Confused about P-EBT card with $120 for my 7th grader - is this the right amount for CalFresh?
I just got a P-EBT card in the mail yesterday for my 7th grader. The card starts with letter C and has $120 on it. Is this the normal amount for middle schoolers in 2025? I thought the benefit would be higher since we qualify for free lunch at school. Also, I'm already getting regular CalFresh benefits for our family (about $650/month) - is this P-EBT supposed to be in addition to that? I'm confused because the letter didn't explain much, and when I called the number on the back of the card, I just got an automated system that told me the balance. Has anyone else received these recently? Should I be calling my county worker to ask about this instead?
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Zoe Dimitriou
Yes, the P-EBT card is completely separate from your regular CalFresh benefits. The $120 amount is correct for this current distribution phase if your child attends school in person most days. P-EBT is specifically to supplement school meals on days when students might not be at school or during school breaks. Your regular CalFresh will continue unchanged - this is an additional benefit.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Thank you! That makes sense. Do you know if we'll get more P-EBT later in the year or is this a one-time thing? The letter wasn't clear about future payments.
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QuantumQuest
got mine 2 days ago for my highschooler but it had $143 on it! weird that middle school gets less??? my neice got one for her elementary kid and it was only $98 so maybe it goes by age/grade?
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Jamal Anderson
•The P-EBT benefit amounts vary based on your school district's reported in-person attendance schedule for different grade levels. High schools in some districts have more minimum days or teacher development days where students aren't in school full time - those kids get higher amounts to cover those days. It's not random - it's calculated based on actual school schedules! My county worker explained this when I called about the same thing last month.
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Mei Zhang
we got one too! i was confused at first cause i thought it was a replacement for our regular ebt card lol. almost gave me a heart attack thinking they changed something with our calfresh
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Andre Lefebvre
•Oh gosh, I was worried about that too at first! Glad to know it's separate and won't affect our regular benefits.
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Liam McGuire
I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to someone at the county about this exact issue!!! The P-EBT hotline is absolutely USELESS - just gives balance info and hangs up. The county offices keep transferring you around in circles. I finally got through using this service called Claimyr that held my place in line. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The worker confirmed that P-EBT is distributed 2-3 times during the school year and the amounts vary based on your kid's school schedule. The card with C is the correct one for 2025 distribution. Keep it safe because they'll reload the same card for future payments!
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Amara Eze
•thanks for mentioning this! i got so frustrated trying to call about my daughter's card last week that i gave up. gonna try this service tomorrow cuz i still have questions about why her amount is different from her brother's even tho theyre at the same school??
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Giovanni Ricci
The P-EBT program for the 2024-2025 school year is distributed according to a quarterly schedule. The $120 amount for your 7th grader is correct for this quarter's distribution based on the California Department of Education's calculated formula. These benefits are: 1. Completely separate from regular CalFresh 2. Do not affect your household's regular CalFresh allotment 3. Will be automatically reloaded on the same card for future distributions 4. Calculated based on your specific school district's reported schedule The next distribution should occur in approximately 8-10 weeks. If you have specific questions about your child's benefit calculation, you'd need to speak with someone at the P-EBT specialized unit, not your regular CalFresh worker. Keep that card safe as it will be used for future benefits.
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Andre Lefebvre
•This is so helpful, thank you! I'll definitely keep the card safe. Does the P-EBT have an expiration date like regular EBT benefits do? Or do these funds stay on the card longer?
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Giovanni Ricci
P-EBT benefits have a more generous expiration timeline than regular CalFresh benefits. They remain valid for 274 days (approximately 9 months) from the date they're added to your card. Regular CalFresh benefits expire after 9 months of account inactivity, but P-EBT has the 274-day countdown from issuance regardless of card activity.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Good to know! That's actually a nice feature since we don't need to use it right away. Thanks again for all the info!
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Mei Zhang
wait you said your card starts with C??? mine starts with P is that wrong????
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Zoe Dimitriou
•The card series depends on which distribution cycle it was issued in. P-series cards were from the 2023-2024 school year program. C-series cards are the current 2024-2025 cycle. Both are valid! Just different issuance periods. If your P card still has a balance, you can continue using it until those benefits expire (274 days from when they were loaded).
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Amara Eze
my daughter got a pebt but my son didnt even tho there both in middle school?? he qualifies for free lunch too so i dont understand why only one of my kids got it. has this happened to anyone else??
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Jamal Anderson
•This happened to my sister! Turns out one of her kids was missing from the school's free lunch roster even though they should have been on it. You need to contact your school's food service department or office administrator to verify both kids are properly listed in their system. Sometimes there are data transfer errors between the school and the state system that processes P-EBT.
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QuantumQuest
can we use the pebt card at the same stores as regular ebt? or is it more limited?
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Giovanni Ricci
•P-EBT cards can be used anywhere that accepts regular EBT food benefits. Same stores, same purchasing restrictions (food items only, no hot prepared foods, etc.). The cards function identically at the point of sale - you'd swipe it and enter your PIN just like with regular EBT.
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