P-EBT 2025 eligibility confusion - only for virtual students in California?
Hey CalFresh community! I'm really confused about the latest P-EBT benefits in California for 2025. Someone told me it's ONLY being given to kids who were attending school virtually? That doesn't sound right to me. My daughter is in 3rd grade attending in-person classes, and I thought she'd qualify based on our household income (we're already on CalFresh). Did they change the eligibility requirements? Has anyone received P-EBT recently or know what the current criteria is? I'd appreciate any info because our food budget is really tight this month.
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Freya Christensen
theres lots of misinformation going around about the new P-EBT rollout. virtual learning was a requirement during covid but thats not the case anymore. now its based on whether ur kid gets free/reduced lunch and if ur schools participating in the program. if ur already on calfresh ur kid probably qualifies but the cards are being sent out in phases depending on county
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Ravi Malhotra
•Oh thank you! That makes more sense. Do you know if they're sending new cards or reloading the old ones from 2023? And do we have to apply separately or is it automatic if we're on CalFresh?
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Omar Farouk
The current P-EBT program for 2025 has different eligibility requirements than previous years. Here's the accurate information: 1. Children who receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program are eligible 2. Children in CalFresh households with school-aged children are automatically eligible 3. Children under 6 in CalFresh households are also eligible Virtual learning is NOT a requirement anymore - that was specific to the pandemic-era program. Benefits are being distributed on a rolling basis by county, and if you already have a P-EBT card, they'll reload it. If not, they'll mail you a new one. No separate application is needed if you're already on CalFresh.
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Chloe Davis
•Wait is this automatic?? I have 2 kids (8 and 5) and we've been on calfresh since january but nobody told me about pebt and we havent gotten any cards! do they mail them to the same address as your calfresh stuff??
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AstroAlpha
I just got off the phone with my county office last week about this exact issue! The P-EBT benefits for 2025 are definitely NOT just for virtual students. That was only during the height of COVID. Now it's for any eligible child who qualifies for free/reduced lunch OR is in a CalFresh household. The frustrating part is the rollout schedule - they're sending cards county by county and there's no way to check status online. I spent 3 hours on hold trying to find out when my kids' cards would arrive! If you're struggling to get through to your county office, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Saved me hours of waiting on hold and I finally got confirmation our cards should arrive by next month.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Thanks for the detailed info! I had no idea they were rolling it out county by county. That explains why my sister (different county) got hers and we haven't. I might try that service if I don't hear anything by next week.
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Diego Chavez
The virtual learning requirements haven't been a thing since like 2022!! My kids have been getting P-EBT benefits loaded every few months and they've been in-person school this whole time. The misinformation is CRAZY out there. If your kids already get free lunch at school or you're on CalFresh you should qualify. Check your mail carefully - the cards come in very plain envelopes that look like junk mail (I almost threw ours away the first time!
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Freya Christensen
•yes!!! this happened to me too!! the envelope looks like spam mail! no clear markings or anything saying its from the government. watch ur mail carefully
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Anastasia Smirnova
r u sure its even called P-EBT still? i thought they changed the name of the program this year. my neighbor said its now under some different program with a new acronym and thats why people r confused
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Sean O'Brien
•It's still called P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer), even though we're past the pandemic. California has continued the program through 2025 with similar eligibility but different funding sources. Some states have created their own named programs, but in California it's still P-EBT. The confusion might be because there are also Summer EBT programs that run separately.
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Ravi Malhotra
Update: I called my county office this morning and finally got through! The representative confirmed that my daughter IS eligible for P-EBT since we're already on CalFresh. They're sending cards for our county starting next week, and we should receive it within 10-15 business days. Thanks everyone for your help clearing up my confusion!
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Chloe Davis
•lucky! i tried calling 3 times today and kept getting disconnected after 40+ minutes on hold. did they say anything about payment amounts for 2025? is it still $120 per kid per month?
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Omar Farouk
Just to give everyone the most current information: The 2025 P-EBT benefit amount in California is $138 per eligible child per month. This is slightly higher than last year due to inflation adjustments. The benefits are typically loaded retroactively, so when you receive your card, you may get several months' worth of benefits at once. The distribution schedule by county is available on the CDSS website, though they don't provide exact mailing dates. If your card doesn't arrive within the expected timeframe for your county, you can request a replacement through the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677, but be prepared for long wait times.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Thank you for the specific amount info! $138 per month will be a huge help for our grocery budget. I'll check the CDSS website to see the distribution schedule for our county.
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