Confused about P-EBT 3.0 card reload schedule - are they doing monthly deposits?
Getting totally confused with the P-EBT 3.0 card reload schedule. My kids qualify for free school meals and we received our P-EBT cards back in January, but I'm totally lost on when they're supposed to reload them. Some parents at my kids' school said they got February benefits already, but we haven't seen anything since the initial deposit. Are they supposed to reload these cards monthly? Quarterly? I called the P-EBT hotline but after waiting 45 minutes I got disconnected. I know this isn't technically CalFresh, but I figured someone here might know since it's all EBT. Checked the benefits portal and it shows no pending deposits either. Anyone understand the reload schedule for 2025?
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Anna Kerber
i think its every 2 months? my neice got hers in jan then march
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Roger Romero
•Really? We haven't gotten anything since January. I wonder if there's some kind of issue with our card. Did she have to do anything to get the March reload?
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Niko Ramsey
The P-EBT 3.0 program doesn't actually work on a regular monthly reload schedule like regular CalFresh. For the 2024-2025 school year, they're doing quarterly deposits based on your child's school attendance and eligibility for free/reduced meals. The deposit schedule should be: - January 2025: Aug-Oct benefits - April 2025: Nov-Jan benefits - July 2025: Feb-Apr benefits - October 2025: May-Jul benefits If other parents received February benefits already, that's not consistent with the official schedule - they might be confusing it with their regular CalFresh deposit or another program. Each quarterly deposit covers multiple months of benefits at once.
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Roger Romero
•Thank you! That clarifies so much. So our next deposit should be in April then? That's such a relief - I was worried there was a problem with our card or that we'd somehow been dropped from the program.
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Seraphina Delan
The whole P-EBT system is a NIGHTMARE!!!! I've been trying to get answers about my kids' benefits for WEEKS and nobody at the county office even knows what's going on with it. One worker told me to call the school, school told me to call P-EBT hotline, P-EBT hotline put me on hold for AN HOUR and then disconnected. It's ridiculous that they make it this complicated for families just trying to feed their kids!
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Jabari-Jo
•same happened to me!!! the system is broken on purpose i swear
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Kristin Frank
I was having the same issue trying to figure out the reload schedule. After getting nowhere with the regular P-EBT hotline, I tried using Claimyr to get through to an actual person at my county office (claimyr.com). They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call you back when they get a real person. I watched their demo (https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8) and decided to try it since I was desperate. Got connected to someone who actually helped me understand the quarterly schedule and confirm my kids were still in the system. Saved me hours of frustration!
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Micah Trail
•does that really work? i spent 3 hrs on hold last week and gave up
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Kristin Frank
•It worked for me! I was skeptical too but after my third disconnected call I was willing to try anything. The county worker I talked to was actually really helpful once I finally got through.
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Nia Watson
The confusion about P-EBT 3.0 is understandable because it operates differently from the regular CalFresh program. For the 2024-2025 school year, P-EBT benefits are issued quarterly rather than monthly. The schedule follows the fiscal quarters: 1st Quarter (Aug-Oct): Benefits issued in January 2025 2nd Quarter (Nov-Jan): Benefits issued in April 2025 3rd Quarter (Feb-Apr): Benefits issued in July 2025 4th Quarter (May-Jul): Benefits issued in October 2025 The benefit amount is calculated based on your child's school attendance and eligibility status during each quarter. If your child qualifies for free/reduced meals and has regular attendance, you should receive approximately $125-150 per child per quarter, though exact amounts vary. If you're seeing discrepancies between what other parents report receiving and what you've received, it could be due to: 1. Different school districts processing information at different times 2. Varying eligibility levels between children 3. Confusion between P-EBT and regular CalFresh benefits 4. Some families receiving retroactive payments You can verify your child's continued eligibility by contacting your school's nutrition services department rather than the county CalFresh office, as P-EBT eligibility is determined by the school, not the county.
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Roger Romero
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I didn't realize the school nutrition services was the right place to check about this. Will the amounts vary based on attendance? My kids have missed a few days due to illness this year.
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Nia Watson
•Yes, benefit amounts can be affected by attendance, but occasional absences due to illness typically won't significantly impact the total. The system generally allows for normal childhood illnesses. If your child missed more than 10 days in a quarter, you might see some reduction, but for just a few sick days, you should still receive the full benefit amount.
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Micah Trail
my kids got their cards but i lost the pin never even got to use it once lol. anybody know how to reset the pin? is it same as calfresh ebt cards?
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Niko Ramsey
•The P-EBT PIN reset process is different from regular CalFresh EBT cards. You need to call the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 and follow the automated system prompts. You'll need your child's P-EBT card number, date of birth, and the mailing address zip code to verify identity. It's best to call early in the morning (right when they open at 8am) to avoid long wait times.
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Jabari-Jo
this whole program is so confusing i dont even know if my kids are getting what there supposed to. we got the cards in january with money on them but nothing since then. how do you even check if your still in the program?? and my youngest started kindergarten in january do i need to apply for him or something?
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Nia Watson
•For your kindergartener who started mid-year, you should check with the school's front office or nutrition services department to ensure they've added him to the free/reduced meal program. If he qualifies, he should be automatically enrolled in P-EBT, but mid-year starts sometimes require additional verification. To check if you're still in the program, you can: 1. Call the school nutrition services department 2. Check your P-EBT card balance at www.ebt.ca.gov (which shows transaction history) 3. Ask your school if your children are still listed as participating in the free/reduced meal program Remember that the next scheduled deposit isn't until April, so not seeing additional funds since January is actually normal according to the quarterly schedule.
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Seraphina Delan
I went through the EXACT same confusion! Called the P-EBT number 17 TIMES over three days!!! Finally got someone who told me they're only loading quarterly but couldn't even tell me WHEN the next quarter payment would be! The whole system is designed to make it impossible to get help. And the website is completely useless - just shows balance but nothing about future payments or if you're even still eligible. Why can't they just send a simple letter explaining when payments will come???
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Anna Kerber
•right?? its like they dont want us to know on purpose
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Seraphina Delan
•EXACTLY!!! And when you call the main EBT number they say "we don't handle P-EBT" and transfer you to another line that never answers! It's a giant runaround!
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Niko Ramsey
Just to clarify one additional point that might be causing confusion - P-EBT 3.0 is separate from CalFresh, even though both use EBT cards. If you receive regular CalFresh benefits, those will continue to be deposited monthly according to your regular schedule. The P-EBT benefits for school children are on the quarterly schedule I mentioned earlier. If you're having trouble reaching someone, you might try contacting your local school district's nutrition services department rather than the state P-EBT hotline. They often have more direct information about which students are enrolled in the program.
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Roger Romero
•That might be where the confusion is coming from! Some of the parents might be talking about their regular CalFresh when they mentioned February deposits. We don't get regular CalFresh, just the P-EBT for the kids, so we're on that quarterly schedule. Thanks for helping clear this up!
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