CalFresh EBT card balance suddenly zeroed out - where did my benefits go?

omg this just happened to my cousin last month!! did u check if ur card was maybe compromised? some stores have those skimmers on them now

Your benefits weren't taken by the county. There are a few possibilities here: 1. Card skimming (someone stole your card info) 2. You may have hit your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) without reporting it 3. Someone else with access to your card used the benefits 4. System glitch in the EBT system First, check your EBT transaction history on the EBT website or app. It will show exactly when and where the money was spent. If you see transactions you didn't make, report it immediately as fraud. If no suspicious transactions appear, you need to speak with your actual county worker, not just the EBT customer service line. They can see what happened with your case specifically.

This is just another example of how they try to cheat us out of our benefits. My friend got her benefits cut without warning too and couldn't get anyone on the phone for WEEKS! The system is designed to make us give up. CalFresh workers don't care about us actually eating - they just want to close cases.

i had somethin like this happen and it turned out my benefits got paused cause they thought i was working more hours but i wasnt. had to wait 3 days on hold to talk to someone at the county lol

I work at a community resource center and see this issue frequently. A few things to check: 1. Did you submit your last SAR7 or recertification? Even one day late can cause a benefit discontinuance 2. Check your mail carefully for the past month - benefit reduction notices can be easy to miss 3. If you have an active case, you need to speak with an actual eligibility worker, not EBT customer service The most common issues are missed paperwork deadlines or unreported income. If your benefits were actually stolen, you need to file a report within 10 days of discovering the theft to have any chance of replacement.

Try using Claimyr to get through to a real person at the CalFresh office. It's been a lifesaver for me after spending hours on hold. The service calls the county office for you and then calls your phone when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration when I had a similar benefits issue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. Much better than trying to navigate that horrible phone system yourself.

Another possibility - did you check if your benefits were staggered this month? In 2025, California started spreading out benefit deposits across the month to reduce grocery store crowding. Your main deposit date might have changed without you realizing it. Check your EBT account again and look at "upcoming deposits" section.

Quick update: this is actually a known system issue affecting some EBT accounts this week. Several clients reported the same problem. The balance shows $0 on the app/website but the benefits are still there. Try using your card at a store (even for a small purchase) and it should work. The state is working on fixing the display issue. If your card doesn't work at the store, that's different and means you need to contact your county office immediately.

For future reference, if you have a serious CalFresh emergency like benefits disappearing, you can request an expedited interview with your county office. Under California regulations, they must provide same-day or next-day service for true hardship situations involving food insecurity. Make sure to specifically say "I have no food and need an emergency interview" when you call. That usually gets you past the regular queue.