When will CalFresh Supplemental Nutrition Benefits for summer 2025 be issued for last names starting with Y?

Yes, Summer P-EBT (or 'sun bucks' as some call it) is being distributed alphabetically by last name this year. According to the CDSS schedule, they're releasing benefits in phases throughout summer 2025. Last names A-G were June 1-15, H-M are June 16-30, N-S July 1-15, and T-Z should be July 16-30. So if your last name starts with Y, you should see it on your EBT card sometime between July 16-30. Each eligible child should receive about $490 for the whole summer.

my kids got there's last week but my sisters kids havent got hers yet... her last name starts with R so i guess that makes sense with what that other person said about alphabetical. its so annoying how they dont just send everyone the money at the same time!!!

I had this same issue last year! The alphabetical distribution is so frustrating. I have a W last name and was literally the LAST week of summer to get the benefits. By that point, summer was almost over! I ended up calling our county office like 12 times before I finally got through to someone who could tell me when to expect it. If you're having trouble getting through on the phone, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual person at the CalFresh office. You just go to claimyr.com and they somehow get you past those awful phone queues. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Saved me hours of waiting and getting disconnected repeatedly!

Just so everybody has the correct information: these are NOT called "sun bucks" officially. They are Summer P-EBT benefits (Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer). While the pandemic is over, California has continued this program through 2025. Also important to note: these benefits are separate from regular CalFresh. You can receive these summer benefits for eligible school-age children even if your household doesn't qualify for regular CalFresh. The benefit amount for Summer 2025 is $488 per eligible child (which is around $7.50 per day for the 65 days of summer vacation). And yes, they are unfortunately distributed in alphabetical waves to manage system load. All children in the same household should receive their benefits at the same time, regardless of different last names. If you don't receive benefits when expected, call your county office or check the CDSS website for updates.

This isn't related to regular CalFresh at all!! P-EBT is a completely different program - I made this mistake last year and kept calling the regular CalFresh line. You need to contact the P-EBT customer service line at 877-328-9677 for questions specifically about summer benefits. Regular CalFresh workers often don't have access to the P-EBT systems. Also, make sure your address is updated with your children's school because they're using school databases to determine eligibility and where to send P-EBT cards if you've never received one before.

Update: Just got off the phone with the P-EBT hotline (finally!) and wanted to share what I learned. The rep confirmed that T-Z last names will start seeing benefits July 16-30, with most being processed during the first week of that window. She also said that all three of my kids should get their benefits loaded on the same day, which is good news. For anyone else waiting - they suggested checking your EBT balance every morning during your alphabetical window as benefits are typically loaded overnight. Thanks everyone for your help!

This is so helpful! I'm in the same boat with a Z last name and two kids in elementary. I've been stressing about when these benefits would come through since I'm trying to plan summer meals and activities. It's really frustrating that they don't just release them all at once, but at least now I know to expect them in the second half of July. Going to set a reminder to start checking my EBT balance daily starting July 16th. Thanks for calling and sharing what you found out!