My daughter's P-EBT card didn't arrive today - can I access benefits online to buy groceries?

you can call the p-ebt customer service line at 877-328-9677 to check on the status. sometimes the texts are wrong about loading dates. last school year my kid's benefits were delayed by 2 weeks after the text said they'd be available

P-EBT is different from regular CalFresh EBT in a few ways. For P-EBT, you generally need to wait for the physical card to arrive before you can use the benefits. The P-EBT customer service can check the status of your card and benefits, but for security reasons, they usually can't provide the full card number over the phone. For online shopping with P-EBT once you have the card, these are the current approved retailers: - Amazon - Walmart - Albertsons/Safeway/Vons - SaveMart/Lucky/FoodMaxx - Kroger/Ralph's In the meantime, if you're in a food emergency, you could: 1. Call 211 to find local food banks that might help today 2. Apply for emergency CalFresh if you don't already have it (separate from P-EBT) 3. Check if your local school district has any emergency meal programs

i think ur confusing P-EBT with regular EBT? P-EBT is only for kids who qualify for free school meals and its extra money when schools closed or summer. regular EBT is calfresh that u apply for

When my P-EBT benefit date got pushed back last fall, I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone. The P-EBT line is always jammed and I kept getting disconnected. I finally tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game changer - they actually got me through to a real human at the county who could see that my kid's P-EBT had been delayed because of a school district reporting error. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The county worker was able to expedite a special emergency benefit loading. Worth a try if you can't get through on the main line!

Have you tried contacting your child's school? Sometimes the school admin has more updated info on P-EBT distribution than the state hotline. Also, the P-EBT cards are mailed from a different system than regular CalFresh cards, so delays are super common. My son's took an extra 17 days after the text!!

Here's accurate information about P-EBT for 2025: 1. You cannot get the card number over the phone for security reasons 2. P-EBT benefits are loaded on specific days based on the first letter of the student's last name (check the schedule on the CDSS website) 3. The text notifications are sometimes sent too early due to automated systems 4. Once you receive the physical card, you can use it for online shopping at approved retailers 5. If you're experiencing a food emergency, call the P-EBT hotline (877-328-9677) and explicitly state it's an emergency situation - they have special protocols Additionally, if you already have regular CalFresh benefits and have used them all, you can request an emergency allotment through your county office if you meet certain criteria.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! They send texts saying benefits are available but then NOTHING appears!!! My kids went hungry TWICE because of this exact situation. And good luck reaching anyone at that stupid hotline. I spent THREE DAYS trying. The workers don't care that kids are going hungry. It's all about their paperwork and regulations. I've had P-EBT benefits delayed up to 5 weeks after getting those stupid texts!!!

if u got regular calfresh too maybe the ppl answering here are confused what ur asking about lol... p-ebt is different

For anyone else landing on this thread: There's been a scheduled system update for P-EBT in February 2025 that's caused some benefit loading delays. According to the CDSS website, benefits that were scheduled for the first week of February may be delayed by 3-5 business days. This might explain why the text notification went out but the benefits aren't showing up yet. Once you do get the P-EBT card, remember to activate it immediately by calling the number on the back and setting a PIN. The benefits should be available immediately after activation. For online shopping, you'll need the 16-digit card number, expiration date, and security code, just like a regular debit card.