What's the best app to check CalFresh EBT balance? BenefitsCal not working for me
Does anyone know if there's a good app to check my CalFresh balance? I tried logging into BenefitsCal but it keeps giving me an error when I try to view my benefits. Something about 'system temporarily unavailable.' Been trying for 3 days straight! My EBT card got wet in the rain and I can't read the number on the back to call the phone line. Just need to check if my benefits for May loaded yet since my kids are on spring break and eating everything in sight lol. Is there another app that works better than BenefitsCal?
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Yuki Watanabe
Yes! The 'ConnectEBT' app is specifically for checking your balance and recent transactions. Much more reliable than the BenefitsCal portal for just checking your balance. You'll need to set it up with your card info though, which might be tricky if you can't read the number. You could also try calling your county office directly to verify your May benefits were issued.
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Ethan Campbell
•Thank you!! Didn't know about ConnectEBT. I think my mom might have a picture of my card from when she helped me apply. Will try that first before calling the county.
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Carmen Sanchez
BenefitsCal is a JOKE. It's down ALL THE TIME and even when it works it's so slow!! I've been dealing with this for 2 YEARS and nothing has improved. I got so sick of this I started just going to the county office in person because at least there I can talk to a real person who can see my account!
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Andre Dupont
•Seriously!! I thought it was just my phone or something. So frustrating when you're trying to figure out if you have enough to buy groceries.
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Zoe Papadakis
I had the same issue last month and discovered you can get a replacement EBT card pretty easily. You can request one through BenefitsCal (when it's working), or you can try using Claimyr to reach someone at your county office directly without waiting on hold forever. I used it at claimyr.com and they connected me to a worker in about 10 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Much faster than waiting for the website to start working again!
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Ethan Campbell
•Never heard of this service before. Is it legit? I'm always skeptical of services that say they can help with benefits stuff.
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Zoe Papadakis
•Totally get the skepticism! But yeah, it's legit - they just help you skip the phone waiting line. I was connected to the same county workers I would've reached anyway, just didn't have to listen to that awful hold music for hours. You still talk directly with the county people who handle your case.
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ThunderBolt7
ok so there's actually a couple options: 1. ConnectEBT app (like someone said) 2. Fresh EBT app (this is what i use, works good) 3. You can also text your EBT card # to 42265 and it'll tell u ur balance btw u can still call the EBT customer service at 877-328-9677 even without the card number, just need ur social security # and they can look it up for u
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Ethan Campbell
•Wow the text option sounds great! Didn't know about that either. Will try it once I get my card # from my mom. And good to know about the phone line accepting SSN instead. Thanks!
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Jamal Edwards
I'm having the same issues with BenefitsCal!!! I thought it was just me. Is anyone else getting a message saying you need to upload verification documents but when you try to upload them nothing happens? I'm worried my CalFresh is going to get cut off because I can't upload my pay stubs. Should I just go to the office? But I can't take time off work and they're never open on weekends!!!!
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Yuki Watanabe
•This sounds like a different issue than what the original poster mentioned. For document upload problems, I'd recommend emailing the documents to your county office if they allow that option. Most counties now have an email address specifically for submitting verification documents. Include your case number and full name in the subject line. If you can't find the email address, call your county's main line and ask for it.
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Mei Chen
Fresh EBT app is what I've been using for about 2 years now. It lets you check your balance, see transaction history, and even find stores that accept EBT near you. The app also sends notifications when your benefits are loaded each month. Super helpful for budgeting! Much more reliable than BenefitsCal which seems to be down half the time.
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Andre Dupont
•Does it tell you when your SAR7 is due too? I always forget and then have to scramble last minute
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Mei Chen
•I don't think it reminds you about SAR7 specifically, but it does show your benefit amount each month so you can kind of tell if something is wrong. Like if you suddenly get $0 you know you probably missed something lol
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Ethan Campbell
Update: I was able to get the card number from my mom and downloaded the Fresh EBT app. It worked perfectly! Could see that my May benefits did load ($835 for my household of 3). Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
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Yuki Watanabe
•Great to hear! Just a tip - you might want to request a replacement EBT card anyway since you mentioned yours was damaged. If the card stops working completely, you won't be able to access your benefits until the new one arrives (which can take 7-10 days).
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Jessica Suarez
•Awesome that it worked out! @Yuki Watanabe is totally right about getting a replacement card. I learned this the hard way when my card completely stopped working at the grocery store checkout with a cart full of food - so embarrassing! You can usually request a replacement through the Fresh EBT app too under account settings, or call that number someone mentioned earlier.
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