California P-EBT 4.0 issuance schedule by first name letter? (Sacramento County)
Has anyone else called the P-EBT hotline recently about when cards are being issued? I've been waiting for my kids' P-EBT 4.0 benefits since they announced the program, and kept getting generic "cards are being mailed in batches" responses. Finally got through to someone helpful today who explained they're doing some kind of alphabetical distribution by first letter of child's first name in Sacramento County: My daughter (L-name) already got hers last week My son (J-name) supposedly getting his by Sept 8th My other kids (T and V names) not until end of September The weird thing is they're not even in alphabetical order? The rep said T-names get cards by Sept 28th but V-names by Sept 26th. Makes no sense. Anyone else in Sacramento hear the same thing or have kids with different first letters who already got their cards? I'm trying to budget for back-to-school and need to know when these will actually arrive.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
my kids (A and B names) got theirs two weeks ago in sacramento county. the lady I talked to said they're doing it in weird batches based on first names but also school districts? so maybe that's why the alphabetical order seems off. she said they had too many cards to process all at once so they had to break it up somehow.
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NeonNomad
•Thanks for confirming! Did they both come on the same day even with different first letters? I'm wondering if my other kids' cards might arrive earlier than what they told me.
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Dylan Mitchell
This is correct information. P-EBT 4.0 distribution for 2024-2025 school year is being handled alphabetically by first name, but they're also factoring in county, school district, and whether the child was previously issued a P-EBT card in prior rounds. It creates what looks like random batches but there is a system. For Sacramento County specifically: - Letters A-M: Most should receive by mid-September - Letters N-Z: End of September through early October But children who were homeschooled or who changed districts may be processed separately, which explains the seeming out-of-order processing you mentioned with T and V names.
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Sofia Martinez
•thats not right bc my kids R and S got theres already last week but my C kid didnt get anything yet!!! this system is so confusing and nobody can explain it right i swear
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Dylan Mitchell
•There are always exceptions to the general schedule based on various factors. If some of your children received cards but others didn't, I'd recommend calling the P-EBT hotline directly to check on the specific status of the missing card.
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Dmitry Volkov
i'm confused...is this related to calfresh or is it a separate program? my kids get free lunch at school but we don't get calfresh benefits. are they eligible for these pebt cards too? nobody ever explains this clearly!!!
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Ava Thompson
•P-EBT is separate from CalFresh, though the benefits come on an EBT card. If your children receive free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program, they should be eligible for P-EBT 4.0. You don't need to be on CalFresh to qualify. There's no application process - eligible children should automatically receive cards in the mail based on school records.
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CyberSiren
I just got off the phone with them about this exact issue! Had to call like 8 times before getting through. The rep told me they're doing some weird distribution where they're grouping by first letter but also by school district AND by whether the kid previously had a P-EBT card. So it's not strictly alphabetical. I was frustrated because my kids (C and G names) haven't received anything yet while my neighbor's kid (W name) already got his card last week! Makes zero sense. Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to them? I just discovered it at claimyr.com and it saved me hours of waiting. They got me connected to a real person in minutes instead of the constant busy signals. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. Seriously saved my sanity dealing with this P-EBT mess.
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NeonNomad
•I haven't heard of Claimyr before but I'll check it out! It took me 12 attempts over 3 days to finally reach someone who could give me actual information. Thanks for the tip - might use this for my upcoming CalFresh recertification too if it works that well.
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Miguel Alvarez
IS THIS THE SUMMER PEBT OR THE SCHOOL YEAR ONE??? I'm so confused about which one they're sending now. My grandkids got some cards back in July but then I heard they're supposed to get more for the 2024-2025 school year. Are they sending those out now too?
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Dylan Mitchell
•This discussion is about P-EBT 4.0, which covers the 2024-2025 school year benefits being distributed now (August-October 2025). The cards your grandchildren received in July were likely from P-EBT 3.0 (summer 2024 benefits). If they qualified for the summer benefits, they should automatically qualify for this current round as well.
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Dmitry Volkov
i'm in Sacramento too and my kids (M and P names) both got theirs yesterday! but they're different amounts?? one got $612 and the other got $578??? can someone explain why they'd be different amounts when they're at the same school??
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Ava Thompson
•The benefit amount can differ based on several factors: how many days each child was actually enrolled in school, whether they had any extended absences, or if one qualified for free lunch while the other qualified for reduced-price lunch. Sometimes there are also adjustments made if a child received partial benefits through another program. If the difference seems significant, you might want to call the P-EBT hotline to verify the calculations are correct.
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Dmitry Volkov
•oh that makes sense! my youngest missed almost 3 weeks of school when he broke his arm, so maybe that's why his is lower. thanks!
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Sofia Martinez
this whole p-ebt thing is just to confuse us all!!! every time i call i get diffrent answers! first they said my kid would get a card in august then september now october?? and they keep saying "just wait" but school already started and we need that money NOW not whenever they feel like sending it!!!
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•I feel your frustration! I've been checking the mail every day for weeks. What's most annoying is that they have all this information in their system already - why can't they just post a clear schedule online instead of making everyone call and get different answers?
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Dylan Mitchell
Just to clarify some confusion in this thread: 1. P-EBT 4.0 is being distributed August-October 2025 for eligible children who received free or reduced-price school meals during the 2024-2025 school year 2. Distribution is happening in batches based on multiple factors (not strictly alphabetical): - First letter of child's first name - School district/county - Previous P-EBT card issuance - Type of eligibility (direct certification vs. application) 3. Children in the same household may receive cards at different times 4. Benefit amounts can vary based on: - Number of school days the child was enrolled - Type of meal program eligibility (free vs. reduced-price) - Absences exceeding 15 consecutive days If you need specific information about your child's P-EBT status, call the hotline at 877-328-9677 (but be prepared for long wait times
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NeonNomad
•Thank you for this clear explanation! When I finally got through, they told me that homeschooled kids also have a different processing schedule, which explains why my T and V named kids who are homeschooled are getting their cards at different times than kids in regular public schools.
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Miguel Alvarez
has anyone had issues with activating the p-ebt cards once u get them? we got one for my grandson last week but the pin setup isn't working when we call the number on the back of the card
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CyberSiren
•This happened to me with my kid's card last year. You need to make sure you're entering their exact birth date as it appears in the school system. If that doesn't work, there's a special P-EBT PIN helpline at 877-328-9677 - select the option for PIN issues. Sometimes there's a delay between when cards are received and when they're actually activated in their system.
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