CalFresh 'sun bucks' confusion - has anyone with 'W' last name received their summer EBT yet?

They're not called "sun bucks" - that's just a nickname some people use. The official program is Summer EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer), which provides extra food benefits for eligible school-age children during summer break. For 2025, I believe they're releasing benefits in batches throughout May-June, but it's not strictly alphabetical. It depends on when your application was processed and your county's distribution schedule. If your children receive free or reduced-price school meals, you should be eligible, but you might need to complete a separate application depending on your county.

my last name starts w/ V and i got mine last week. it just showed up on my regular ebt card, no separate card. check ur balance on the app, maybe its already there?? didnt get any notice it was coming, just an extra $120 per kid. think they do it by county too not just alphabet

The Summer EBT program for 2025 has specific eligibility requirements that go beyond just receiving reduced-price school meals. Your household needs to either be currently receiving CalFresh benefits, or your children must be certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. The distribution isn't strictly alphabetical - that's a common misconception. Benefits are typically issued based on case processing dates and county distribution schedules. For most counties, Summer EBT benefits for 2025 are being issued between May 10th and June 20th. If you're already receiving CalFresh, the summer benefits should be automatically loaded to your existing EBT card. You don't need a separate application in most cases. However, it's always best to confirm with your specific county office.

When I tried calling my county office about Summer EBT last year, I had the EXACT same experience - on hold forever, then had to hang up. So frustrating! I ended up using this service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to a real person at the CalFresh office. It was such a relief! You just go to claimyr.com and they call the county for you and get you connected without the endless hold times. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Worth it when you need answers before your kids are home for summer and hungry!

My sister got hers and her last name is Williams, but she's in Alameda County. I think different counties are doing different rollouts. Have you checked the BenefitsCal website? Sometimes there are notifications there that don't come in the mail.

THEY ALWAYS DO THIS!!! Every single year it's the same confusion with summer benefits. No clear information, no consistent rollout, and the county workers themselves don't even know what's happening half the time. I've been on CalFresh for 6 years and EVERY SUMMER it's a mess. Last year they didn't deposit my kids' summer benefits until JULY 18th - summer was half over already!!! And then they expect us to be grateful. The whole system is designed to be confusing so fewer people claim benefits.

my name starts with W too (Watson) and I got mine yesterday! im in LA county though. call them again maybe? the lady told me they finished the W surnames this week. good luck!!

ok so i just asked my cousin who works for the county and she said they ARE doing alphabetical but within each county's schedule. so all the A-M names get processed first batch, then N-Z in second batch. but each county starts their batches on different dates. so if your county just started this week, and ur a W, you might be in the second batch which could be another week or two

hey just wondering did u ever get ur sun bucks? my cousins in san bernardino still waiting too

Hey @Skylar! So glad to hear you finally got your Summer EBT benefits! I'm actually in a similar situation - my last name starts with Y and I'm also in San Bernardino County. Still haven't received mine yet but after reading this whole thread I feel way more informed about how the system works. It's my first time dealing with Summer EBT too and I was totally confused about the timing. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - especially the info about the R-Z batch processing. I'll keep checking my balance over the next few days!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone still waiting! I'm also new to CalFresh (started in March) and was really confused about the Summer EBT program. My last name starts with T and I'm in Riverside County. I got my benefits last Friday (May 30th) - $120 per kid automatically loaded to my existing EBT card. No separate application needed since I'm already receiving CalFresh. The timing really does vary by county, so don't panic if yours hasn't come yet! I found it helpful to set up text alerts through the ebtEDGE app so I got notified when my balance changed. Also want to echo what others said about the program being much more organized this year compared to the pilot years. Hang in there everyone!

Just chiming in as another newcomer to the CalFresh system! Reading through all these experiences has been so helpful. I'm in Orange County with a last name starting with S, and I received my Summer EBT benefits about 2 weeks ago (around May 20th). Like others mentioned, it just appeared on my existing EBT card as an extra $240 for my two kids - no separate notification or card needed. For anyone still waiting, I'd definitely recommend checking your balance regularly through the app rather than waiting for mail notifications. The county offices seem overwhelmed with calls about this, so the online tools are probably your best bet for checking status. Also wanted to say thanks to everyone who explained the difference between the old pilot programs and the new standardized system - that context really helps understand why there's still some confusion out there!

As someone who just went through this process for the first time, I wanted to share my experience to hopefully help others! I'm in Fresno County with a last name starting with P, and I received my Summer EBT benefits on May 25th. Like everyone else mentioned, it just appeared as extra funds on my existing EBT card ($240 for my two kids) with no separate notification. What really helped me was calling my kids' school directly - the office staff actually knew more about the Summer EBT timeline for our county than the CalFresh hotline did! They told me that since my kids were already enrolled in the free lunch program and we're current CalFresh recipients, everything would be automatic. For anyone still waiting, I'd suggest checking not just your EBT balance but also logging into your BenefitsCal account. There was actually a small notification there about Summer EBT processing that I didn't notice until after I'd already received the benefits. The whole experience has made me realize how much more organized this program is now compared to what I was expecting based on older online posts. Definitely keep checking your balances - it'll show up!