Confused about my daughter's P-EBT deposits - only got November payments, is this normal?

P-EBT is different from regular CalFresh/EBT - it's not a monthly benefit but instead comes in specific payment batches based on eligibility periods and school attendance. The November payments likely cover a specific eligibility period. The 2025-2026 P-EBT program distributes benefits based on the school's status and your child's attendance/eligibility during certain months. Check the CDSS website for the current payment schedule - they should have a chart showing which months are covered by which payment dates. Also, make sure your mailing address is up to date for any future potential payments.

Those two deposits should be for the beginning of the school year, but theres supposed to be more!!! My neighbors kids got like 4 different deposits for last year so I think your missing some for sure. Did you move recently? The system is SO messed up, my daughters card never even came and we had to call like 50 times to get it reissued. Try calling the P-EBT hotline but good luck actually getting through to a real person!!!

The Nov deposits are probably correct but it depends on when your daughter became eligible. My son only got 2 deposits last year total bc he switched schools mid-year. Did u just apply recently? If she was eligible since the start of school year you'll probably get more but they do them in weird batches not monthly like regular calfresh.

The P-EBT program for 2025-2026 is structured differently than previous years. Here's how it works now: 1. Payments are issued in 2-3 month batches, not monthly 2. The November 21st and 30th deposits likely cover August-October 2025 3. The next issuance should come in February 2026 (covering November-January) 4. Final batch would be May 2026 (covering February-April) The exact amounts depend on your child's school attendance and whether their school participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). You can verify your child's eligibility periods by contacting your school district's nutrition services department to confirm which months your daughter qualified. Also, make sure you activate the card by calling the number on the back if you haven't already done so.

I think those might be the only ones your getting. My kids qualified for P-EBT last year but this year they only got one payment because they changed the rules. The school has to have a certain percentage of kids qualifying for free lunch and our school dropped below that threshold, so we only got a partial payment. check with your school office maybe?

I had the EXACT same issue trying to get answers about my son's P-EBT payments! I spent hours trying to reach someone at the county office but kept getting transferred around or disconnected. Finally I tried using Claimyr.com to get through to a real person - it saved me HOURS of frustration. They have this service that gets you through the phone queue so you don't have to wait on hold. There's a video that shows how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 When I finally got through, I found out my son was eligible for additional payments, but they were being issued in phases. The representative was able to confirm the exact payment schedule for the rest of the school year. Might be worth trying if you need definite answers!

dont forget to check if its actually a p-ebt card and not a regular ebt card. i got confused bc they look similar and thought i wasnt getting payments but they were actually going on my regular ebt card not the p-ebt one

btw those two November deposits are probably for different things - like one might be the base benefit and the other could be a supplement. P-EBT is super confusing that way. My daughter's card had some weird split payments too.

After seeing all these responses, I want to clarify something important: P-EBT is NOT the same program as CalFresh, although both use EBT cards. P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children to replace school meals during eligible periods. The current 2025-2026 P-EBT program issues benefits quarterly, not monthly. The payments you received are likely just the first installment, with more scheduled for February and May 2026. If you need definitive answers, I recommend: 1. Check the P-EBT portal at ca.p-ebt.org and create an account if you haven't 2. Contact your child's school nutrition services department 3. Call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 (though getting through can be difficult) You can also contact your county CalFresh office, but be aware that some county workers aren't fully trained on P-EBT details since it's administered separately from regular CalFresh benefits.