Missing CalFresh emergency allotment deposit for May 2025 - anyone else?

Did anyone else not get their emergency allotment today? I thought we were supposed to receive our maximum CalFresh benefit deposit on Sunday (May 11). Checked my EBT balance this morning and nothing was added! This is the third month we qualified for the emergency allotment since the wildfires affected our area, and the previous two months it showed up right on schedule. My regular monthly benefits ($378) came through on the 4th like normal, but the emergency supplement is missing. I've got three kids to feed and was counting on this for our groceries this week. Anyone else experiencing this or know what's going on? Should I wait another day before panicking?

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15 comments

Jenna Sloan

•8M

The emergency allotment for wildfire-affected counties is actually scheduled for Monday the 12th this month, not Sunday. This was mentioned in the notice they sent out last month, but it was easy to miss since it was on page 2 of the letter. The date shifts occasionally based on processing schedules. Your funds should appear tomorrow morning, so no need to worry yet. If you don't receive it by end of day Monday, then I'd recommend contacting your county office to check on the status.

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Christian Burns

•8M

I had this same panic last month! The schedule for the emergency allotment program for wildfire victims is different from the regular CalFresh deposit schedule. Your regular benefits come on your normal day (based on the last digit of your case number), but the emergency supplement has its own schedule that changes slightly each month. If nothing shows up by Tuesday morning though, definitely call your county office. The emergency allotment program has been having some glitches since they extended it in April.

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Muhammad Hobbs

•8M

The emergency allotments mentioned here are specifically for counties affected by the 2025 Northern California wildfires, not the pandemic-era allotments which ended back in 2023. The wildfire emergency allotments were authorized separately under a different disaster relief program and only apply to the 7 affected counties. If you're in one of those counties and qualified, you should have received a specific notice about it. They're scheduled to continue through August 2025 unless extended further.

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Noland Curtis

•8M

If you do need to call your county office tomorrow and can't get through (which is likely with all the people calling about this same issue), I recommend using Claimyr. I was in the same situation last month with a missing payment and spent HOURS trying to reach someone at my county office. Claimyr got me connected to a real person in about 20 minutes. They have a service where they wait on hold for you and call you back when a representative answers. Saved me a ton of stress. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works.

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Jenna Sloan

•8M

The wildfire emergency allotments are only for residents of the 7 counties with FEMA disaster declarations (Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Butte, Tehama, Trinity, and Siskiyou counties). Sacramento County isn't included in this particular disaster relief program. However, if you're struggling with your current benefit amount, I'd recommend submitting a SAR7 or mid-period report if you've had any changes that might increase your benefits - like higher rent/utilities costs, decreased income, or additional household members.

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