P-EBT card reloads officially ending - BenefitsCal confirmed NO MORE payments coming
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up - I finally got through to someone at the P-EBT hotline this morning after trying for DAYS. The rep confirmed that there will be NO MORE RELOADS happening on P-EBT cards for anyone in California. Period. They said the program has completely ended and the final payments were already issued. I've been checking my kids' cards every few days hoping for another reload since I heard rumors about possible extensions. Guess I can stop wasting my time! Anyone else get this same info? Or heard anything different about the P-EBT program being extended? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something before I tell my sister to stop checking her kids' cards too.
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Madison Tipne
yep thats what i heard too. so annoying they didnt send any notice or anything. just stopped. my daughter's school is still doing free lunch for everyone tho so at least theres that
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Finley Garrett
•Yeah, the no-notice thing is what got me! I kept thinking maybe there was some kind of delay or system issue. Glad your daughter's school has the free lunch program still running.
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Holly Lascelles
This is accurate information. The Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program was always intended to be temporary during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The final P-EBT benefits were issued in late 2024, and there are no plans for additional issuances in 2025. However, it's important to note that this only affects P-EBT, which was the special pandemic program. If you receive regular CalFresh benefits, those will continue as normal according to your eligibility. And as the previous commenter mentioned, many schools still offer free or reduced-price meal programs regardless of P-EBT status. You can find the official announcement on the CDSS website or through your BenefitsCal account.
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Finley Garrett
•Thanks for confirming! I do have regular CalFresh too, but the P-EBT was really helpful with three kids. Do you know if they're planning to do any kind of summer EBT program this year? I thought I heard something about that being separate from P-EBT.
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Malia Ponder
I'm actually relieved to hear this!!! I've been stressing about my P-EBT card for weeks thinking I was doing something wrong or missed a form or something. I kept checking it and NOTHING, called the automated line like 5 times too. At least now I know for sure and can stop worrying. Do we need to keep the cards though??? Or can we just throw them away??
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Holly Lascelles
•You should keep your P-EBT cards as long as they have any remaining balance. The benefits already loaded don't expire for 9 months from the date they were issued. Also, though there are currently no plans to reload them, it's always best to keep program cards in case policies change in the future.
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Kyle Wallace
Wait, I thought P-EBT was different from CalFresh? My worker told me last month I was approved for CalFresh and my EBT card would be reloaded on the 10th of each month. Does this P-EBT thing affect my regular food stamps too??? Now I'm panicking because I'm counting on that money for groceries next week!
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Holly Lascelles
•Don't panic! You're absolutely correct - P-EBT and CalFresh are different programs. P-EBT was specifically related to school closures during the pandemic and was issued on special P-EBT cards, often to families with school-age children. CalFresh (sometimes called food stamps) is the ongoing nutrition assistance program, and if you were recently approved, your regular EBT card will continue to be loaded monthly according to your issuance date. This announcement about P-EBT ending has NO effect on your regular CalFresh benefits.
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Kyle Wallace
•Omg thank you!!! I almost had a heart attack. I get so confused with all these different program names and cards. Appreciate you clearing that up!
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Ryder Ross
This is just TYPICAL of how they treat us. No communication, no warning, just cut people off when they feel like it. I bet they still have millions in unspent funds too. Wouldn't surprise me if they redirect that money to something that doesn't help families at all. My kids benefited so much from that program and now it's just GONE.
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Gianni Serpent
•I understand your frustration. When I needed to get information about my regular CalFresh benefits after P-EBT ended, I couldn't get through to anyone for days. Then I found this service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual CalFresh worker in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then call you when they reach a person. Saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or their website claimyr.com. Might be helpful if you need to sort out any benefit questions with the county.
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Henry Delgado
Just to add some helpful information: while P-EBT has ended, California is implementing a permanent Summer EBT program starting summer 2025. It will provide approximately $120 per eligible child during summer months to help with food costs when school meals aren't available. The eligibility requirements are similar to free/reduced school meals. If your children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals or you receive CalFresh, you'll likely be automatically enrolled. The state should send notices about this in late spring. This isn't the same as P-EBT, but it will help fill some of that gap during summer months.
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Finley Garrett
•This is EXACTLY what I was wondering about! Thank you so much for sharing this info. $120 per kid for summer will definitely help. Do you know if they'll use the same P-EBT cards for this or send new ones?
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Henry Delgado
•As far as I know, they'll issue new Summer EBT cards, but if you already have a P-EBT card, keep it just in case they decide to use the same cards. The program details are still being finalized. I recommend checking the CDSS website or your BenefitsCal account for updates as summer approaches.
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Madison Tipne
kind of off topic but does anyone know if we can still use whatever balance is left on the pebt cards? my kids still have like $30 each and i dont want it to disappear
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Holly Lascelles
•Yes, any remaining balance on P-EBT cards is still valid and available for use. Benefits remain available for 9 months from the issuance date before they expire. So definitely use those remaining funds for eligible food purchases!
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Malia Ponder
Has anyone else noticed that regular CalFresh benefits seem to be getting lower too?? My January amount was almost $100 less than December and I didn't report ANY changes. Is this related to the P-EBT ending or something else going on? Everything is so expensive now and they keep cutting benefits!!!!
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Henry Delgado
•The CalFresh decrease many households saw in January 2025 is related to the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that happened in October 2024. While benefit amounts were adjusted upward slightly, the standard deduction and other factors in the calculation changed as well. In some cases, this resulted in lower benefits despite the COLA increase. It's not directly related to P-EBT ending. If you think there's an error in your benefit calculation, you should contact your county office to request an explanation. You have the right to ask for a breakdown of how your benefit amount was calculated.
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NebulaNomad
Thanks for posting this confirmation! I've been wondering about this for weeks. My neighbor kept insisting that her friend's sister heard there would be more P-EBT payments coming, but I had a feeling the program was really done. It's frustrating that there wasn't better communication about the end date, but at least now I can stop checking my kids' cards every few days. Really appreciate everyone sharing info about the Summer EBT program too - that's the first I've heard about it and it sounds like it could be a real help during those long summer months when the kids are home all day.
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Ethan Taylor
•Right?? The rumors were driving me crazy too! I kept hearing different things from different people and it was so hard to know what was true. I'm glad the original poster took the time to actually call and get official confirmation. And yes, that Summer EBT info is really encouraging - I had no idea that was coming. It won't replace what we lost with P-EBT ending, but every little bit helps when you're feeding kids all summer long!
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Seraphina Delan
I'm so glad you posted this! I've been in the same boat - checking my kids' P-EBT cards obsessively and getting more frustrated each time there was nothing new. It's such a relief to finally have official confirmation that the program is actually over instead of wondering if I missed something or if there was a system glitch. The lack of clear communication from the state was really stressful for families who were depending on those benefits. At least now I can focus my energy on making sure I'm signed up for all the other programs that are still available, like making sure my CalFresh stays current and looking into that Summer EBT program that others mentioned. Thanks for doing the legwork to get a straight answer!
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