Got P-EBT card for my 5th grader - only $120 but neighbors got $200+? (Monterey County)
Just received a random P-EBT card in the mail yesterday for my 5th grader. It only has $120 loaded on it (checked the balance online). We're in Monterey County and my last name starts with A, so maybe they're sending them out alphabetically? My confusion is that my neighbor's kids (same school) got cards with over $200 each! Is the amount supposed to vary this much? I thought P-EBT was a standard benefit for qualifying students. Do I need to call someone to ask about this difference or is this normal? I don't want to complain about free money but want to make sure my kid isn't getting shortchanged on benefits we actually need right now.
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Dmitry Ivanov
The P-EBT benefit amounts vary based on how many qualifying school days your child had during the 2024-2025 school year. If your child transferred schools, had extended absences, or wasn't eligible for the full period, you'd get a prorated amount. The current rate is about $8.28 per eligible school day. Your neighbor's children might have qualified for more days or had their eligibility start earlier in the school year. You can call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 to ask about your specific benefit calculation.
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Sofia Rodriguez
•Thank you for explaining! My son was out for almost 3 weeks with pneumonia in January, so that might explain the difference. I didn't realize absences affected the amount. I'll call that number to check.
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Ava Thompson
my kids got different amounts too. one got $185 and other got $120. same house same school same everything!!! makes literally zero sense but when i called the number it just kept saying "all representatives are busy" and hung up on me TWICE. typical government program lol
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Miguel Herrera
•Same thing happened to me trying to call about my CalFresh recertification last month! Kept getting disconnected after waiting forever. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when a human is available. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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Ava Thompson
•thx for the tip, gonna try that tomorrow. sick of wasting my whole day trying to talk to someone!!
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Zainab Ali
P-EBT is different from CalFresh (tho they both use EBT cards) and has its own complicated rules. I'm in Monterey County too and just got cards for my kids yesterday - all different amounts! Found out that attendance DOES matter for P-EBT - they only pay for days the kid was actually in school and eligible for free lunch. Also matters if your school participated in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or if your kid qualified individually. Double check all that before calling or you'll waste time.
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Connor Murphy
•This is great info! As someone who's been navigating both P-EBT and regular CalFresh, I can confirm they're separate programs with different rules and timelines. P-EBT is administered by CDE (California Department of Education) in partnership with CDSS, while regular CalFresh is solely through CDSS and your county office. That's why calling your regular CalFresh worker won't help with P-EBT questions.
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Yara Nassar
i got mine for my 2 kids last week. both $240 each. weird how everyone getting different amounts???
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StarGazer101
•That's because the 2025 P-EBT program is based on actual school attendance and participation in free/reduced lunch programs. If your kids attended every qualifying day and your school participates in the universal meals program, they'd get the maximum amount. There's actually a formula they use - I work for a nonprofit that helps families with benefits. The base rate for 2025 is $8.28 per qualifying day.
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Miguel Herrera
I got confused when I got my P-EBT card too... I thought it was my regular CalFresh EBT and was freaking out because the balance was so low! Lol. Took me a minute to realize it's a completely separate program. Make sure you're activating and checking balance on the right website (connectebt.com specifically for P-EBT, not the regular CalFresh BenefitsCal site).
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Sofia Rodriguez
•Thanks for this! I was actually confused about where to check the balance since I already have a regular CalFresh EBT card. I did find the connectebt.com site but wasn't 100% sure if that was the right one.
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StarGazer101
Important reminder for everyone receiving P-EBT cards: These benefits will EXPIRE if not used within 274 days (about 9 months) from issuance. Don't set it aside and forget about it! Also, P-EBT has fewer restrictions than regular CalFresh - you CAN purchase hot prepared foods with P-EBT at any location that accepts EBT.
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Ava Thompson
•wait REALLY?? u can buy hot food with the p-ebt but not regular ebt? thats so backwards! so i can get my kid a rotisserie chicken with his p-ebt but cant buy one with my regular calfresh?? make it make sense 🙄
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StarGazer101
•Yep, it's confusing! P-EBT was created with different rules during the pandemic. Regular CalFresh has the hot food restriction except in counties with disaster waivers. The logic is that P-EBT replaces school meals (which are served hot), while regular CalFresh is for groceries. I agree it's not very logical when you think about it practically!
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Sofia Rodriguez
Update: I called the P-EBT hotline (took forever to get through) and you all were right! The amount is based on actual attendance. My son missed 17 school days due to that pneumonia plus some other absences, and they subtract approximately $8.28 per day missed. Mystery solved! Thanks everyone for your help. Now to figure out what to spend this on since apparently it expires faster than regular benefits!
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Connor Murphy
•Glad you got it sorted out! And yes, definitely use those P-EBT benefits before they expire. Unlike regular CalFresh which expires after 365 days of inactivity, P-EBT has that shorter 274-day timeframe. Some families create a schedule to use their P-EBT first, then switch to their regular CalFresh.
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