When does CalFresh December bonus payment hit EBT cards in 2025?

what bonus? i havent heard anything about a bonus payment and i been on calfresh for 3 years now

There is no official 'December bonus' for CalFresh in California. What you might be hearing about is one of these things: 1. The regular December monthly payment - which comes on your normal issuance date based on the last digit of your case number 2. The semi-annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) which sometimes happens in October or January, not December 3. A county-specific supplemental payment that some counties occasionally provide using local funds (rare but does happen) If someone mentioned a specific amount like $101 per household member, they might be confusing this with a past COVID-era emergency allotment, which ended completely in March 2023. I'd recommend calling your county CalFresh office to verify if there's any special payment you qualify for, but don't count on a 'bonus' for your holiday planning.

THERE IS A DECEMBER BONUS!!! But it's ONLY for families with school-age children who get both CalFresh AND CalWORKs. It's called the School Holiday Nutritional Supplement and it's supposed to help with extra food costs when kids are home from school during winter break. It's NOT available to everyone on CalFresh - that's why some people haven't heard of it!!!

i got something like this last year but it came on december 10th not at the end of the month. it was about $75 per kid i think? not $101. but yeah its only if u have calworks too

If you need to confirm exactly what benefits you're eligible for, I'd recommend contacting your county CalFresh office directly. I had a similar question last month and was getting bounced around automated phone systems for days. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person at my county office. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 They got me connected to a real caseworker in about 10 minutes who was able to check my specific case and tell me exactly what I qualified for. Saved me hours of frustration with busy signals and automated phone trees.

The real name is School Holiday Nutrition Program (SHNP) and it's only in certain counties. Not all counties in CA participate and amounts vary. Worth checking your county's social services website or logging into BenefitsCal to see specific notices for your case.

Its super confusing bc every county does it different!! Like in my county (Alameda) they gave an extra $40 per kid under 18 last December but my sister in LA county got like $65 per kid. And yeah you need CalWORKs too not just CalFresh. And they never announce it clearly its just a surprise when it shows up!

To summarize for anyone else confused: 1. There is NO universal December 'bonus' for all CalFresh recipients 2. The School Holiday Nutrition Program (SHNP) provides supplemental benefits to families with children who receive BOTH CalWORKs AND CalFresh 3. The amount varies by county (typically between $40-$80 per child) 4. Distribution dates vary by county, usually between December 1-15 5. This is NOT the same as the pandemic emergency allotments which ended in March 2023 If you only receive CalFresh and not CalWORKs, you would not be eligible for this supplement. The best way to verify your specific case is to contact your county CalFresh office or check your BenefitsCal account for notices.

If you're looking for extra food assistance during the holidays even without the CalWORKs supplement, there are other resources that might help! Many food banks do special holiday distributions in December with extra items like turkeys or holiday meal fixings. Also check if your local churches or community centers are doing holiday food drives. Some counties also have special senior food programs if you're over 60, or WIC supplemental foods if you have young kids. I know it's not the same as extra EBT benefits, but it might help stretch your December budget for holiday meals. You can search for local food banks at feedingamerica.org or call 211 for other local resources.