CalFresh emergency allotment confusion - why did my benefits change to $516?
I'm super confused about my CalFresh benefits this month. For a while I was getting my regular amount plus $95 extra from some emergency thing. But when I checked my EBT card yesterday, my total was $516? That's different than before. Are we still getting emergency allotments in 2025? Did they change the amount? I thought they were supposed to end but now I'm not sure what's happening with my benefits. Anyone else notice changes to their amounts?
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Isabella Santos
The CalFresh emergency allotments actually ended in March 2023. What you're seeing now is likely your regular benefit amount after the annual cost-of-living adjustment that happened in October 2024. Benefit amounts typically increase each year to account for inflation and rising food costs. The $516 is probably just your standard benefit based on your household size, income, and expenses - not an emergency supplement.
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Malik Davis
•Oh wow really?? So the extra $95 is completely gone? I didn't realize that ended so long ago. But why would my regular amount jump up so much? There's just me and my two kids and nothing changed with our situation.
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StarStrider
they change th benefits every october. your getting more cause food prices went way up. my amount changed too but only to like 390 something. depends on your income and how many people in your house
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Ravi Gupta
•This is correct. The October 2024 increase was actually one of the larger annual adjustments we've seen in years - about 17% higher than 2023 levels because of significant food inflation. Each household's specific amount depends on income, household size, housing costs, and other factors. The emergency allotments ended nationwide over 2 years ago.
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Freya Pedersen
The pandemic emergency allotments ended forever in 2023. What you're seeing now might be because of: 1) annual COLA adjustment in October, 2) change in your reported expenses like rent/utilities on your last SAR7 or recertification, 3) change in household members, or 4) change in income. Did you recently complete a recertification or SAR7? If nothing changed in your situation, it's likely just the annual adjustment for inflation.
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Malik Davis
•I did just do my SAR7 last month! I included my new rent amount which went up by $300 since last time. Maybe that's why? I didn't think that would matter much but maybe it does?
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Freya Pedersen
•Yes! That's exactly why your benefit increased. When your shelter costs (rent + utilities) go up, your CalFresh benefits often increase too. The program has a complicated formula, but basically you get a deduction for housing costs over a certain threshold. Higher rent = bigger deduction = more benefits. The $516 is your new regular amount, no emergency extras involved.
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Omar Hassan
LISTEN UP! The government tricks people all the time with these benefits. They ended the emergency allotments without properly notifying everyone, and now they're just giving you the standard amount. I BET they didn't even send you a proper notice explaining the calculation, right?? The county offices are TERRIBLE at communication. They just expect us to figure everything out ourselves!!!
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Isabella Santos
•While communication could definitely be improved, the emergency allotments did actually end with proper notice in 2023, and all benefit changes should be accompanied by a Notice of Action explaining the calculation. If you didn't receive one, you can request it from your county office. They're required by law to provide that information.
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Ravi Gupta
The increase to $516 is likely due to multiple factors working together: 1) The October 2024 cost-of-living adjustment which increased maximum allotments across the board, 2) Your higher rent amount reported on your recent SAR7, and 3) Possibly a change in the utility allowance standards for 2025. All these factors are part of the standard benefit calculation - not emergency allotments. If you want to verify this is correct, you can request a detailed benefit calculation from your county office.
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Malik Davis
•Thanks for explaining! I guess I should be happy about the higher amount lol. It's just confusing when it changes and you don't know why. I'll keep the extra money in mind when budgeting now.
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Chloe Anderson
my sister gets calfresh to and hers went up to almost 700!! she has 4 kids tho. i think the more people you feed the more you get. they do adjust it every year in the fall. my moms on calworks not calfresh and hers didnt change at all so its just a food stamps thing i think
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Isabella Santos
•That's correct - CalFresh benefits scale based on household size, with larger households receiving more. The maximum for a household of 5 (your sister and 4 kids) would be around $1,050 in 2025, but the actual amount depends on income and expenses. CalWORKs has a different adjustment schedule than CalFresh, which is why your mom's benefits didn't change at the same time.
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Vince Eh
I'm glad you were able to figure out what caused the increase! Just wanted to add that you can also check your EBT card balance and transaction history online or through the ebtEDGE mobile app if you haven't already. It's really helpful for tracking your benefits and understanding when they're deposited each month. Also, if you ever have questions about your benefit calculation in the future, you can always call your county's CalFresh office - they're required to explain how they calculated your amount.
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Luca Russo
•Thanks for mentioning the ebtEDGE app! I didn't know about that - I've been calling the number on the back of my card to check my balance. That sounds way more convenient. And yeah, I should probably save the county office number in my phone for future questions. It's good to know they have to explain the calculations if I ask.
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