Are children under 6 eligible for P-EBT 4.0 without being enrolled in school? CalFresh confusion!
I'm getting really stressed trying to figure out if my 4-year-old qualifies for the new Pandemic EBT 4.0 benefits. She's not in kindergarten yet - just goes to a small daycare center three days a week. I've been on CalFresh for about 8 months, and I saw something online about P-EBT 4.0 including children under 6, but then my neighbor said they need to be in an actual school program? The CalFresh website is so confusing and I can't get through on the phone. Does anyone know if young kids who aren't in formal school programs can get the P-EBT 4.0 benefits? I'm a single mom and every bit of food assistance really helps us right now.
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Clarissa Flair
Yes, children under 6 who are part of a CalFresh household ARE eligible for P-EBT 4.0 even if they're not enrolled in school. This is different from earlier P-EBT programs. For 4.0, they just need to be in a CalFresh household during the benefit period and under 6 years old. Your daughter should qualify based on what you've shared. Benefits should be automatically issued - you don't need to apply separately for children under 6. The cards are supposed to be mailed out in phases starting in mid-2025 for the 2024-2025 benefit period.
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Eve Freeman
•Thank you so much! That's a huge relief. Do you know when they'll be sending the cards? I haven't received anything in the mail about it yet.
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Caden Turner
same boat here with my 3yr old and 5yr old... i tried calling the p-ebt hotline but gave up after 45min on hold smh
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McKenzie Shade
•I found a way to actually get through to someone when dealing with my P-EBT issues! Try using Claimyr.com - it's this service that calls and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an actual person answers. Saved me hours of frustration with my P-EBT questions. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. I was skeptical but it actually connected me to a worker who could answer my specific P-EBT eligibility questions.
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Harmony Love
My sister got PEBT for her kid who's 2 and they don't go to school so you should be fine
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Rudy Cenizo
•Are you sure that was P-EBT 4.0 though? Because the rules keep changing with each version. I got benefits for my toddler during one phase but then was denied in another. THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY INCONSISTENT AND DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE!!! They never explain anything clearly on purpose, I swear.
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Natalie Khan
To clarify what others have said, P-EBT 4.0 has specific eligibility requirements for children under 6: 1. The child must be part of a household that received CalFresh benefits at any time during the 2024-2025 school year 2. The child must be under 6 years old as of October 1, 2024 3. The child does NOT need to be enrolled in school or child care This is different from earlier P-EBT programs where child care enrollment was sometimes required. Benefits are issued automatically to the mailing address on file with your CalFresh account. The distribution is happening in phases, so some people will receive their cards earlier than others. If you've moved recently, make sure your address is updated in the BenefitsCal system.
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Eve Freeman
•Thank you for breaking it down so clearly! We haven't moved, so hopefully the card will come to the right address. Is there a way to check the status of when it might arrive? The extra food benefits will really help us.
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Daryl Bright
im confused bc i thought pebt ended after covid? why are they doing 4.0 now in 2025? not complaining just surprised
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Clarissa Flair
•The program was extended through the 2024-2025 school year by legislative action. While the original COVID emergency ended, they recognized ongoing food insecurity issues affecting families with children. P-EBT 4.0 is the latest extension, but it's likely to be the final phase unless further legislation passes.
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Caden Turner
I heard they're requiring proof of income for P-EBT now, did anyone else have to submit pay stubs?
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Natalie Khan
•That's not accurate for P-EBT 4.0. Since eligibility is based on your existing CalFresh participation, you don't need to submit additional income verification specifically for P-EBT. You'll need to continue meeting your regular CalFresh reporting requirements (like your SAR7), but there's no separate income verification process for P-EBT 4.0.
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Rudy Cenizo
I just went through this EXACT nightmare with my 3-year-old. The California P-EBT system is COMPLETELY BROKEN! I spent 14 HOURS on the phone across three days trying to get answers. First they told me he qualified, then they said he didn't, then they said they needed school enrollment which makes NO SENSE for a toddler!!! They have no idea what they're doing and every worker tells you something different. This is why so many eligible families never get benefits - the system is DESIGNED to make us give up!!!
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Harmony Love
•Did u eventually get the benefits for ur 3yr old? My cousins still waiting for hers
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Clarissa Flair
Just to add some helpful information: if you want to check the status of your P-EBT 4.0 benefits, you can visit the official P-EBT website at ca.p-ebt.org or call the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677. Just be aware that call volumes are extremely high right now as the new phase rolls out. The best times to call are typically right when they open or in the last hour before they close. If you received P-EBT benefits in previous phases, the new benefits should load onto your existing P-EBT card. If this is your first time receiving P-EBT, you'll get a new card in the mail.
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Eve Freeman
•Thanks for this info! I'll try checking online first. We never received P-EBT before because we only started on CalFresh last year, so I guess we'll be getting a new card. Fingers crossed it comes soon.
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Daryl Bright
my cousins kid got pebt but they dont get calfresh they just get free school lunch is that different?
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Natalie Khan
•Yes, that's a different eligibility pathway. P-EBT 4.0 has multiple ways to qualify: 1. Children under 6 in CalFresh households 2. School-age children who receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program 3. School-age children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students receive free meals Your cousin's child likely qualifies through the school meal program rather than through CalFresh. The benefits work the same way regardless of which eligibility pathway applies.
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QuantumQuester
I'm in a similar situation with my 5-year-old who's not in kindergarten yet but we've been on CalFresh since last fall. Reading through these comments is so helpful - I had no idea about the automatic issuance for kids under 6! I've been stressing about having to apply separately. Does anyone know roughly how long the cards are taking to arrive once they're mailed out? I want to make sure I don't miss it or that it doesn't get lost in the mail. Also wondering if there's a way to confirm our mailing address is correct in the system without having to call that overwhelmed hotline.
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