Haven't received P-EBT/Sun Bucks card for my child in California - anyone else with last name W?

my kid got her card last week and our last name starts with Y so i dont think its alphabetical. they might be sending them out based on school district? what area r u in?

The Summer EBT/Sun Bucks cards are being distributed in phases throughout June and July 2025, not alphabetically but based on your school district's data submission timing. Each county processes them differently, and some schools submitted their eligibility data later than others. If your neighbors' children attend the same school as your son, you should have received yours around the same time. However, if they attend different schools, even within the same district, the timing can vary. The official guidance is to wait until the end of July before reporting a missing card. If you don't receive it by then, you'll need to contact the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 (not the regular CalFresh office, as they're separate programs).

We also haven't gotten our card yet and last name starts with M! So frustrating because my daughter qualifies for free lunch and I know we should be getting these summer food benefits. Called that P-EBT number like 20 times and it just disconnects me!!!! Why do they make this so difficult???? The school says they submitted everything on time.

This is actually pretty common with the Summer EBT/Sun Bucks program. The cards are issued based on when your child's eligibility data was processed, not by last name. A few things to know: 1) The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) processes these cards separately from regular CalFresh benefits 2) Each school district submits their eligible student lists on different schedules 3) Some districts had data submission errors that delayed processing 4) The P-EBT helpline (877-328-9677) is notoriously difficult to reach during distribution months If you're concerned about the delay, you can request verification from your child's school that they submitted your child's information correctly. Sometimes there are data matching issues that prevent cards from being issued. One important note: If your address has changed since the school year started, that could be causing the delay as well.

I had the EXACT same problem trying to reach someone about my daughter's missing Sun Bucks card. Called the P-EBT number over and over, always got disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that a friend recommended - they got me through to an actual person at the P-EBT office in like 15 minutes! They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Turns out there was a name mismatch between what the school submitted and what was in their system. They fixed it and said my daughter's card should arrive within 10 business days. Might be worth trying if you're still having trouble getting through.

Everybody here is confused between P-EBT and Summer EBT/Sun Bucks which are TOTALLY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS!!! P-EBT was the pandemic benefit that ended years ago. Sun Bucks is the new permanent summer food program that started this year 2025. The eligibility requirements are different too! For Sun Bucks your kid has to qualify for free OR reduced lunch, but for P-EBT it was just if schools were closed during COVID. No wonder everyone's confused when they keep changing the names and rules!!!

have u checked ur mail carefully??? my sisters sun bucks card came in a plain white envelope that looked like junk mail and she almost threw it away!!! the envelope doesnt say anything about benefits on it for privacy reasons

If it's P-EBT why are we even discussing this in a CalFresh forum?????? Totally different programs!!! Moderators should move this thread.

did u get the letter from the school saying ur kid was eligible? we got a letter first in april then the card came in june. if u didnt get the letter u might wanna check with the school office

Just to update with the latest information: According to the CDSS website, the final batch of Summer EBT/Sun Bucks cards should be mailed by July 31, 2025. If you received an eligibility letter but don't have your card by August 5th, then you should definitely follow up with the P-EBT helpline or your school district's nutrition services department. Also, once you do receive your card, remember you need to activate it within 274 days, and the summer benefits will be available through September 30, 2025.

I'm in a similar situation - haven't received our Sun Bucks card yet and getting anxious about it. My daughter qualifies for free lunch and we got the eligibility letter in May, but still no card. Last name starts with B so it's definitely not alphabetical order like I originally thought. One thing I learned from calling around is that some school districts are still catching up on data submissions from schools that had staff changes or technical issues this spring. Apparently there were quite a few districts that had to resubmit their eligible student lists because of formatting problems or missing information. I'm going to wait until the end of July like everyone's suggesting, but it's frustrating when you're counting on those benefits for summer groceries. At least now I know to check all our mail more carefully - almost missed important documents before by assuming plain envelopes were junk mail!

I'm in the same boat! Haven't received my son's Sun Bucks card yet either, and our last name starts with T. We got the eligibility letter back in May too, so I know he qualifies. It's reassuring to hear from everyone that it's not alphabetical and we just need to be patient until end of July. I had no idea about checking junk mail more carefully - that's such a good tip! I'm definitely going to go through all our mail from the past few weeks tonight. Also really helpful to know about the separate P-EBT helpline number (877-328-9677) instead of calling the regular CalFresh office. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. Makes me feel less alone in this waiting game! I'll check with my son's school office tomorrow to make sure they submitted everything correctly on their end.

