CalFresh EBT cards arrived but only shows 'Sun Bucks' not my food benefits - confused!
Has anyone else gotten their EBT card but it only shows 'Sun Bucks' on it? I got my letter in the mail yesterday (with the L at the beginning of my case number) and my card came with it, but when I called to check the balance it only mentions something called 'Sun Bucks' and not my actual CalFresh benefits. I was approved for $415 for my family of 3 but I can't see that amount anywhere on the account. Is Sun Bucks the same thing as CalFresh? I'm so confused because I need to buy groceries this weekend and don't know if I can use this card or not. First time getting benefits so I have no idea what's normal.
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Philip Cowan
sun bucks??? never heard of that lol. pretty sure its supposed to just say calfresh or snap benefits on ur ebt card. mine sure does. maybe call the county?
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Kara Yoshida
•Yeah I tried calling but been on hold for like 40 mins already. Hoping someone here knew what it meant before I waste more time waiting.
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Caesar Grant
Sun" Bucks is not an official CalFresh term. You might be looking at a completely different benefit or'there s some confusion. When you check your EBT balance, make sure'you re selecting 'the' Food account option rather 'than' Cash if prompted. Some EBT cards can hold multiple benefit types, and the system might be showing you a different'program s (benefits possibly a local or county-specific)supplement .'I d recommend:) 1 Call the EBT customer service line at (1-877-328-9677 not your county) office) 2 Check your benefit status on the BenefitsCal website) 3 Look closely at your approval notice - it should specify when benefits will be deposited Benefits are loaded according to the case number - if yours starts with L, it should be loaded around the 1st of the month.'It s possible they just'haven t been deposited yet if you were very recentlyapproved.
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Kara Yoshida
•Thank you so much! I tried the EBT number you gave and you were right - there are TWO different accounts on my card. I was only checking the cash account which showed 'Sun Bucks' (I guess that's some local program?) but when I selected FOOD benefits, my full $415 is there! Feeling so stupid now but grateful for the help!
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Lena Schultz
I had something similar happen when I first got my card! Turned out I was checking my cash benefits (which I didn't even know I had) instead of food benefits. The phone system is super confusing. Glad you figured it out!
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Gemma Andrews
Just to add some clarification - sounds like you have both CalFresh and a local assistance program loaded onto the same EBT card. This is actually common in some California counties that provide supplemental benefits beyond regular CalFresh. "Sun Bucks" appears to be one of these local programs (possibly specific to your county). For future reference, your CalFresh funds can ONLY be used for food items, while these supplemental funds (the "Sun Bucks") might have different usage rules. Check any paperwork that came with your approval for details on how the different benefits can be used. Also worth noting that your CalFresh benefits (the $415) will reload on the same day each month based on the first letter of your case number - since yours starts with L, you'll get funds on the 1st of each month going forward.
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Kara Yoshida
•This is so helpful - thank you! I looked back at my paperwork and there WAS a small insert about a county supplemental program that I totally overlooked. Seems like I'm getting both regular CalFresh and this extra local benefit which is amazing. Really appreciate everyone's help!
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Pedro Sawyer
The EBT system is TERRIBLE about explaining things clearly! I've been on CalFresh for 3 years and still get confused sometimes. The whole system needs a complete overhaul - they expect everyone to magically understand all these different accounts and programs with zero explanation. And don't even get me started on how they do a terrible job explaining what foods you can buy with each benefit type!!
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Mae Bennett
Next time you're having trouble getting through to your county workers about your CalFresh benefits, try using Claimyr. It saved me HOURS of hold time last month when I had a similar issue with my EBT card. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then call you when a real person answers. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8) and it was super easy to use. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. I was skeptical at first but after being hung up on twice by the automated system, it was worth it to have someone else deal with the hold times.
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Lena Schultz
•does it actually work tho? sounds too good to be true tbh
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Beatrice Marshall
ok but can someone explain what sun bucks actually are?? i've been on calfresh for 2 years and never heard of this. is it only in certain counties? i'm in alameda county and definitely don't have anything called sun bucks on my ebt card...
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Gemma Andrews
•It's most likely a county-specific supplemental program. Different counties in California offer various supplemental benefits beyond standard CalFresh, often with creative names. These programs are typically funded locally and rules vary by county. Not all counties offer these extras, which is why you might not have heard of it before.
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Philip Cowan
btw make sure u download the ebt edge app on ur phone, makes checking balances way easier than calling that number every time
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Kara Yoshida
•Thanks for the tip! Just downloaded it and it's so much easier to see everything clearly. Now I can see both benefit types separated out.
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Caesar Grant
To clarify for everyone - the standard CalFresh issuance schedule for 2025 is as follows, based on the last digit of your case number: • 1st of the month: Cases ending in 1, 2, 3, or L • 2nd of the month: Cases ending in 4, 5, 6, or M • 3rd of the month: Cases ending in 7, 8, 9, or N • 4th of the month: Cases ending in 0 or O So the OP's benefits were correctly loaded on the 1st since their case begins with L. Different counties may have various supplemental programs (like the 'Sun Bucks' mentioned), but the standard CalFresh issuance follows this schedule statewide.
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Giovanni Mancini
I'm new to CalFresh too and this whole thread was super educational! I just got approved last week and was worried I'd run into similar confusion when my card arrives. The fact that there can be multiple benefit types on one card is something they definitely don't explain well in the approval materials. Really glad you got it sorted out and thanks to everyone who provided such detailed explanations - this is exactly the kind of info that should be included in the welcome packet but never is!
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