CalFresh EBT deposits still locked until 6AM? Can't access benefits at midnight anymore

yes its been like this for a while now. i think they started doing it in like 2023 or 2024? not sure why exactly but i think its to prevent some kind of fraud. its super annoying for us night owls & night shift workers tho!

This is correct information. CalFresh benefits in California are now deposited between 6am-8am on your scheduled date (based on the last digit of your case number). This change was implemented to help with system processing loads and reduce technical issues during overnight hours. Your benefits are still available on the same day each month, but the exact deposit time has been standardized to early morning hours rather than midnight. If you're a night shift worker, you might want to consider shopping after 6am before you sleep, or planning your major shopping trips for your days off. Your EBT card will work normally for all other days - it's just the actual benefit deposit that happens in the early morning.

I HATE THIS NEW SYSTEM!!! Been on CalFresh for 7 years and they NEVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME about this change!!! I work graveyard shift and ALWAYS do my shopping at 1am when I get off work. Last month I had a cart full of groceries and my card declined - SO EMBARRASSING!!! Had to put everything back and I was too tired to come back after 6am so my kids had nothing for breakfast. Why do they keep making this system HARDER for working people???

wait is this just a california thing? my cousin in nevada says he still gets his at midnight

If you need to speak with someone at your county office about this or any other CalFresh issues, I had great success using Claimyr. I was trying for days to get through to ask about a benefit amount change, but kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They basically wait on hold for you and call you when they reach a human. Really helpful for working people who can't sit on hold forever. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or just go to claimyr.com. Saved me hours of frustration.

I work for a community organization that assists with CalFresh applications, and I can confirm this change has been in place for about 18 months now. The actual deposit times can vary slightly by county (some start as early as 5:30am), but generally benefits are not available until early morning. This was part of California's EBT system modernization. On your regular deposit day, the system undergoes updates and benefit loading processes, which is why there's a brief period where new benefits aren't accessible. But as others mentioned, on all other days, your card should work 24/7 for any remaining balance.

Thanks everyone for the info. Guess I'll have to adjust my shopping schedule. Really wish they would consider night workers when making these changes. My deposit day is the 10th of each month so at least now I know for next time.

As someone who also works nights, I totally feel your frustration! I'm a nurse who gets off at 11:30pm and used to do my shopping right after work too. Found out about this change the hard way last year when my card got declined at Walmart at 1am - so embarrassing! What I've started doing is keeping a small "emergency" food budget from my previous month's benefits, so I can grab essentials if needed before the 6am cutoff. Then I do my main shopping trip on my days off. It's not ideal but at least I'm not caught off guard anymore. The system definitely wasn't designed with night shift workers in mind!

This is so frustrating! I'm a warehouse worker on the graveyard shift (10pm-6am) and I just discovered this the hard way last week. My deposit day is the 15th and I tried to buy groceries at 2am after work - card declined! The store clerk had no idea why and I felt so embarrassed. I had to go home hungry and wait until after my sleep to shop, which completely messed up my meal prep schedule. Why didn't they send clearer notifications about this change? I've been getting CalFresh for 3 years and always counted on that midnight availability. Really wish California would consider us night shift workers - we're already dealing with enough challenges without having our benefit access restricted during our only free time to shop!

I'm a security guard working 11pm-7am shifts and just ran into this same issue last month! My deposit day is the 3rd and I've always done my grocery runs at around 2am after work. When my card got declined at the self-checkout, I thought there was a system error or something was wrong with my account. The overnight manager didn't know about the 6am restriction either. It's really tough because by the time 6am rolls around, I'm exhausted and just want to get home to sleep. Plus most of the good sales and fresh produce are picked over by then. I wish they would at least make it 3am or 4am instead of waiting until 6am - that would help us night workers a lot more. Has anyone tried contacting CalFresh directly to give feedback about this policy? Maybe if enough night shift workers speak up they might consider adjusting the time.