Just approved for CalFresh - does my 6-year-old qualify for P-EBT 3.0 or did we miss deadline?
So excited that I finally got approved for CalFresh benefits today after waiting for nearly 6 weeks! The worker told me I'll be getting $725/month for my household of 3 starting in June 2025. But now I'm wondering about that P-EBT program for kids that I've heard about. My daughter is 5 (turns 6 next month) and I remember hearing something about P-EBT 3.0 for young children. Since we just got approved for CalFresh now, will she still qualify for P-EBT or was there some deadline we missed? The CalFresh worker didn't mention anything about it when they called with my approval.
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Paolo Esposito
Congratulations on your CalFresh approval! Regarding P-EBT 3.0, there's some good news for you. Children under 6 who are in CalFresh-approved households during the benefit period are eligible for P-EBT 3.0. The program covers October 2024 through May 2025, so your daughter should qualify for the remaining months of the benefit period (likely just May 2025 since you were just approved). There wasn't exactly a "deadline" for P-EBT 3.0 like there was for previous versions - it's more about whether you were receiving CalFresh during the eligible months. Since you're approved now and your daughter is still under 6, she should receive at least the May 2025 portion of P-EBT 3.0 benefits. You don't need to apply separately for P-EBT. The state will automatically issue a P-EBT card for eligible children in CalFresh households. Just be aware it may take a few weeks after your CalFresh approval for the P-EBT card to arrive.
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Keisha Brown
•Thank you so much for explaining! That makes sense. So even though we missed most of the benefit period, we'll still get something for May at least. Do you know roughly how much the P-EBT benefit would be for just one month? And will they send a separate card or would it come on my EBT card?
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Amina Toure
my daughter got p-ebt last year but the card came like 3 months after we got calfresh. dont wait for anyone to tell u about it, they never mentioned it to us either lol. just watch ur mail carefully cuz the envelope looked like junk mail tbh
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Keisha Brown
•Thanks for the heads up! I'll make sure to check all our mail carefully. Did you have to activate the card in a special way or did it work just like the regular EBT card?
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Oliver Weber
P-EBT 3.0 benefits for children under 6 are being distributed on a rolling basis. The benefit amount is around $195 per eligible month for each child under 6 in a CalFresh household. Since you were just approved in May 2025, your daughter would only qualify for the May portion of the benefit period. It's important to note that P-EBT cards are mailed separately from your regular EBT card. As the previous commenter mentioned, watch your mail carefully as the envelope can be easily mistaken for junk mail. The card will come with instructions for activation. Also, if your daughter is enrolled in school and receiving free or reduced-price meals, she might qualify for additional P-EBT benefits through the school-based program, which has different eligibility criteria.
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Keisha Brown
•Thank you for the specific details! $195 for just May is still helpful. My daughter is in pre-K at a Head Start program - would that qualify her for the school-based P-EBT too? The program does provide her meals.
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FireflyDreams
I'm in the same boat! Just got my CalFresh approved last week and was wondering about P-EBT for my 4-year-old. Called the county office THREE times but kept getting disconnected after waiting for almost an hour each time. So frustrating! Did you find any direct number to ask about P-EBT specifically?
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•I had the same issue trying to get information about P-EBT and CalFresh. After trying for days, I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at my county office in under 5 minutes. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available. Saved me so much time and frustration! They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The worker I spoke with confirmed that children under 6 in newly approved CalFresh households will still get P-EBT for the months they're eligible, even if you were just recently approved.
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Javier Morales
p-ebt is diff from calfresh dont get confused. sometimes the p-ebt cards dont even come and u have to call about it. my neighbors kid never got one even tho they had calfresh the whole year
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Oliver Weber
•You're right that P-EBT is separate from CalFresh, but eligible children in CalFresh households should automatically receive P-EBT benefits for the eligible months. If a card doesn't arrive within 2-3 months of eligibility, families should contact the P-EBT Helpline at 877-328-9677. Sometimes there are system issues that prevent cards from being issued automatically.
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Emma Anderson
This whole P-EBT thing is SO CONFUSING!!! My kids got cards last year, then nothing this year, then randomly new cards showed up last month with no explanation. The amounts were all different too. And good luck trying to get ANYONE on the phone who understands how it works. The regular EBT people say to call P-EBT line, the P-EBT line says talk to your school, the school has no idea what's going on. ARGHHHH!
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Paolo Esposito
•You're absolutely right about the confusion. P-EBT 3.0 has been especially confusing because it has both a school-based component and a child care component for younger children. Each has different eligibility requirements and benefit calculations. For children under 6 in CalFresh households, the benefits should be more straightforward - they qualify for each month they're in an active CalFresh household during the benefit period. But the school-based component depends on school attendance records, free/reduced meal status, and whether schools were closed or had remote days. If you're still having issues, you can request a benefit review through the P-EBT Portal at ca.p-ebt.org.
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Keisha Brown
I just wanted to update everyone who responded. I called the P-EBT helpline (took forever to get through!) and they confirmed my daughter will get the May benefit since that's when we were approved for CalFresh. They said the card probably won't arrive until July or August though. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Amina Toure
•thats good! make sure u activate it right away when it comes, i think they expire the funds if u dont use them after a certain time
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