Can't hear next month's CalFresh balance when calling EBT card number - system issues?
Has anyone else been having trouble hearing their next month's CalFresh deposit amount when calling the EBT card hotline? I always check around the 25th to plan my grocery budget, but this time when I called the number on the back of my card, it told me my current balance but didn't announce my upcoming deposit amount for next month like it usually does. I tried calling three times today and still nothing. Is the automated system down? Or maybe benefits haven't been calculated yet for some reason? Getting a bit worried since I need to plan my household budget and I've got three kids to feed.
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Ana Rusula
I had the same issue yesterday! The system just gave my current balance but nothing about the next deposit. I tried calling the county office but ended up on hold forever and eventually hung up. I found this service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to a CalFresh worker. You might want to check it out at claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. They basically call the office for you and then call you back when they've got a worker on the line. Ended up finding out there's a system delay and benefits will be loaded a few days later than usual this month.
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Fidel Carson
•thx for sharing this! i hate waiting on hold 4ever
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Isaiah Sanders
This happens at the end of every quarter when they're updating the system. Your benefits aren't changing, but the automated line won't announce next month's amount until about 3 days before they're deposited. You can also check your balance and upcoming deposits on the BenefitsCal website or app if you have an account set up. If you haven't created one yet, I highly recommend it - much more reliable than the phone system.
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Noah huntAce420
•Thank you so much! I didn't realize it was a quarterly thing. I'll try the BenefitsCal website, though I've had trouble logging in before. Do you know if this means the deposits will be delayed too, or just the announcement?
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Xan Dae
its probably cuz of the system update they do every few months...happened to me b4 too. call again in a few days and it should work. ur benefits still come on the same day
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Fiona Gallagher
•Just to add to this - sometimes there are system lags at the end of months with 31 days. I've worked with clients navigating CalFresh for years, and usually by the 27th or 28th the system updates with next month's information. If you're really concerned, you can also submit a general inquiry through your BenefitsCal account, which sometimes gets faster responses than calling.
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Thais Soares
OMG I'm having the EXACT same problem!! I called like 6 times yesterday and nothing! I'm so stressed because I'm down to my last $25 and I need to know if I'm getting the same amount or if they cut me. Last time they randomly cut my benefits by $78 without telling me why and I had to fight for weeks to get it fixed. The whole system is BROKEN and they expect us to just deal with it!!!!
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Nalani Liu
•I feel your frustration! When they cut my benefits without notice last year, I found out it was because they counted my overtime hours as regular income, which pushed me over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Did you work any extra hours recently? Might be worth checking if you went over your IRT without realizing.
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Isaiah Sanders
Update for everyone: I just checked the CalFresh website and there's a banner notification saying they're doing system maintenance from the 24th-26th. The automated phone system may not show next month's benefits during this time, but all benefits will be issued on the regular schedule according to your case number. So no need to worry - your benefits will still arrive as scheduled.
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Noah huntAce420
•Thank you SO MUCH for checking and letting us know! That's a huge relief. I wish they would text or email about these system updates instead of leaving us in the dark.
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Fidel Carson
mine worked this morning! try again
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Thais Soares
•Just tried again and I can hear mine now too! Same amount as last month thank goodness!
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Emma Thompson
Just wanted to add for anyone still having issues - I work at a community center and we help folks with CalFresh questions regularly. If the phone system is still giving you trouble, you can also check your benefit amount by logging into your EBT account online at ebtEDGE.com. Create an account with your card number and you can see your transaction history and upcoming deposits there too. Sometimes that site updates faster than the phone system during maintenance periods. Also, if you're ever unsure about benefit changes, keep your most recent CalFresh notice - it shows your monthly amount and any upcoming changes to your case.
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Diego Castillo
•Thanks for this tip! I didn't know about the ebtEDGE website. Just tried to set up an account but it's asking for a PIN - is that the same PIN I use at the store, or do I need to create a new one for the website?
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