get CalFresh for my family but havent heard anything about P-EBT for 2025. Should I be applying for something separate?
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Fiona Gallagher
•P-EBT is separate from CalFresh, though both use EBT cards. P-EBT specifically provides food benefits to children who would have received free or reduced-price meals at school. You don't apply separately - eligibility is determined automatically based on school meal program participation. If your children are enrolled in free/reduced school meals, you should receive a notification if they qualify. You can check status at ca.p-ebt.org or call the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 to see if your children are in the system.
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Isaiah Sanders
•Oh thanks! My kids do get free lunch at school so maybe we'll get something soon. I'll check that website.
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Fidel Carson
UPDATE: My kids' P-EBT cards finally arrived today! Took exactly 52 days from the notification letter. Each child got their own card with their name on it, but they all came in the same envelope. The total benefits are higher than I expected - $195 per child for the first quarter. Just wanted to share since I know several people were asking about timeline.
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Noah huntAce420
•That's great news! Thanks for updating us - gives me hope mine will arrive soon too. And good to know about the benefit amount!
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