Random $10 deposit on EBT card - did CalFresh add some kind of bonus?

Yeah I got that too!!! My regular deposit came on time but then yesterday there was just an extra $10 sitting there. I thought maybe it was cuz I reported my rent went up last month but that seems too small for that. Nobody sent me anything about why.

This could be related to the new 2025 CalFresh Supplemental Nutrition Program they started rolling out this month. It's a small quarterly addition that's being tested in certain counties before potentially expanding statewide. The first payment is $10, but future payments might increase based on household size and income. Check your BenefitsCal account for notifications - sometimes they update your online portal before sending paper notices.

Dont trust it!!!! This happened to my cousin and it was actually them testing her account and she spent it and they hit her with an overpayment notice 2 months later!!!! The county is always trying to trick people i swear.

I got the $10 too but actually received a text notification about it (make sure your contact info is updated in BenefitsCal). It's part of the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot that started this month in 12 counties. If you're in Alameda, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Riverside, Contra Costa, San Francisco, or Kern, you're part of the pilot. It's a quarterly supplement that's supposed to help with price increases for specific nutritional items like fresh produce. It's perfectly legitimate to use - this is an official program, not an error.

my sister got $20 not $10 but shes got 2 kids on her case so maybe thats why?

I haven't received anything extra yet, but I'm in Yolo County. Maybe they're rolling it out gradually? Has anyone in smaller counties gotten this $10 supplement yet?

If you need to reach your CalFresh worker about this or any other issue, you might want to try Claimyr. I used it last month when I couldn't get through about my recertification issue and they got me connected to a real person in like 10 minutes when I had been trying for days. Just go to claimyr.com - they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Saved me so much stress when I was about to lose my benefits.

UPDATE: I checked my BenefitsCal account and there was actually a notification from 2 weeks ago about the "Quarterly Nutritional Supplement" program! Guess I need to check my messages more often. Thanks everyone for the help! It's nice to know I can actually spend the $10 without worrying.

So this is gonna happen every 3 months then? Extra money for healthy food? That's actually pretty cool. My kids might actually eat a vegetable if I can afford the good stuff lol

This is really helpful information! I'm in Riverside County and got the $10 too but had no idea what it was for. I was actually worried it might be some kind of error. It's reassuring to know this is an official pilot program. Does anyone know if there's a way to sign up for text notifications specifically? I tend to miss the BenefitsCal portal messages but would definitely want to know about future quarterly payments.

I'm in Los Angeles County and got the $10 too! I was so confused because it just showed up with no explanation. Thanks to everyone who explained about the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot - I had no idea this was even happening. It's actually really cool that they're trying to help with the cost of healthy food. I was definitely hesitant to spend it thinking it might be an error, but now I feel better about using it. Going to check my BenefitsCal messages more regularly from now on!

I'm new to CalFresh and this community - just got approved last month! I'm in Orange County and also received the mysterious $10 yesterday. I was actually panicking thinking there was some mistake with my case since I'm still figuring out how everything works. This thread has been so helpful! I had no idea about the pilot program and definitely haven't been checking my BenefitsCal messages regularly. Going to log in right now and set up those text notifications everyone mentioned. It's really reassuring to know this is legitimate and not something I need to worry about. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - makes me feel less anxious about navigating all of this!

I'm in Sacramento County and got the $10 deposit too! I was so relieved to read this thread because I thought maybe there was some glitch with my account. I've been on CalFresh for about 6 months now and this was the first time I've seen an unexpected deposit. I checked my BenefitsCal account after reading these comments and sure enough, there was a message about the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot that I had completely missed. It's actually pretty exciting that they're doing this - even $10 goes a long way when you're trying to buy fresh produce. I'm definitely going to update my notification settings so I don't miss future announcements. Thanks everyone for explaining what this was about!

I'm in Contra Costa County and just got the $10 too! I was actually planning to call my caseworker tomorrow because I thought it was some kind of mistake. This thread saved me so much time and worry - thank you everyone for explaining about the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot program! I had no idea California was doing this. I'm definitely one of those people who never checks the BenefitsCal messages (I always forget my login info) but I'm going to make an effort to stay more on top of things. It's really encouraging to see the state trying to help with healthy food costs, especially with how expensive everything has gotten lately. Going to use this $10 for some fresh vegetables this week!

This is such great info! I'm in Alameda County and just noticed the $10 yesterday too. I was definitely worried it was some kind of system error and was hesitant to use it. Really glad to hear this is a legitimate pilot program - the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot sounds like it could actually make a difference for families trying to afford fresh produce. I've been on CalFresh for about 8 months now and grocery prices just keep going up, especially for healthy options. An extra $10 every quarter might not sound like much, but it can definitely help stretch the budget for fruits and vegetables. Going to log into my BenefitsCal account right now to check those messages I've been ignoring and set up text notifications. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is so helpful for navigating all the confusing parts of the system!

I'm in Kern County and got the $10 too! Like everyone else, I was totally confused when I saw it on my balance yesterday. I almost called the EBT customer service line thinking there was some kind of error with my account. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the Nutritional Enhancement Pilot program! It's really encouraging to see California trying to help with the rising cost of healthy food. I've been struggling to afford fresh produce lately with how expensive everything has gotten. An extra $10 every quarter specifically for nutritional items sounds like it could actually make a difference. I'm definitely going to check my BenefitsCal messages that I've been ignoring and set up those text notifications so I don't miss important updates like this in the future. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and explaining what this deposit was about!