Confusing EBT app message "you spent $0.00, account aged, status changed" - what does this mean?

got the same message last week! freaked me out too but my benefits were still there next day. think its just a glitch in the app tbh

I work at a community resource center, and we've seen this message confusing several clients lately. "Account aged" typically refers to benefits that have reached a certain age milestone, like 9 months (when they start the warning process) or 12 months (when unused benefits may be removed from your account). The "status changed" part could mean the system updated some accounting flag on your benefits. If your balance shows the correct amount, you're probably fine, but it's always good to check with your county office. You can also look at your transaction history to see if there are any automatic adjustments.

I had a similar message pop up last month! Called my county office and after waiting on hold FOREVER (literally 1 hr 45 min), they told me it was just a notification that some of my older benefits were approaching the expiration time. The lady explained that benefits expire after they're 12 months old - which I never knew before! Did you know CalFresh benefits get used in order of oldest first? So if you've been using your card regularly, you probably don't have anything to worry about, but if you've been saving some, the oldest ones might be getting close to expiration. Check if your total balance matches what you expect!

I spent 2 hours trying to get through to my CalFresh worker about this exact message last month. Was incredibly frustrated with the phone system constantly disconnecting me. I finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Once I got through, they explained that "account aged - status changed" means the system ran its monthly check on benefit aging. Any benefits older than 365 days get flagged for potential expiration. If you use your card regularly, it's actually using your oldest benefits first, so regular shoppers usually don't have anything to worry about. It's basically just a system notification that shouldn't affect your current balance.

This notification typically relates to EBT account maintenance that happens automatically at the end of each month. The "account aged" refers to the system identifying benefits by age (days since issuance), and "status changed" means some internal tracking flag was updated. There are three possibilities: 1. Some benefits reached the 9-month mark (system flags them for upcoming expiration) 2. Some benefits reached the 12-month mark (system actually removed unused older benefits) 3. Just a routine status update with no actual impact on your balance If your balance is correct, it's likely just option #3. But it's always a good idea to review your transaction history for any automatic system adjustments. And remember to use your oldest benefits first, which happens automatically when you make purchases.

Its just the system doing its monthly check. Dont worry about it. My casewrker told me they do automatic maintence every month and sometimes these random messages pop up. Its NOT the same as getting a discontinuance notice which would come in the mail AND say "discontinuance" on it. As long as your balance is correct your fine. The "system" part of CalFresh is always glitchy but the benefits part usually works OK.

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! Much less worried now. I'll keep an eye on my balance but I use my benefits every month so shouldn't have any expiring. Just checked the transaction history and there's nothing weird there. Wish they would make these messages clearer though! Almost gave me a heart attack thinking my benefits were being cut off.

I'm glad you got some peace of mind from everyone's responses! For future reference, you can also check your benefit expiration dates by calling the EBT customer service line on the back of your card - they can tell you exactly when different portions of your benefits will expire without having to wait on hold for your county office. The automated system usually has this info available 24/7. It's definitely frustrating how unclear these app messages are - they really should explain what "account aged" means right in the notification!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and had the exact same message appear on my EBT app about 3 weeks ago! I was terrified it meant my benefits were being cut off. After reading through all these helpful responses, I called the EBT customer service number on the back of my card and they confirmed it was just a routine system notification about benefit aging. The rep told me that as long as I'm using my card regularly (which I am - single parent of 3!), the oldest benefits get used first automatically so nothing should expire. She also mentioned that if any benefits were actually removed, there would be a specific transaction showing that in my history. My balance stayed exactly the same and I've had no issues using my card since then. Really wish they'd make these messages clearer though - us parents have enough stress without worrying about losing our food assistance over confusing app notifications!

