Surprised by $120 P-EBT payment for my infant - is this normal for CalFresh households?
Hey everyone! I got a total surprise today when I checked my EBT balance. I saw an extra $120 was added and labeled as P-EBT for my 8-month-old daughter. I was under the impression that P-EBT was only for school-aged kids? We've been on regular CalFresh for about 6 months (family of 3, me, husband and baby), but nobody ever mentioned P-EBT for infants during our application process. Is this normal? Are babies supposed to get P-EBT benefits too? I'm definitely not complaining about the extra help, but I'm confused and don't want to spend it if it was deposited by mistake and they'll ask for it back later.
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Natalie Adams
YES! They expanded P-EBT to include children under 6 as part of the Summer EBT program, so your baby qualifies. It's around $120/month during summer for eligible kids - totally legit! The rollout has been super confusing and they did a terrible job explaining it to families. I have a 2yr old and 4yr old and got payments for both of them last month. You're good to spend it - it's not a mistake!
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Jordan Walker
•Omg thank you so much!!! I was so worried it was a mistake. Do you know if this is going to be ongoing or just a one-time summer thing? Our caseworker never mentioned anything about this program.
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Elijah O'Reilly
congrats on the extra funds! my sister got this 4 her toddler too. i think its part of that summer ebt program they started. better than nothing but doesnt go far these days with food prices tbh
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Jordan Walker
•Thanks! Yeah every bit helps with how expensive formula and baby food are getting. Just bought a can of formula yesterday and almost fell over at the price.
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Amara Torres
To clarify some misinformation in this thread: what you received is likely Summer EBT, not traditional P-EBT. California implemented Summer EBT in 2025 for children under 6 in CalFresh households. The benefit is $120 per eligible child for the summer months (June-August). It's automatically loaded to your existing EBT card if you're already on CalFresh. This is separate from the original P-EBT program which was created during COVID for school-aged children. This is not an error and you can absolutely use these benefits. They should appear as a separate balance on your EBT account. The program is intended to help with additional food costs when children don't have access to school meals during summer months, and was extended to young children as well.
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Jordan Walker
•Thank you for that detailed explanation! That makes more sense. So we should get this for June, July and August? Do I need to do anything special during my next SAR7 reporting about this additional income or is it automatically handled since it's through the same system?
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Amara Torres
You don't need to report Summer EBT benefits on your SAR7. These benefits are not counted as income for CalFresh purposes. Just use them as you would your regular CalFresh benefits - they're for food purchases only. And yes, you should receive the benefit for each summer month if your household remains eligible for CalFresh.
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Jordan Walker
•Perfect, thank you! That's a relief to know I don't need to do anything special on the paperwork.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
I got one for my baby too! But mine was only $87??? Does anyone know why the amounts might be different? Same program right?
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Amara Torres
•The standard Summer EBT benefit is $120 per eligible child per summer month. If you received $87, there could be a few reasons: 1. It might be prorated if you became eligible partway through the month 2. There could be an error in your benefit calculation 3. You might have received a different benefit that's showing up similarly on your EBT card I'd recommend calling your county office to verify the correct amount. You can also check your EBT account online to see exactly how it's labeled.
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Mason Kaczka
I spent 2 hours on hold trying to ask my county worker about this exact issue last week!! Finally gave up. If anyone needs to actually reach a human at the CalFresh office, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a person in less than 10 minutes. Just go to claimyr.com and they'll call the office for you and then connect you once they get through to someone. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Way better than wasting half your day on hold. The worker I talked to confirmed it's the Summer EBT program and it should continue through August for eligible kids.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
•OMG thank you for this!!! I've been trying to reach someone for days. Will try this service tomorrow because I need to ask about the amount difference for my baby.
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Sophia Russo
Be careful not to confuse this with the P-EBT that was given during COVID. That program ended. This is the new Summer EBT program that California implemented this year. The old P-EBT cards won't be reloaded - this comes on your regular EBT card. Just wanted to clarify since I've seen so many confused parents lately!
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Elijah O'Reilly
•yep ur right!! my cousin kept checking her old p-ebt card and getting mad nothing was there lol. had to tell her to check her regular ebt card
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Evelyn Xu
My daughter is 4 and we got NOTHING!!!!! Been on calfresh for 2 years, why would they exclude us?? Does anyone know if theres an income limit WITHIN calfresh for this summer thing? We got the letter saying we qualify but no money so confused and FRUSTRATED with this system!!!!!
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Amara Torres
•If you received a letter stating you qualify but haven't received the benefit, there may be an issue with your case. Some possible reasons: 1. Your benefits might be scheduled for a different issuance date (they're staggering the releases) 2. There could be a system error affecting your account 3. Your letter might have been referring to eligibility for regular CalFresh rather than Summer EBT I'd recommend contacting your county office to verify your Summer EBT status specifically. Ask them to check if you're in the system for Summer EBT and when you should expect the benefit.
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Jordan Walker
Update: I called my county office and confirmed this is indeed the Summer EBT program! The representative said all families on CalFresh with children under 6 should receive $120 per child per month for June, July, and August. She mentioned some payments are being issued on a staggered schedule, so if anyone hasn't received theirs yet, it might still be coming. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Evelyn Xu
•Did they tell you what day of the month it gets deposited? Is it the same day as regular calfresh benefits?
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Jordan Walker
They said it typically gets deposited around the 10th-15th of each month, which is different from regular CalFresh benefits (mine come on the 3rd). But the representative mentioned they're still working through the system so some deposits might be a little later than usual, especially for this first round.
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