New to CalFresh - received P-EBT cards for under-6 kids in LA County but missing previous payments

The P-EBT for children under 6 is tied to your CalFresh eligibility, so you'll only receive benefits starting from when you became eligible for CalFresh (August 2025). There's no backpay for periods before your CalFresh approval date. The current issuance is for summer 2025 benefits, which is why you received it now. Each eligible child under 6 should get about $455 for the summer period if they were on CalFresh the whole summer. If you only became eligible in August, you might get a prorated amount based on when in August you were approved. The cards come separately from your regular EBT card and can be used the same way for food purchases.

Thank you! That makes sense. We were approved August 12th so I guess we got partial benefits. Each card has about $185 on it. Do you know if these P-EBT cards will automatically get loaded if we're eligible for future payments or do I need to apply separately?

i got mine 2day too but one of my kids didnt get a card even tho hes 4?? like wtf do i need to call someone about this or will it come later?

If one child was left out, you should definitely call. Sometimes there are database errors where not all eligible children get properly linked. Contact the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677, but be prepared for long wait times. You can also check the status online at ca.p-ebt.org after creating an account.

I hope you get it sorted out! All three of mine came together in the same mail, but they were in separate envelopes.

This P-EBT rollout has been SO frustrating! I've been on CalFresh for 3 years and the way they distribute these cards makes zero sense. Last year I got cards for my kids in different months, and the P-EBT website never shows updated information. Plus the helpline is a joke - I spent FOUR HOURS on hold last time before getting disconnected. The whole system is designed to make it as difficult as possible for families to get help they're entitled to. I'd recommend documenting everything and taking screenshots of your CalFresh approval letter to prove eligibility dates if you need to follow up.

Omg THIS!! I've called that P-EBT number like 20 times since last month and either wait forever or get disconnected. My kids' cards had the wrong amounts and nobody can help! Someone told me about Claimyr.com that can help you skip the phone wait for CalFresh and other services. I used their service to finally get through to a real person last week. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. Saved me hours of hold time!

Thanks for the tip! Might try that if I have to call again. So tired of spending my whole day trying to reach someone.

Are you sure those are PEBT cards and not the Middle Class Tax Refund debit cards? They look similar and were also being sent out recently. The PEBT ones should say \

Definitely P-EBT cards. They have the golden California state outline and say

For anyone confused about P-EBT under-6 benefits, here's how it works for 2025-2026:\n\n1. Children under 6 in CalFresh households automatically qualify\n2. Benefits are only for months your household receives CalFresh\n3. Summer 2025 full benefit is approximately $455 per child\n4. Partial month benefits are prorated based on your CalFresh approval date\n5. Cards are issued to each child individually\n6. Benefits roll out by county in phases (LA County is in the current phase)\n7. No application is needed - it's automatic if you have CalFresh\n8. P-EBT cards work at the same stores as regular EBT\n9. Benefits remain valid for 274 days from issuance\n\nSince you started CalFresh in August 2025, the reduced amount makes sense. Keep those cards safe - any future benefits will be loaded onto the same cards automatically.

do the cards expire??? my kids got some last year but i put them away and forgot about them until now

You're actually really lucky to get them so quickly! I've been waiting since June for my kids' P-EBT cards, and I'm also in LA County. Called the helpline twice and they just said \

No notification at all, they just showed up in my mailbox yesterday! I didn't do anything special, just applied for regular CalFresh back in August. I didn't even know my kids would qualify for P-EBT until I started seeing posts about it. Hope yours come soon!

Thanks! I'll keep checking my mail and hopefully mine will show up soon. So weird how they do this rollout with no communication at all.

make SURE u activate each card!!! my friend thought they came pre-activated and threw away the instructions, then couldnt use them at the store bc they still needed to be activated. u have to call the number on the back of each card and set a PIN. also write down whose card is whose somewhere bc they all look identical and if u mix them up its a HUGE hassle to figure out which is which later!!

Thank you for the reminder! I activated them right away but I didn't think about labeling them. Going to put some tape with names on them now so I don't get confused later.

I'm still confused about who qualifies for P-EBT. My sister got cards for her kids but she's on WIC, not CalFresh. Then my neighbor gets CalFresh but didn't get P-EBT for her 2-year-old. Makes NO SENSE how they decide who gets it and who doesn't. The whole system is just designed to confuse people so they don't claim benefits.

There are actually different P-EBT programs running simultaneously which causes a lot of confusion. The main ones are:\n\n1. School P-EBT: For kids who would get free/reduced lunch at school\n2. Under-6 P-EBT: For young children in CalFresh households\n3. Summer P-EBT: For eligible children during summer months\n\nYour sister's children might qualify through the school program even without CalFresh. For your neighbor, there could be a database matching issue - sometimes children aren't properly linked in the system. She should definitely call about that 2-year-old who should qualify if they're in a CalFresh household.

Update: I called the P-EBT helpline this morning to ask about future benefits. They confirmed that these cards will automatically receive any additional P-EBT benefits we qualify for in the future. The representative also mentioned there will likely be another issuance in early 2026 for the fall school period. Just wanted to share in case anyone else was wondering!

Thanks for updating! Did you have to wait long to get through? I still can't reach anyone.

I called right when they opened at 8am and still waited about 45 minutes. The recording kept saying I could leave a callback number but that option never actually came up during the menu choices.