CalFresh P-EBT cards finally arrived for my kids in Shasta County - what can we buy?
Super relieved that my three kids' P-EBT cards (we call them sunbucks cards because of the logo lol) finally showed up on Wednesday! We're in Shasta County and our last name starts with B, so I guess they're going alphabetically? Been waiting FOREVER - literally months since they announced this benefit. Has anyone used these cards yet? I'm confused about what we can actually buy with them. Are the rules different from regular CalFresh? Can we use them at farmers markets? Also, do these expire? I don't want to lose any benefits if we don't use them right away. Thanks for any help!
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Aisha Rahman
Congrats on getting your cards! The P-EBT cards work just like regular CalFresh EBT cards for the most part. You can buy food items at any store that accepts EBT, including most farmers markets (many farmers markets even have Market Match which doubles your benefits). You CANNOT buy hot prepared foods, alcohol, cigarettes, vitamins, household supplies, or pet food. Regarding expiration - the benefits should stay on the cards for 274 days (about 9 months) from the date they're issued, so you have plenty of time to use them. You might want to check the balance before using them though - you can call the number on the back of the card or check online through the EBT website.
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QuantumQueen
•Thank you so much! That's really helpful. I didn't know about that Market Match program at farmers markets - definitely going to look into that! Do you know if there's a way to check the balance without calling? The phone system always drives me crazy with all the automated menus.
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Ethan Wilson
My kids got there cards last week too!!! We're in Siskiyou county, last name also B. weird that were getting them at same time even tho different countys. Anway I tried using them at walmart already and they worked fine for groceries but not for the rotisserie chicken which was annoying cuz the kids were hungry and I didn't wanna cook
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QuantumQueen
•That's interesting about getting them at the same time. Maybe they're doing it by region? Bummer about the rotisserie chicken though! I almost always grab one when shopping too since it's such an easy dinner.
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Yuki Sato
I got my kids' cards too but one of them didn't work when I tried to use it. Called the number on back and they said it wasn't activated yet??? Even though it came in mail already? Anyone else have this problem?
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Aisha Rahman
•Yes, this is actually common with the new P-EBT cards. Unlike regular EBT cards that come activated, these need to be activated first by calling the number on the back of the card. You'll need the card number and the birthdate of the child the card was issued for. It's pretty quick once you get through the automated system.
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Carmen Flores
If you're having trouble calling the P-EBT customer service line (which can be a NIGHTMARE), I recently used a service called Claimyr that saved me hours of frustration. They basically wait on hold for you when calling EBT or county services and then call you when a real person is on the line. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked really well when I needed to resolve an issue with my daughter's card that had the wrong birthdate. Check out their demo video here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or website at claimyr.com. Better than sitting on hold for 2+ hours!
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QuantumQueen
•That actually sounds really useful. The hold times are insane lately. I'll keep this in mind if I run into any issues with the cards. Thanks for sharing!
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Ethan Wilson
•does it cost $$$?? seems kinda weird to pay just to talk to government ppl we should be able to reach anyway...
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Carmen Flores
•Yeah it does cost something, but for me it was worth it because I literally couldn't get through after trying for days. I was about to lose benefits for my kids. But totally get what you're saying - the system SHOULD work better on its own.
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Andre Dubois
I'm in Trinity County and still nothing for my kids!! Anyone else still waiting? Starting to think they forgot about us 🙄 Is there a schedule somewhere of when each county is supposed to get them? The website is useless.
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CyberSamurai
•The P-EBT rollout for 2025 is being done in waves, and they're supposed to be sending them through June. There isn't a published schedule by county that I've seen, but they're definitely not done distributing yet. If you're concerned, you can check eligibility on the benefitscal.com portal or by calling your county office. If your kids qualify for free/reduced school meals, they should get cards eventually.
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CyberSamurai
Just a heads up - make sure you activate each card separately using each child's information. I had an issue where I activated one card and assumed they were all active, but each one needs to be individually activated. Also, keep the cards even after you use the benefits because they sometimes add additional benefits to the same cards later in the year. And yes, they work just like regular CalFresh EBT for food purchases. The current benefits should be valid for 9 months from issue date, so you don't need to rush to spend them. You can check balances by calling the number on the back of the card or through the California EBT mobile app (which is actually pretty decent now after their update).
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QuantumQueen
•Oh I didn't know about the mobile app! That sounds way easier than calling. Going to download it now, thanks! And good tip about keeping the cards - I would have probably thrown them away after using the benefits.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
The whole P-EBT system is SUCH a mess this year. I help families navigate benefits as part of my job, and I've seen so many problems - cards sent to old addresses, wrong benefit amounts, activation issues. If you have ANY problems with the cards, document everything and be persistent. Oh, and don't forget - these P-EBT cards are specifically for the kids they're issued to, technically not for the whole family (though obviously in practice, food is food in a household). That's different from regular CalFresh which is for the entire household.
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QuantumQueen
•Wait, really? I thought I could use them for general family groceries. Is there any way they can track what we buy specifically for each kid vs. everyone else? That seems impossible to enforce.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•In practice, no, there's no way for them to track what specific family member eats what food. The benefits are intended to replace the school meals the children would have received, but realistically, most families just incorporate it into their overall food budget. You won't get in trouble for buying family groceries with it. I just mentioned it because it explains why each child gets their own card rather than it being added to the family's regular CalFresh benefits.
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Yuki Sato
my kids cards came and it had WAY less money then I thought it would? Anyone know how much were supposed to get for each kid??
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Aisha Rahman
•For the 2025 P-EBT benefits, the amount varies depending on: 1) Whether your child attended school in-person or remotely for parts of the year, 2) How many days your school district reported as eligible days, and 3) Whether your child was enrolled in the free/reduced meal program for the full year. The maximum amount is about $125-$150 per month per child for fully remote students, but most kids who attended in-person school are getting around $45-$65 per month. The benefits should cover eligible months from the previous school year. If you think there's an error, you can file an appeal through the P-EBT website or by calling the P-EBT hotline.
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