When do CalFresh benefits marked for 10th show up as pending on EBT?
Anyone know exactly when CalFresh benefits get loaded as 'pending' on our accounts? I normally get my benefits on the 10th of each month, but I need groceries asap and wondering if it might show up as pending a day or two before? Never paid attention to this before but really tight on food right now. If it matters, I'm in LA County. Does the pending status appear at midnight or is there some weird processing time?
13 comments


Nathaniel Mikhaylov
CalFresh benefits usually show as pending in your account 1-2 days before your assigned issuance date (the 10th in your case). You should see them as pending around the 8th or 9th. The exact timing can vary by county, but most EBT systems update overnight, so you'd likely see the pending deposit in the morning. Keep in mind that while you can see them as pending, you can't actually use the benefits until the official issuance date (the 10th for you).
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Melody Miles
•Thanks for explaining! So even if I see it as pending on the 8th or 9th, I still can't use it until the 10th? That's kind of a bummer, but at least I'll know it's coming.
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Eva St. Cyr
DEPENDS ON YOUR COUNTY!! In Sacramento they NEVER show as pending for me, just appear at like 6am on my date. My friend in San Diego says hers shows pending almost 2 days early. The system is so inconsistent its ridiculous!!! Good luck, hope you can get food soon!!
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Kristian Bishop
•Same in Fresno. Never shows pending, just magically appears on my day which is the 6th. I hate how every county does things differently.
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Kaitlyn Otto
i remember when they used to stagger based on last name of casehead. my neighbor would get hers on the 7th and i had to wait till the 17th. much better now with the 1-10 system
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Axel Far
•honestly I don't care when they show as pending, just wish they'd load them at midnight instead of making us wait until 6am or whatever random time they feel like it lol
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Jasmine Hernandez
Just wanted to share that if you're really in need before your benefits arrive, you can call your county office and ask for an expedited issuance due to emergency. They're supposed to help if you have less than $150 in resources and less than enough food for 3 days. Though getting through to someone on the phone can be a nightmare... I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which actually helped me skip the wait times to talk to a CalFresh worker. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Saved me hours of waiting when I had an emergency situation similar to yours.
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Melody Miles
•Thanks for the tip about expedited issuance! Didn't know that was an option. I'm going to try calling tomorrow - that Claimyr thing sounds interesting since last time I called I was on hold for almost 2 hours before giving up.
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Luis Johnson
To give you the official answer - EBT benefits for cases with the last digit of their case number ending in 0 are deposited on the 10th. The system actually processes these as pending transactions between 11pm-midnight on the 9th, but they aren't available for use until 6am on the 10th. This is consistent across all counties in California. Some counties' online portals will show the pending deposit, while others don't display this information until the funds are actually available. The YourBenefitsNow portal usually shows pending status, while the older county systems often don't.
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Melody Miles
•This is super helpful, thank you! Mine ends in 0 so that explains the 10th date. I'll check YourBenefitsNow tonight to see if it shows pending. Really appreciate the exact timing details!
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Axel Far
one time mine showed as pending but then didn't actually load on my regular day and i panicked!!! turned out there was a system glitch and they fixed it the next day but maybe don't count on it until it's actually there lol
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Melody Miles
•Oh no, that would freak me out too! I'll try not to get too excited if I see it pending then. Just really hoping it comes through on time this month.
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Oliver Fischer
If you're in LA County and really need food before the 10th, check if there are any local food banks or pantries near you that can help bridge the gap. Places like the LA Regional Food Bank have locations all over and usually don't require much paperwork - just show up. Also, some churches and community centers do emergency food distribution. I know it's not ideal but when you're really tight on groceries it can help get you through those last few days. Hope your benefits show up as pending soon!
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