How long can I use remaining EBT balance after CalFresh benefits were discontinued?

The EBT balance you currently have will remain available to you even though your CalFresh benefits have been discontinued. Any funds already loaded onto your card are yours to use. The discontinuation just means you won't receive any NEW monthly deposits, but you can continue using whatever balance remains on your card. There's no expiration date for using existing funds - though if your card goes completely unused for 365 days, any remaining balance could be removed from the account for inactivity.

you deff get to keep what u already had on there! my caseowrker told me its like a bank account - wont go away just cuz benefits stop. i got cut off twice last year (work hours messed up my eligibilty) still spent whats left from before!!

I went thru EXACT same situation last Jan!!!! Totally missed SAR7 deadline (kids were sick, life happened) and panicked when benefits stopped. Had like $340 left and was able to use every penny over next 2 months while reapplying. BTW when u reapply they might ask why u missed the SAR7 - just be honest. They approved me again but I had to start whole application process from scratch which SUCKED. Took almost 30 days to get approval again.

To clarify what others have said: any existing balance on your EBT card is yours to use, regardless of your current eligibility status. The funds already issued to you remain available until spent or until 365 consecutive days of inactivity. Regarding reapplication after missing a SAR7, you can apply immediately - there is no mandatory waiting period. However, benefits will not be prorated for the current month if you apply after the 15th. For fastest processing, I recommend submitting a new application through BenefitsCal.com and providing all required verification documents upfront. Make sure to explain the reason for the missed SAR7 in the comments section.

nope, started reapplying literally the next day! no waiting period required. but getting through to my worker to explain the situation was IMPOSSIBLE. spent hours on hold everytime i called the county number & usually got disconnected. finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person in like 20 mins!! they have this thing where they wait on hold for you & call when someone picks up. check their video if ur curious: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 - totally worth it to skip the 3hr wait times esp when ur trying to fix a missed deadline situation!

anyone kno if the 365 day thing is true?? now im worried cuz i still have like $75 on my old card from when i got cut off last yr... havent used it in forever 😬

Thanks everyone for all the helpful answers! I went ahead and submitted my reapplication today through BenefitsCal. Based on all your advice, I'm going to carefully use my remaining balance over the next few weeks while waiting for my new application to be processed. Really appreciate all the detailed information - this was way more helpful than the generic information I got from the discontinuation notice!

Just wanted to add some reassurance from someone who's been through this exact situation! I missed my SAR 7 deadline about 2 years ago (completely forgot during a crazy work period) and had around $180 left on my card. I was able to use every penny over the next month while I got my reapplication sorted out. The key thing is that your existing balance is completely separate from your ongoing eligibility - think of it like money that's already been deposited into your account. The discontinuation only stops NEW deposits from coming in. Also, don't stress too much about the reapplication process - missing the SAR 7 happens to tons of people and the workers are used to it. Just be honest about what happened and make sure to submit all your documents upfront to avoid delays. You've got this!

Hey there! I'm new to this community but wanted to share something that might help with your reapplication process. When I had to reapply after missing my SAR 7 last year, I learned that you can actually check your application status online through BenefitsCal without having to call. Just log into your account and look for "View My Cases" - it'll show you exactly where your application stands and if they need any additional documents. This saved me so much stress because I could check progress without dealing with those impossible phone wait times. Also, if you're approved, your new benefits will start from the month you applied, not backdated to when you were discontinued. Just wanted to mention that for budgeting purposes! Good luck with everything - sounds like you're handling this really well despite the stressful situation.

Welcome to the community! I've been through a similar situation and wanted to share a couple additional tips that helped me during my reapplication. First, if you're having trouble gathering all your verification documents, you can submit your application first and then have 10 days to provide the missing paperwork - this gets your application date locked in earlier. Second, when you do your interview (they'll schedule one), be prepared to explain your household composition and income in detail, even if it hasn't changed since your last approval. Sometimes workers need to reverify everything from scratch. Also, keep an eye on your EBT balance - I found it helpful to track my spending so I knew exactly how much runway I had while waiting for approval. The whole process can feel overwhelming when you're dealing with the stress of missed deadlines, but you're taking all the right steps by reapplying quickly and using this community for support!

I'm new to this community but going through something really similar right now! I also missed my SAR 7 deadline (mine was in September) and my benefits stopped in early October. I had about $150 left on my card and have been nervously using it bit by bit, always expecting it to get declined. It's such a relief to read all these responses confirming that the remaining balance is safe to use! I submitted my reapplication about a week ago and have been stressing about whether I'd have enough food money to last until approval. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - especially knowing that missing the SAR 7 is more common than I thought and that workers are generally understanding about it. Thank you all for sharing such detailed and helpful information. This community seems amazing for getting real-world advice that you just can't find anywhere else!

Hey everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this whole thread has been. I'm actually dealing with a very similar situation right now - I missed my SAR 7 back in September due to some personal issues, and my benefits were discontinued in early October. I've been so stressed about my remaining EBT balance (around $95) and whether I'd lose it or if there were any restrictions on using it. Reading through all of these responses has been such a huge relief! It's amazing how much practical, real-world information you all have shared that I just couldn't find anywhere in the official notices or websites. I had no idea about the 365-day inactivity rule, or that you could submit your application first and then provide documents within 10 days, or even that you can check your status online through BenefitsCal. I submitted my reapplication yesterday after reading this thread, and I'm feeling so much more confident about the whole process now. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences and for creating such a supportive space for people navigating these systems!

