P-EBT card activation rejected my birth date - any other ways to activate?

Same thing happened to me last month! So frustrating. I discovered that for some reason, they had my oldest child's DOB in their system instead of mine (even though I'm the parent/guardian). Try entering your CHILD'S date of birth instead of yours - that worked for me. Apparently for P-EBT sometimes they use the student's info not the parent's, even though the parent is supposed to be the cardholder.

i had this problem 2. try ur childs birthday or maybe ur using wrong format? system wants MM/DD/YYYY but maybe ur doing DD/MM/YYYY? just a thought

UPDATE: I tried my son's birthday and it STILL didn't work! I'm so frustrated I could scream. We have about $950 in benefits on this card that we can't access. Has anyone had to get a PIN reset or something similar?

I had a similar issue with my P-EBT card and the birth date not working. For me, the problem was that they had the wrong year in their system. Definitely call the P-EBT hotline as suggested above. Also, sometimes they use the oldest child's birth date if you have multiple children receiving benefits. Have you tried all your children's birthdates?

If you're having trouble reaching someone at the P-EBT hotline (which is totally normal, they're ALWAYS busy), I'd recommend using Claimyr. It saved me hours of waiting when I had a similar issue with my daughter's P-EBT card. They get you through to a real person much faster. I found their service at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Seriously, I was connected to a representative in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. They'll need to verify your identity another way if the DOB isn't working in the system.

This is a common issue with P-EBT cards specifically (which are different from regular CalFresh EBT cards). Here's what you need to know: 1. P-EBT uses school district records, which sometimes have data entry errors 2. For the 2025 Summer P-EBT, they're using the information that was on file as of March 2025 3. The system might have the birth date in a different format than you're entering 4. Sometimes they use the STUDENT'S date of birth, not the parent's Call the dedicated P-EBT hotline at 1-877-328-9677. Explain that you've tried multiple birth dates and formats. They can verify your identity another way and either tell you the correct date to use or manually activate your card. Be prepared with your case number, card number, and other identifying information. P-EBT is administered differently than regular CalFresh, so the county office may not be able to help much with this specific issue.

When i had this EXACT problem it turned out they were using my MAIDEN name not my married name on file for some reason!!! Try any varations of names too not just birthdays. The whole P-EBT system is so messed up and its ridiculous we have to jump through hoops for benefits our kids deserve!!!

FINAL UPDATE: Finally got this resolved! For anyone facing the same issue in the future - turns out there was a typo in my child's birth year in the school district database (they had 2016 instead of 2015). The P-EBT hotline was able to verify my identity through other means and activated the card for me. They're also sending a letter with the correct info for future reference. Thanks everyone for your help!