I'm having the exact same issue! My twins qualify for free lunch and we got the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks cards. Last name starts with L so definitely not alphabetical. I've been calling that P-EBT number for weeks but keep getting disconnected - so frustrating! Reading through everyone's responses has been really helpful though. I had no idea the cards come in plain white envelopes that look like junk mail - I'm definitely going to go through all our recent mail tonight just in case. And good to know about checking with the school office to make sure they submitted everything correctly. It's stressful when you're counting on these benefits for summer groceries, but at least now I know to wait until end of July before really panicking. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes me feel less alone in this waiting game!

I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same situation! My son qualifies for free lunch and we received the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card. Our last name starts with P, so like everyone else has confirmed, it's definitely not alphabetical order. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that the cards come in plain white envelopes that could easily be mistaken for junk mail! I'm definitely going to dig through our mail pile tonight. Also really appreciate learning about the separate P-EBT helpline (877-328-9677) - I've been calling the regular CalFresh office and getting nowhere. It's reassuring to know so many other families are in the same waiting situation. I was starting to worry something was wrong with our application, but it sounds like we just need to be patient until the end of July. Planning to call my son's school tomorrow to double-check they submitted his information correctly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community support means a lot when you're stressed about summer grocery budgets!

I'm also new here and going through the exact same frustrating situation! My daughter qualifies for free lunch, we got the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card and our last name starts with G. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea about checking junk mail carefully for plain white envelopes or that there's a separate P-EBT helpline number. I've been calling the wrong office this whole time! Also really helpful to learn that some districts had data submission issues which could explain the delays. It's so stressful when you're budgeting for summer groceries and counting on these benefits, but reading everyone's experiences makes me feel much less alone. Planning to go through our mail pile tonight and call my daughter's school tomorrow to verify they submitted everything correctly. Thanks to everyone for sharing - knowing that final cards should be mailed by July 31st gives me some peace of mind that we just need to hang in there a bit longer!

I'm new to this community and dealing with the exact same issue! My son qualifies for free lunch and we received the eligibility letter back in May, but still haven't gotten our Sun Bucks card. Our last name starts with H, so it's definitely confirming what everyone else has said about it not being alphabetical. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that the cards come in plain white envelopes that look like junk mail! I'm going to go through all our mail from the past few weeks tonight. Also really appreciate learning there's a separate P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 - I've been wasting time calling the regular CalFresh office. It's such a relief to know so many other families are still waiting and that it's completely normal. The stress of budgeting for summer groceries without knowing when these benefits will arrive has been overwhelming. But knowing the final batch should be mailed by July 31st gives me hope we just need to hang in there. Planning to call my son's school tomorrow to double-check they submitted his information correctly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community support means everything when you're feeling lost in the system!

I'm also new to this community and experiencing the exact same issue! My two kids qualify for free lunch and we received eligibility letters in May, but still no Sun Bucks cards. Our last name starts with C, so definitely confirms it's not alphabetical like I initially thought. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so incredibly helpful! I had absolutely no clue that the cards come in plain white envelopes that could easily be mistaken for junk mail - that's such crucial information. I'm definitely going to carefully go through all our mail from the past month tonight. Also really grateful to learn about the separate P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 - I've been calling the regular CalFresh office for weeks getting absolutely nowhere. It's such a relief knowing so many other families are still waiting and that this is completely normal. The uncertainty has been really stressful when you're trying to budget for summer groceries and counting on these benefits. But learning that the final batch should be mailed by July 31st gives me hope that we just need to be patient a bit longer. I'm planning to call both my kids' schools tomorrow to verify they submitted all the information correctly on their end. Thank you everyone for sharing your situations - this community support has been amazing when navigating this confusing process!

I'm also new to this community and dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! My son qualifies for free lunch and we received the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card. Our last name starts with V, so like everyone else has confirmed, it's definitely not alphabetical. This thread has been incredibly valuable - I had no idea that the cards come in plain white envelopes that could easily be mistaken for junk mail! I'm going to thoroughly check through all our mail from recent weeks tonight. Also really helpful to learn about the separate P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 - I've been calling the regular CalFresh office and getting nowhere just like everyone else. It's so reassuring to read that so many other families are still waiting and that this is completely normal. The stress of budgeting for summer groceries without knowing when these benefits will arrive has been overwhelming. But knowing that the final batch should be mailed by July 31st gives me hope that we just need to hang in there a bit longer. I'm planning to call my son's school tomorrow to verify they submitted his information correctly. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community support means everything when you're feeling lost navigating this system!