Welcome to the community! I'm also new here but have been following this thread closely since I'm in a very similar boat. I missed my SAR 7 deadline in late September and my benefits stopped in October, but I still have about $130 left on my EBT card that I've been afraid to touch. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a game-changer - I had no idea that the remaining balance was completely safe to use or that there were so many helpful strategies for the reapplication process. I especially appreciate all the specific tips about submitting applications early, checking status online, and even that Claimyr service for getting through to workers faster. It's incredible how much more useful this real-world advice is compared to the vague official information you get in the notices. I'm planning to submit my reapplication this weekend now that I feel much more prepared thanks to everyone's shared knowledge. This community is such an amazing resource for people navigating these systems - thank you all for being so generous with your time and experiences!

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community but stumbled across this thread while frantically googling about my own CalFresh situation. I can't believe how helpful and detailed all of your responses have been - this is exactly the kind of real-world information I needed! I'm in almost the identical situation as the original poster. I missed my SAR 7 deadline back in October due to a family emergency, and my benefits were discontinued on November 1st. I've been sitting here with about $87 left on my EBT card, too nervous to use it because I wasn't sure if I'd suddenly lose access or if there were restrictions. Reading through all of your experiences has been such a huge relief! I had no idea about the 365-day inactivity rule, or that I could reapply immediately without a waiting period, or even that I could check my application status online. The tip about submitting the application first and providing documents within 10 days is genius - I've been stressing about gathering everything before applying. I'm definitely going to submit my reapplication this week now that I understand the process so much better. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences and creating such a supportive space. This community is incredible!

Hey there! I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I went through something very similar just a few months ago. I missed my SAR 7 deadline due to a work crisis and my benefits were discontinued, but I had about $156 left on my card. I was terrified to use it at first because I thought it might disappear or get me in trouble somehow. But just like everyone here has said, that remaining balance is completely yours to use - there's no time limit or restrictions on it (except for that 365-day inactivity thing). I was able to stretch those funds for almost 6 weeks while my reapplication got processed. One thing I learned that might help you - when you go to your interview, they might ask if you've been using any remaining benefits during the gap period, and that's totally normal and expected. They just need to document it in your file. Also, if you're worried about budgeting while waiting for approval, I found it helpful to mainly shop sales and stick to basics to make the remaining balance last longer. You're handling this situation really well by being proactive about the reapplication. The stress of missing deadlines is awful, but it happens to more people than you'd think. This community has been such a lifesaver for getting real practical advice that you just can't find anywhere else!

Welcome to the community! I'm also relatively new here but this thread has been absolutely incredible for anyone dealing with missed SAR 7 situations. Your story sounds so familiar - I think many of us have been in that exact position of having remaining EBT funds but being afraid to use them because we weren't sure about the rules. It's such a relief when you finally get clear information about how it all actually works! That $63 you were able to spend is totally safe, and you can continue using your remaining balance without any worries. The analogy someone mentioned earlier about it being like money already deposited in your bank account really helped me understand it too. I love how this community provides all the practical details that make such a difference - like the 10-day document submission window and the online status checking through BenefitsCal. Those are game-changing tips that you just can't find in the official notices. You're being really smart about reapplying quickly and budgeting with your remaining funds. The whole missed SAR 7 situation is stressful enough without having to worry about losing money that's already yours. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's clearly helping a lot of people in similar situations!

Hi there! I'm new to this community but your situation hits so close to home - I literally went through the exact same thing about 6 months ago! Missed my SAR 7 deadline due to a crazy work schedule and freaked out when my benefits stopped, especially since I had around $145 left on my card. Just like everyone here has confirmed, that remaining balance is 100% yours to use without any restrictions or time limits (other than that 365-day inactivity rule). I was able to use every single penny over the next month while waiting for my reapplication to process. The hardest part was getting over the anxiety that the card would suddenly stop working, but it never did! One tip I wish I'd known earlier - when you're stretching that remaining balance, consider shopping at places like Walmart or Target that accept EBT for groceries but also have good sale prices. Also, don't forget you can use EBT for things like bread, milk, and eggs at many convenience stores if you need to grab essentials between big grocery trips. You're handling this really well by reapplying quickly and not panicking about the remaining funds. This community has been such an amazing resource for real-world CalFresh advice!

Hey! I'm new to this community but stumbled across this thread while dealing with my own CalFresh situation and wow - this has been incredibly helpful! I missed my SAR 7 deadline in September (got overwhelmed with some family stuff) and my benefits stopped in early October. I've been sitting on about $78 in remaining EBT balance and was so worried about whether I could actually use it or if there were some kind of restrictions. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief! I had no idea about the 365-day rule or that I could reapply immediately without waiting. The tip about submitting your application first and then providing documents within 10 days is genius - I've been stressing about getting everything together before applying. I'm definitely going to submit my reapplication this week now that I understand how it all works. Thank you all for sharing such detailed, real-world advice. This community seems amazing for getting practical information you just can't find in the official notices!