Anyone received their P-EBT benefits for 2025 school year yet?
I've been checking my EBT card balance daily for the past 2 weeks waiting for the new P-EBT benefits to drop. My kids' school said all eligible families would receive them by early April, but it's already mid-April and nothing yet. The automated system just says my regular CalFresh benefits were loaded on the 10th but no mention of P-EBT. Anyone else received their P-EBT funds yet? Or know who to call about this specifically? The regular CalFresh number just keeps transferring me around.
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QuantumQuester
not yet... my neighbor got hers last week tho. think their sending them out in groups?
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Carmen Vega
•Really? That's interesting. Did your neighbor have to do anything special to get it? I'm wondering if I missed some paperwork or something.
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Andre Moreau
P-EBT benefits for the 2025 school year are being distributed in phases based on county and school district. The rollout started in late March and will continue through May. You don't need to apply if your children already qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. The system automatically identifies eligible children and issues benefits to the household's EBT card (or mails a new P-EBT card if you don't have an existing EBT card). If you want to check your specific status, you should call the P-EBT helpline at 1-877-328-9677, not the regular CalFresh number. They're overwhelmed right now, so expect long wait times. Your county office won't have specific information about P-EBT timing since it's managed at the state level.
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Carmen Vega
•Thank you for this detailed information! I didn't realize the P-EBT helpline was different from the regular CalFresh number. That explains why I kept getting transferred. I'll try calling the P-EBT number tomorrow.
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Zoe Stavros
•OMG that P-EBT helpline is IMPOSSIBLE to get through on!!!! I called 23 times last week and either got disconnected or was on hold for over an hour before giving up. Anyone know a better way to check on our P-EBT status?????
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Jamal Harris
got mine ystrdy for my 3 kids. $1250 total for the semester i think. check ur mail maybe they sent u a new card?
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Carmen Vega
•Oh that's good to know! I've been checking my existing EBT card since that's where they loaded it last time. I'll start checking the mail more carefully. Did they notify you in advance that you'd be getting a separate card this time?
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Jamal Harris
•nah no notice just showed up in mail
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Mei Chen
I'm so frustrated with this whole P-EBT thing!!! Last year they said my kids qualified, then nothing came, then when I called they said oops sorry you actually don't qualify because our income was $47 over the limit. I spent HOURS on the phone just to find that out. Now this year they're enrolled in a different school and supposed to qualify again but I'm terrified of going through the whole runaround again. The system is BROKEN.
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QuantumQuester
•same thing happend to my sister last year. total nightmare. she ended up having to apply for emergency calfresh just to feed her kids that month
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Andre Moreau
Just to clarify some confusion in this thread: P-EBT and CalFresh are two separate programs. P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children who would receive free or reduced-price school meals, while CalFresh (SNAP) is the general food assistance program. They use the same type of EBT card technology, but eligibility requirements differ. For the 2025 school year P-EBT distribution: - Northern California counties: Distribution began March 25-April 5 - Central California counties: Distribution April 6-20 - Southern California counties: Distribution April 21-May 10 If you're in a later distribution group, your benefits haven't been released yet. The P-EBT helpline (1-877-328-9677) will have the most accurate information, but as others mentioned, it's very difficult to reach someone right now.
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Carmen Vega
•Thank you for the clear explanation! We're in San Diego County, so based on your schedule, benefits might not be distributed until the end of April or early May. That's a relief to know - I thought I was missing something or had been skipped. I'll be more patient now.
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Mei Chen
Wait, are we talking about school P-EBT or summer P-EBT? Because those are different, right? I've been expecting the summer one and wasn't aware of a new school year distribution. Can someone please explain the difference? My kids get free lunch at school already.
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Liam Sullivan
•You're right that there are different P-EBT distributions. For the 2025 cycle: 1. School Year P-EBT: This covers days when children couldn't access school meals during the regular school year (currently being distributed) 2. Summer P-EBT: This is a separate benefit to help with food costs during summer break when school meals aren't available (typically distributed in June/July) Both are automatic if your children qualify for free/reduced meals. You don't need to apply separately. The current discussion is about the School Year P-EBT that's rolling out now through May.
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Zoe Stavros
Anyone know how much we're supposed to get per kid this time? Last year it was like $120 per kid per month for 5 months, but I heard they reduced it this year?
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Andre Moreau
•For the 2025 school year, P-EBT benefits are $130 per eligible child per month for qualifying months. Some counties may receive fewer months of benefits depending on how many qualifying school closure or virtual instruction days they had. The maximum benefit period is 5 months, so potentially up to $650 per child for the full benefit period. This is actually a slight increase from last year's rate.
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