Anyone received their P-EBT 4.0 cards yet? Mine's supposed to arrive this month
So frustrated waiting for my kids' P-EBT 4.0 cards. We qualified because they get free school lunch, and the county worker told me back in January that cards would be mailed out 'in spring 2025.' Well it's mid-April now and nothing has shown up. The automated system just says 'cards are being processed.' Has anyone in California actually received theirs yet? I'm worried they sent it to our old address or something, even though we updated everything with CalFresh when we moved. Really counting on this for my 3 kids since grocery prices are insane right now.
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Atticus Domingo
I just got mine yesterday! I'm in Los Angeles County. They're definitely rolling them out but they're doing it in phases by county. The P-EBT 4.0 cards look different than the previous ones - they're blue instead of white. If you moved recently, double-check that your address is updated in both the school system AND with CalFresh. Sometimes the P-EBT system pulls from school records rather than CalFresh records. You can call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 to verify your address, but be prepared to wait at least an hour.
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Elin Robinson
•Thank you!!! I updated with the school in February but maybe it didn't get into their system in time. Did they send you any notification before it arrived or did it just show up?
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Beth Ford
nope nothing here yet. im in sacramento and have 2 kids. been checking mail everyday cuz we really need it
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Morita Montoya
•Same here in Fresno, absolutely nothing yet. My neighbor's kid got hers but mine haven't. Makes no sense!
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Kingston Bellamy
Important correction - P-EBT 4.0 is NOT the same as regular CalFresh EBT. They're different programs with different eligibility requirements, though both provide food assistance. P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children who qualify for free/reduced school meals, while CalFresh is for all low-income households. Regarding the rollout: CDSS announced they're distributing P-EBT 4.0 cards between March-June 2025 in batches. Distribution priority is based on county and last name. If you moved, you should contact both your school district nutrition services AND call the P-EBT hotline. The EBT customer service line won't have P-EBT information.
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Joy Olmedo
•does p-ebt 4.0 work at same stores as regular ebt? my kids qualified but i never used the old one from pandemic
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Isaiah Cross
The P-EBT rollout is so frustrating! I've been dealing with this for weeks now. My neighbor got cards for her kids last week, but nothing for mine yet. I called the P-EBT hotline EIGHT TIMES and kept getting disconnected. When I finally got through, they just said "it's coming" but couldn't tell me when!! For those struggling to reach someone, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have a service that waits on hold for you and calls when a real person is on the line. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Saved me so much frustration!
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Elin Robinson
•Thank you for the tip! I'll try calling the hotline one more time tomorrow, but if I get nowhere I'll check out that service. So tired of being on hold forever!
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Kiara Greene
I'm confused about why they're sending out new P-EBT cards at all. I thought that was just a COVID thing that ended years ago? Is this some new program or extension of the old one? My kids get free lunch at school but I haven't heard anything about getting new cards.
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Atticus Domingo
•This is P-EBT 4.0, which covers missed school meals due to COVID-related absences during the 2022-2023 school year. It was approved late, which is why distribution is happening now in 2025. It's different from the original pandemic P-EBT. Your kids might qualify if they had COVID-related absences AND were eligible for free/reduced lunch during that period. Not everyone who gets free school lunch now automatically qualifies - depends on their attendance record during that specific time.
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Evelyn Kelly
My kids P-EBT 4.0 came last week but when I tried to use it the balance was $0!! Called the number on back and they said I needed to activate it first duh lol. But after activating it only had $247 for all 3 kids which seems super low compared to previous P-EBT amounts. Anyone else notice the benefit amounts are different this time??
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Kingston Bellamy
•The P-EBT 4.0 benefit amounts are calculated differently from previous rounds. Benefits are only for COVID-related absences during the 2022-2023 school year, not for the entire school closure like in earlier pandemic versions. The amount is approximately $8.18 per day of eligible absence. So if your children had fewer COVID-related absences, they'll receive less than previous P-EBT issuances.
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Morita Montoya
Anyone else having trouble with the P-EBT hotline? I've called every day this week and either get disconnected or they tell me to call back later. I suspect they sent my kids' cards to my ex's address even though I have primary custody and the kids live with me. This is the 3rd benefit program that's messed up my information this year!!!!
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Isaiah Cross
•The P-EBT hotline is completely overwhelmed right now. Try calling right when they open at 8am. If that doesn't work, I used Claimyr.com and got through after they waited on hold for me - took about 90 minutes but at least I didn't have to sit there listening to that horrible hold music. For custody issues, you might need to provide court documents showing you have primary custody. They can reissue cards to your correct address.
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Joy Olmedo
wait is this different than calfresh? i get calfresh but didnt get any new card
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Atticus Domingo
•Yes, P-EBT is completely different from CalFresh. P-EBT 4.0 is specifically for families with children who qualified for free/reduced school meals during the 2022-2023 school year AND who had COVID-related absences during that period. It's separate from regular CalFresh benefits. If your children meet those criteria, they should be getting cards, but the rollout is happening in phases through June 2025.
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Elin Robinson
Update: I finally got through to someone at the P-EBT hotline! Apparently, our cards were mailed out last week and should arrive any day now. The rep said they're doing distribution based on the first letter of the child's last name within each county. My county is among the last batch. For anyone else still waiting, hang in there - they're definitely still sending them out.
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Beth Ford
•thx for update! hope mines coming soon too. did they tell u how much ur kids will get?
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