EBT cards suddenly locked until 6am - is this a new CalFresh policy or just rumors?

yeah this happened to me too last week!! i thought my card was stolen or something but then it worked fine the next morning. nobody told us about this change AT ALL. typical county nonsense, making changes without informing people who actually depend on these benefits to feed their families!

Mine worked fine at midnight yesterday at Walmart... maybe its only certain counties rolling this out?

This seems to be misinformation that's causing unnecessary panic. There is NO official policy restricting CalFresh EBT card usage to certain hours. The federal SNAP regulations that govern CalFresh do not allow for time-of-day restrictions on when benefits can be used. What's more likely happening: 1. System maintenance - Sometimes the EBT system undergoes maintenance during low-traffic hours (typically 11pm-6am), which can cause temporary disruptions. 2. Merchant-specific issues - Some stores may have problems processing EBT during their own system updates. 3. Card-specific problems - If your card was declined, it could be due to insufficient funds, an expired card, or another account-specific issue. I'd recommend checking your balance through the EBT Mobile app or by calling the number on the back of your card. If the problem persists, you should contact your county CalFresh office during business hours.

My sister works for LA County DPSS and she said they've been getting calls about this but there is NO official policy change. What's happening is the state is updating the entire EBT system database and they're doing maintenance windows from 12-6am on certain days this month. They WERE supposed to send notices but apparently those didn't go out to everyone. The next scheduled maintenance nights are April 15th, 19th, and 23rd. They're not locking cards permanently during those hours - it's just temporary for the system upgrade.

My card works fine at night but sometimes it has problems when i try to use it at certain stores they say system down try again later idk its always something with these benefits nothing ever just works right lol

There's a lot of confusion in this thread, so let me clarify: CalFresh benefits on EBT cards do NOT have time-of-day restrictions. However, the California EBT system does undergo periodic updates and maintenance. If you're experiencing issues contacting anyone at CalFresh customer service, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). I used their service when I had a similar issue with my benefits suddenly not working, and they helped me get through to a live person at my county office without the usual 2+ hour wait. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 For the immediate issue though, check the CalFresh website or app for maintenance notices. The current system upgrade is scheduled to be completed by the end of April, so these overnight disruptions should be temporary.

Same thing happened to me a few nights ago! I was at Food 4 Less at like 2am (night owl here lol) and my card got declined. The cashier told me they've been seeing this happen to a lot of people lately during overnight hours. But then I tried again the next morning and it worked fine. Super annoying though!! They should at least warn people.

I just checked the official CalFresh EBT website and found this notice buried in their 'System Updates' section: "California EBT System Modernization: Periodic maintenance windows scheduled between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM on select dates in April 2025. During these windows, transaction processing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience." So it's definitely a real thing, but it's temporary maintenance, not a permanent restriction on when you can use your benefits.

U know what makes me mad??? They can text us about recertification and SAR7 due dates but they cant text us about system maintenance that affects us buying FOOD???

For anyone still confused, here's a summary: 1. NO, CalFresh benefits do NOT have a new policy restricting usage times. 2. YES, there are temporary system maintenance windows happening between 12am-6am on certain dates in April 2025. 3. The maintenance is part of California's EBT system modernization project that will actually improve services in the long run. 4. If you need to shop during overnight hours, check the CalFresh EBT app or website for the specific maintenance dates to plan accordingly. 5. If you experience card issues outside of the announced maintenance windows, contact your county office during business hours to resolve the issue.

So I live in northern California and they have changed the cash benefits to being locked from withdrawals from atms 12-6am because so many people were getting their benefits skimmed me included

This thread has been super helpful! I'm also a night shift worker and was panicking when my card got declined at 3am last week. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like there are actually TWO different things happening: 1. Temporary system maintenance for the EBT modernization (affecting food benefits during certain overnight hours in April) 2. Permanent overnight restrictions on cash benefit ATM withdrawals to prevent skimming (as @Katelyn Griffin mentioned) Since I mainly use my card for groceries, I'm relieved to know the food benefit restrictions are just temporary. But it's frustrating that they're not communicating these changes clearly - especially for those of us who rely on being able to shop during off-peak hours due to work schedules. Has anyone found a reliable way to get notifications about when these maintenance windows are scheduled? The buried notice on the website isn't exactly user-friendly for staying informed.

I'm new to CalFresh and this thread has been incredibly informative! I was actually searching online trying to figure out if there were any time restrictions on EBT cards because I'm starting a night shift job next month and was worried about when I'd be able to do my grocery shopping. It's really helpful to learn that the overnight issues some people experienced were due to temporary system maintenance for the modernization project, not permanent policy changes. The distinction between food benefits and cash benefits having different rules is also important to understand. Does anyone know if there's a way to sign up for email or text alerts about these maintenance windows? It seems like the state could do a much better job communicating these temporary disruptions, especially since so many essential workers rely on shopping during overnight hours.

As someone who works in healthcare and relies on being able to shop during off-hours, this thread has been a lifesaver! I was getting really worried when I heard rumors about permanent time restrictions on EBT cards. It's such a relief to know that what people experienced was just temporary system maintenance for the modernization project, not a new policy. The lack of clear communication from the state is really frustrating though. Night shift workers, healthcare staff, and other essential workers shouldn't have to piece together information from buried website notices and word-of-mouth to understand when we might not be able to buy groceries. For anyone still concerned about this, I found that calling the EBT customer service line during business hours (not during the maintenance windows obviously!) can give you the most current information about scheduled maintenance dates. They were actually pretty helpful when I finally got through to someone real. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and helped clarify what was actually happening. This community is so valuable for getting real answers when official channels fall short!

This has been such an eye-opening thread for someone new to both CalFresh and this community! I was actually panicking earlier this week when I heard secondhand rumors about EBT cards being "locked" overnight - as someone who works irregular hours and often shops late at night, I thought this would completely disrupt my routine. Reading through everyone's experiences and the clarifications provided, I now understand that what people experienced was temporary system maintenance for the EBT modernization project, not a permanent policy change restricting when we can use our food benefits. The distinction between food benefits and cash benefits having different rules is also really important to understand. What strikes me most is how poor the communication has been from the state about these maintenance windows. It's unacceptable that essential workers, night shift employees, and others who rely on off-hours shopping have to piece together information from buried website notices and community discussions just to know when they might not be able to buy groceries. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and helped separate fact from rumor - especially those who took the time to actually call customer service or dig up the official notices. This kind of community support is invaluable when official channels fail to adequately inform the people who depend on these services most.