Still waiting for P-EBT card in October - are distributions finished?
I'm kinda worried about my kids' P-EBT benefits for the school year. We qualified based on free lunch status, and most of the families I know already got their cards in August/September. Is anyone else still waiting for theirs to arrive? The state website says distribution was supposed to be completed by end of September, but my online status just says 'processing' when I check. The amount is supposed to be $1,350 per kid which would really help with our grocery bills. Have they stopped sending cards out entirely or should I keep waiting?
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Jay Lincoln
The P-EBT 4.0 distribution is actually still ongoing through mid-October according to the latest CDSS update. They're processing cards in batches based on county and school district. What county are you in? That might explain the delay. I got mine last week for my two kids, and my cousin in a different district just got hers yesterday. Keep in mind P-EBT is separate from regular CalFresh benefits - you can have both at the same time.
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Brooklyn Foley
•I'm in Alameda County. So maybe there's still hope! Do you know if there's a way to check the status besides the portal? When I log in it just says processing but doesn't give any estimated date.
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Jessica Suarez
mine just came in the mail yesterday!!! first time getting pebt even tho my kids been on free lunch for years. check ur mailbox carefully cuz the envelope is plain white n i almost threw it away thinking it was junk lol
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Brooklyn Foley
•Thanks for the tip! I'll make sure to check carefully. Was there any notice beforehand that it was coming or did it just show up?
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Marcus Williams
I called the P-EBT hotline FOURTEEN times last week and kept getting disconnected. Finally got through yesterday and they told me my card was mailed but couldn't tell me when I'd receive it. So frustrating when we're counting on that money for food! The whole system is a mess - they should just add it to our regular EBT cards instead of creating a separate card and making us wait months.
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Lily Young
•I had the same issue with calling - endless hold times and disconnections. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when a real person was available. Saved me so much time and frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. When I finally got through, they confirmed my card had been mailed but was taking extra time due to a processing backlog in certain counties.
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Marcus Williams
•Thanks for the tip! I'm going to try that next time because this is ridiculous. Did they give you any actual info when you finally got through?
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Kennedy Morrison
To clarify some confusion I'm seeing: P-EBT 4.0 (for the 2022-2023 school year) distribution was originally scheduled to complete by September 30, 2025, but CDSS has officially extended distribution through October 31st due to processing delays. The timeline varies by county and school district reporting schedules. If your status shows "processing" in the portal, that's actually good news - it means you're in the system and approved. Cards are being mailed in batches, with some counties experiencing 2-3 week delays beyond the initial estimate. If you don't receive your card by October 25th, I would recommend contacting your school district's nutrition services department first (they report the eligibility data) and then the P-EBT hotline as a backup.
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Brooklyn Foley
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'll give it until the 25th before I start making calls. I'm glad to hear they extended the distribution period.
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Wesley Hallow
wait is this different from regular calfresh?? we get food stamps but never got PEBT. my kids get free school lunch tho
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Kennedy Morrison
•Yes, P-EBT is completely separate from CalFresh. P-EBT was created to help families whose children receive free or reduced-price school meals. Even if you already get CalFresh, you should still qualify for P-EBT if your children get free/reduced lunch. You can check eligibility at the P-EBT portal: ca.p-ebt.org. It's not too late to follow up!
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Justin Chang
we got ours last week finally! took FOREVER and no notification beforehand just showed up in mail. had to call to get PIN setup too which was another headache. but the $1350 per kid is for real and works just like regular EBT at same stores. money doesnt expire for 9 months so you don't have to spend it all at once
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Brooklyn Foley
•That's good to know about the PIN setup. Did you have to call a specific number for that? And 9 months is a decent amount of time to use the benefits.
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Jessica Suarez
my sister in fresno still waitin too so ur not alone. they doing them in groups i think
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Jay Lincoln
Update: Just saw on the CDSS website that they're sending out a batch of P-EBT cards specifically for Alameda County this week (October 14-18). So you should hopefully receive yours within the next 7-10 business days from mailing date. If you don't get it by the end of the month, then I would definitely follow up with both your school district and the P-EBT hotline.
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Brooklyn Foley
•Thank you so much for checking! That's exactly what I needed to know. I'll watch for it over the next couple weeks before panicking. Appreciate the help everyone!
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