I'm a newer CalFresh recipient and this thread has been SO helpful! I got a similar message last week and was panicking, thinking I'd done something wrong with my application. It's really reassuring to learn that it's just routine system maintenance. I had no idea about the 12-month expiration rule either - that's definitely something they should explain better during the application process. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and explanations. As someone still figuring out how all this works, these kinds of detailed community discussions are invaluable. Going to bookmark this thread for future reference!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and had this exact same message pop up on my app about a month ago! I was so confused and worried that something was wrong with my benefits. After reading through all these responses, I wish I had found this thread back then - would have saved me a lot of anxiety! I ended up calling my county office and after a 2+ hour wait, they basically confirmed what everyone here is saying - it's just the system doing routine maintenance on benefit ages. The caseworker told me that the "account aged" part is actually happening in the background every month, but sometimes the app decides to show you a notification about it for no clear reason. She said as long as my balance looked correct and I could still use my card, there was nothing to worry about. I've been using my benefits regularly since then with no issues. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with these confusing system messages!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and just wanted to add my experience with this message! I got the same "account aged - status changed" notification about 2 months ago and it totally freaked me out. After calling the EBT customer service line (which was much faster than trying to reach my county office), they explained that it's basically just the system's way of saying "hey, we checked your benefit ages and updated some internal tracking." The rep told me that benefits are tracked by issuance date, and every month the system runs through all accounts to see which benefits are approaching the 9-month warning period or the 12-month expiration. Even if nothing actually expires, sometimes the app will show you this confusing message just because the system did its monthly check. As long as your balance matches what you expect and you can still use your card normally, you're good to go! I've had zero issues since then and use my benefits regularly. Really wish they'd just say "monthly system maintenance completed" instead of something so scary sounding!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and this thread is incredibly helpful! I haven't gotten this specific message yet, but I've definitely had other confusing notifications from the EBT app that made me panic unnecessarily. It's so reassuring to see how supportive this community is in explaining these system quirks. I had no idea about the benefit expiration rules or that oldest benefits get used first automatically - that's really important information that should be part of the initial orientation! Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel more prepared if I ever encounter this message. Thank you all for taking the time to share your knowledge and help fellow recipients understand these confusing parts of the system. It really makes a difference knowing we can come here for reliable information and support!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and just got this exact same message yesterday! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was convinced something was wrong with my account. It's really frustrating how these system messages are so unclear and scary-sounding when they're apparently just routine maintenance notifications. I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge about the benefit expiration rules and how the EBT system works behind the scenes. As a newer recipient, I had no clue about any of this stuff! The suggestion about calling the EBT customer service line instead of the county office is really helpful too. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where we can help each other understand these confusing parts of the system!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I got a similar confusing message about a week ago and immediately started worrying that my benefits were going to be cut off. Reading everyone's explanations about the monthly system maintenance and benefit aging processes really puts my mind at ease. I had absolutely no idea that benefits expire after 12 months or that the system automatically uses oldest benefits first - this is such important information that should definitely be explained during the application process! It's frustrating that we have to rely on community forums to understand these basic system functions. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and knowledge. Having this supportive community makes navigating the CalFresh system so much less stressful. I'm bookmarking this thread and will definitely try calling the EBT customer service line next time instead of waiting hours for my county office!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who shared their experiences here! I got this exact same "account aged - status changed" message about 3 weeks ago and was absolutely terrified that my benefits were being discontinued. As a college student who relies heavily on CalFresh to afford groceries, seeing that message made me panic that I'd somehow messed up my eligibility or missed some requirement. Reading through all these detailed explanations about the monthly system maintenance and benefit expiration processes has been such a huge relief! I had zero clue about the 12-month expiration rule or that the system automatically uses oldest benefits first - honestly wish they'd explained all this when I first applied. The tip about calling EBT customer service instead of the county office is golden too - I'll definitely remember that for next time. It's so reassuring to know this community exists where we can actually get clear answers about these confusing system quirks. You've all saved me so much unnecessary stress and worry!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and got this same message about 2 weeks ago! I was so confused and worried - thought maybe I had accidentally violated some rule or that my recertification had issues. After reading everyone's explanations here, I feel so much better knowing it's just routine system maintenance. I had no idea benefits could expire after 12 months or that the system tracks them by age! This is exactly the kind of important information that should be included in the welcome packet when you first get approved. The EBT app really needs to improve their notifications - "account aged, status changed" sounds so ominous when it's apparently just the system doing its monthly checkup. Thank you to everyone who took the time to explain what's actually happening behind the scenes. This community is amazing for helping us understand these confusing parts of the CalFresh system that nobody else seems to explain clearly!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I got this same "account aged - status changed" message about 4 days ago and immediately started spiraling, thinking my benefits were going to be cut off or that I'd somehow messed up my case. As a working single parent, CalFresh is absolutely essential for feeding my family, so seeing any confusing message related to my account sends me into full panic mode. Reading everyone's detailed explanations about the monthly system maintenance and benefit expiration processes has been such a huge relief! I had absolutely no clue that benefits expire after 12 months or that the system automatically uses the oldest ones first - this seems like pretty basic information that should definitely be explained when you first get approved, not something we have to figure out through community forums. The suggestion about calling the EBT customer service line instead of waiting hours for the county office is gold - definitely bookmarking that tip! Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences. This community is such a lifeline for understanding these confusing system quirks that nobody else seems to explain clearly.

My Mom received the same message Changed -Aging and didn't understand what that meant.

I'm a CalFresh recipient and got this exact same message last month! I was terrified at first - thought it meant my benefits were being discontinued or something was wrong with my case. After calling the EBT customer service line (much faster than county office!), they explained it's just the system doing its monthly maintenance check on benefit ages. Apparently every month the system reviews all accounts to track which benefits are approaching expiration dates, and sometimes it shows this confusing notification even when nothing actually changes. As long as your balance is correct and you can use your card normally, you should be fine! I've had zero issues since getting that message. Really wish they'd make these notifications clearer - "monthly system check completed" would be so much less scary than "account aged, status changed"! This thread has been super helpful for understanding what's actually happening behind the scenes.

I'm a CalFresh recipient and just got this same message yesterday! Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - I was convinced my benefits were about to be cut off and was already stressing about how I'd afford groceries this week. It's really frustrating how these system notifications are so vague and anxiety-inducing when they're apparently just routine maintenance. I had no idea about the 12-month benefit expiration rule or that the system automatically uses oldest benefits first - seems like pretty basic information they should tell us upfront! The tip about calling EBT customer service instead of waiting hours for the county office is really helpful too. Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and creating such a supportive space where we can actually get clear answers about these confusing parts of the system. This community is a lifesaver!