CalFresh EBT deposit not available at midnight - payment delay issue?
Anyone else having trouble accessing their CalFresh benefits that were supposed to deposit today? I stayed up until midnight to withdraw some cash from my EBT card (really need groceries for tomorrow morning) but the money isn't showing up in my account yet. My benefits normally deposit on the 11th and are available right at midnight. I checked BenefitsCal and it says my benefits were approved and should be processed today. Is this happening to anyone else? Should I wait a few more hours or is something wrong with the system? Getting worried since I literally have nothing in the fridge for my kids' breakfast.
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Freya Thomsen
yep happening to me too. my deposit day is also the 11th and nothing showed up at midnight. this is the 3rd time this year theyve been late. so frustrating when ur depending on it for food!!!
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Ravi Sharma
•Oh thank god it's not just me. Do you know how long the delay usually is? I'm wondering if I should just try to sleep or keep checking every hour.
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Omar Zaki
The CalFresh EBT deposit system in California has been experiencing delays this month due to a scheduled system update. While benefits are normally available at midnight on your assigned day, this month they might be delayed by 6-12 hours. According to the official CDSS announcement, all benefits should still be deposited within your assigned day, just not necessarily at midnight. If your deposit day is the 11th, I'd recommend checking again around noon.
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AstroAce
•where did u see this announcement? I checked my email and didnt get anything about delays. They should warn people!!!
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Omar Zaki
•The announcement was posted on the Benefits.CA.gov website last week. It wasn't sent by email, unfortunately, which is why many people are caught off guard. You can verify by calling the EBT customer service line, though wait times have been over 45 minutes this morning due to the high volume of calls about this issue.
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Chloe Martin
I HATE how they always do this!!! My deposit day is also the 11th and I'm still waiting too. But this happens like EVERY OTHER MONTH!! They do "system updates" with NO WARNING and then act like it's no big deal that families have no food. I've got 3 kids to feed and they just don't care that we're sitting here with empty fridges. Last time this happened I called and after waiting 1.5 hours they just said "oh yeah it's delayed, nothing we can do" - GREAT HELP THANKS
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Ravi Sharma
•That's awful they didn't even tell you how long the delay would be. Did your benefits eventually show up the same day or was it pushed to the next day?
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Chloe Martin
•It came through around 3pm that time. But I've heard some people had to wait until the NEXT DAY. It's just ridiculous. We depend on this money being there WHEN THEY SAY it will be.
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Diego Rojas
This happens sometimes. Not sure why everyone's so worked up about it. It's usually in by morning or afternoon. Just wait a bit.
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Chloe Martin
•Some of us have CHILDREN who need to EAT BREAKFAST and were counting on having food money this morning. Not everyone has the luxury of just "waiting a bit" when they have nothing in the fridge.
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Diego Rojas
•fair enough - didn't think about that, sorry
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Anastasia Sokolov
I work for a community resource center, and we've been getting calls about this all morning. The system update was actually announced, but only on their website and not very prominently. For anyone who needs immediate food assistance while waiting for their benefits to deposit, check if your local food bank has morning hours. I know several in our area opened early today specifically because of the CalFresh delay. Also, benefits should all be deposited by 5pm today according to the county office.
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Ravi Sharma
•Thank you for this information! I'll check if the food bank near me is open. Any idea if we need to bring any specific documentation to the food bank?
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Most food banks are currently operating with minimal documentation requirements. Bringing your EBT card is usually sufficient proof that you qualify for assistance, but even without it, most won't turn anyone away during these delay situations. Some may ask for ID and proof of address, but they've been advised to be flexible today.
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Sean O'Donnell
If you need to check on your benefits or get this resolved quickly, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It helped me get through to an actual CalFresh worker last month when my benefits were delayed. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then call you when they get a real person. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. The worker I got connected with was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my deposit and when it would be available.
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Freya Thomsen
•does this actually work?? the last time i called the calfresh number i waited for 2 HOURS and then got disconnected i literally cried
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Sean O'Donnell
•Yes, it absolutely works. That exact thing happened to me too - waited forever and got disconnected. With Claimyr, they did the waiting for me and I just went about my day until they called me when they had a worker on the line. The worker was able to see exactly when my deposit was scheduled and confirmed it would process later that day.
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AstroAce
my neighbor says she got hers on time last night but shes on the 10th deposit schedule. maybe its just the 11th thats affected?
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Omar Zaki
•That's correct. According to the CalFresh office, the system update is affecting deposit days 11-16 this month. Those with deposit dates 1-10 received their benefits on the normal schedule.
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Freya Thomsen
its in!!! just checked my account and my benefits just loaded at 10:37am
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Ravi Sharma
•THANK YOU for updating! Just checked mine and it's there too! So relieved. Heading to the store now.
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Chloe Martin
•Mine too FINALLY. But they should really warn people about these delays. Not everyone has backup food or money when these things happen.
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Anastasia Sokolov
For anyone who experiences this issue in the future, there are a few steps you can take: 1. Check the BenefitsCal website for any system announcements 2. Call the EBT customer service line (though wait times may be long) 3. Contact your local county CalFresh office directly 4. Check the CDSS website for any system update notifications 5. If you need immediate food assistance, contact your local food bank It's also good practice to keep some emergency food supplies if possible, as these system delays do happen occasionally. If delays become a regular issue for you, you can request to have your deposit date changed by contacting your county worker during your next recertification.
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Ravi Sharma
•Thank you for these tips. I'll definitely start keeping better track of system update announcements and try to keep some emergency food on hand. Is there any way to sign up for text alerts about these types of delays?
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Unfortunately, California doesn't currently offer a dedicated text alert system specifically for EBT deposit delays. However, some counties do offer general CalFresh text notifications. You can ask your county worker about enrolling in any available notification services during your next contact with them. It's a good idea to also check the BenefitsCal website a few days before your deposit date each month.
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Lucas Notre-Dame
I'm dealing with this same issue too - my deposit date is the 11th and I've been checking since midnight with no luck. Just saw that others are getting theirs around 10:30am though so I'm hoping mine shows up soon! This is really stressful when you're planning your grocery shopping around these deposits. I wish they would send out notifications ahead of time about these system updates instead of leaving us all wondering what's going on. Going to check my account again now and cross my fingers it's finally there.
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