CalFresh benefits missing from EBT card this month - 3 weeks and no allotment deposited

Did you submit your SAR7 on time? They were due in December if your certification period started in July. If you missed that deadline they'll cut off benefits without another notice because the letter you got was conditional on completing your reporting requirements.

This happened to me last summer. If you missed your SAR7 deadline, you need to submit it ASAP - they have a 30-day restoration period where they can reinstate your benefits without making you reapply completely. Call your county office and tell them you need to submit a late SAR7 for "benefits restoration" - that's the key phrase. They should be able to process it and release your January benefits if you do it quickly. But the regular EBT customer service line can't help with this - has to be your actual county eligibility worker.

the same thing happened 2 my neighbor and she had 2 wait till next month. its so unfair how they expect u to remember every little form when ur already stressed about feeding ur family!!

I went through something similar in November! It's insanely difficult to get through to Sacramento County (assuming that's your county based on your benefit amount). I ended up using Claimyr to get through to an actual caseworker - it's this service that calls the county office for you and then connects you when they reach a human. Saved me hours of hold time. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Once I got through, I explained about my missed SAR7 and they helped me submit it right over the phone. My benefits were back on my card within 48 hours. Worth trying instead of waiting for next month, especially with kids at home.

THEY DO THIS ALL THE TIME!!! The system is literally DESIGNED to make people lose benefits by burying important deadlines in a mountain of paperwork. And then when you miss something they PUNISH YOUR CHILDREN by taking away food money with NO WARNING. I missed my SAR7 once and they made me REAPPLY even though I was only 5 days late. Meanwhile I had to borrow money for groceries and got behind on my electric bill. The whole system is BROKEN.

One important thing: if you do get through to your worker, make sure you've at least filled out your SAR7 completely before calling. They can accept it by phone but you need to have all your income information ready - pay stubs, child support received, any other income for all household members. They won't process it if there's missing information, and that will just delay things further.

Is your recertification coming up too? Sometimes they get the SAR7 and recertification confused. My caseworker told me recertification is the big one they do every year and SAR7 is the small update they do halfway through. If you miss either one they can cut you off. Did you get any letters about interviews or anything?

Quick update for you - I just checked and as of 2025, they should reinstate your benefits for the FULL month if you submit the SAR7 anytime in January. This is a newer policy for California. So even if you get it in next week, you should get the full month's benefits, not just prorated from the date you submit it. But you absolutely need to get it in before January 31st or you'll have to do a whole new application instead of just the form.

@profile6 - Yes, Claimyr definitely worked for me! I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying for days. It took about 25 minutes total instead of the 3+ hours I spent trying to call myself and getting disconnected. The workers actually seem to prioritize the calls that come through that system for some reason.

UPDATE: Finally got through to my worker! Used the Claimyr service that was recommended here and it worked perfectly - got connected to a real person in about 30 minutes. I faxed in my SAR7 form and they're processing it today. Worker said I should see my January benefits on my EBT card within 3 business days! So relieved and grateful for all the helpful advice here. Will update again when the money actually hits my card.