CalFresh EBT login page not working - can't access my benefits online
Is anyone else having trouble with the EBT website today? I've been trying to check my CalFresh balance for the past 2 hours and the page keeps freezing after I enter my card number. I've tried on both my phone and my son's laptop but keep getting stuck at the same spot. I need to see if my benefits were loaded because I'm supposed to go grocery shopping tomorrow and don't want to drive all the way to the store if my benefits haven't posted yet. Any ideas on what's going on or when it might be fixed? Or is there another way to check my balance without calling that super long automated phone number?
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Faith Kingston
its been doing that for me too since like yesterday afternoon. i think the whole system is down or something
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Ugh that's frustrating! Did your benefits at least get loaded this month? I'm worried mine didn't come through at all.
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Emma Johnson
The EBT website has been experiencing technical difficulties since yesterday according to my county worker. System maintenance wasn't scheduled, so it's likely an unexpected outage. There are three ways to check your balance during this time: 1. Call the EBT customer service number (1-877-328-9677) - yes, it's annoying but it works 2. Check your last receipt from a store where you used your EBT card 3. Download the ConnectEBT mobile app (sometimes works even when the website doesn't) Your benefits should still have been deposited according to your regular issuance date, even if you can't see them online. The system issues are just affecting the viewing portal, not the actual benefit deposits.
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Liam Brown
•I tried the app too and its giving me an "unable to connect to server" message... super annoying. Guess we're stuck with the phone option
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Olivia Garcia
OMG I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME!!! Been trying since last night and about ready to throw my phone across the room lol. I need to buy formula for my baby and I'm scared to go to the store without knowing if my benefits are there. Has anyone gotten through on the phone number? Is it actually working?
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Noah Lee
•I just got through on the phone after trying three times. The first two times I got disconnected after waiting, but the third time worked. My benefits were loaded, so I think it's just the website that's having problems. Your benefits should be there on your normal day - mine always come on the 11th and they were there. The phone system is working, just busy.
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Ava Hernandez
If you're having trouble getting through on the EBT phone line, you might want to try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I started using it after spending hours trying to reach my county worker about a verification issue. It basically holds your place in line and calls you back when a real person is available. Saved me hours of frustration with my CalFresh benefits. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Thanks! I didn't know about this service. Does it work for the EBT customer service line or just for reaching county workers? I'm desperate to check my balance before tomorrow.
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Ava Hernandez
•It works for calling your county CalFresh office, which can also check your balance and tell you if your benefits were deposited. They can see everything in their system even if the website is down. I've used it several times when I couldn't get through the normal way.
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Liam Brown
This happens EVERY SINGLE MONTH around issuance time!!! The system can't handle everyone checking their balances at once. This is why I take a screenshot of my issuance date letter and save it in my phone. I'm supposed to get my benefits on the 6th each month no matter what. Check your approval letter - it tells you what day of the month your benefits are supposed to come. The website being down doesn't change your issuance date.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•That's a good idea about saving the letter. I think mine is the 10th of each month, but I was worried because last month there was a problem and my benefits were late by 2 days. The county said it was because of a "system issue" then too.
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Faith Kingston
my neighbor works for the county and she said theyre doing a system update and it should be back up by tomorrow morning. something about transferring to a new server or whatever. she said our benefits are still being deposited on schedule tho
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Isabella Martin
•are u sure about that? last time they did a "system update" my benefits were 5 days late and nobody would tell me why!!! i had to borrow money to feed my kids 😞
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Emma Johnson
•System updates shouldn't affect the actual benefit deposits. If your benefits were late previously, that was likely a separate issue. The CalFresh issuance schedule is automated and runs independently from the website. I'd recommend calling your county office if your benefits aren't available within 1 day of your normal issuance date, as that would indicate an actual problem with your case rather than just website access issues.
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Noah Lee
I managed to check my balance by calling the EBT customer service number (1-877-328-9677). Had to wait about 10 minutes but it worked. My CalFresh benefits were deposited on the normal day. The website and app might be down but the system that manages the actual benefits is separate and still working properly.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Thanks for sharing! I'll try the number again. I gave up after being on hold for 15 minutes earlier.
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Lincoln Ramiro
UPDATE: I finally got through on the phone number! My benefits were loaded yesterday as scheduled. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. Looks like it's just the website having issues but our benefits are still being processed normally.
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Faith Kingston
•glad it worked out! hope the website gets fixed soon tho, i hate using that phone system
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Liam Brown
•It's always good to have a backup way to check your balance! I've learned to never rely solely on the website for CalFresh. Between system updates, maintenance, and random outages, there's always something going wrong with the online access.
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Ryan Young
Same thing happened to me last month during a "system upgrade" - the website was down for 3 days but my benefits were still deposited on time. I've started keeping the EBT customer service number saved in my phone (1-877-328-9677) because this seems to happen regularly. Pro tip: if you call early in the morning like around 7-8 AM, you usually get through faster than during peak hours. The automated system works even when the website doesn't, so your benefits should still be there on your normal date!
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Yara Nassar
•That's really helpful advice about calling early in the morning! I never thought about timing making a difference. I usually try calling in the afternoon when I'm free, but it sounds like that's when everyone else is calling too. I'll definitely try the 7-8 AM window next time this happens. Thanks for the tip about saving the number in your phone - I'm going to do that right now so I don't have to search for it again!
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