Why did my CalFresh benefits jump from $191 to $1,300 in November?

That's probably retroactive benefits. Did you apply a few months before October but got approved later? They sometimes backdate your benefits to when you first applied. Also could be emergency allotment if your county had some disaster declaration. I'd definitely call your caseworker to confirm tho before spending it all!

This actually happened to me last year! It's most likely retroactive benefits from your application date. CalFresh is required to provide benefits from the date you applied, not just from when they approved you. So if you applied in August/September and weren't approved until October, they owe you for those months too. Also, they sometimes add emergency supplements if you qualified for maximum benefits but didn't receive them initially. The $1,300 is probably a combination of backpay + your regular November benefit.

thats def retroactive but sounds like alot??? my household gets 750/mo for 3 ppl so even 2 months backdated wouldn't be 1300 unless u have a big family. did u report any big expenses like rent/utilities on ur app? those can increase ur benefit amount

I work with benefit recipients regularly, and I can confirm this is almost certainly retroactive benefits. Here's the breakdown of what likely happened: 1. You applied in August but weren't approved until October 2. You received your first normal month payment of $191 in October 3. In November, you received: - Retroactive benefits for August (prorated from application date) - Full September benefits - Your regular November payment - Possibly an income deduction adjustment With high housing costs like $2,400/month, you likely qualified for the maximum benefit amount for a household of 2, which would be around $470/month in 2025. That means even 2-2.5 months of back benefits could easily approach $1,300. The system is working correctly! This isn't an error.

Just be careful!! My cousin got a huge amount one time and spent it all then had to pay it back because it WAS a mistake in her case. Keep the receipt from your EBT transactions just to be safe.

Call your county office and ask them to explain the payment. I tried calling my CalFresh office for WEEKS about a similar issue last year and couldn't get through. Finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in about 10 minutes. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Completely worth it for peace of mind about whether you can spend that money or not.

BUT ALSO dont forget to file ur SAR7!!!!!! if u forget they will cut u off and then u have to reapply all over again!! happened to me twice lol

The SAR7 is your Semi-Annual Report. You'll need to submit it by the 5th of the 6th month after you started receiving benefits. So if you began in October 2025, your SAR7 will be due by March 5, 2026. This form updates the county on your income, expenses, and household composition. It's different from recertification, which happens annually (for you, that would be around October 2026). The county office should mail you the SAR7 form about 45 days before it's due. You can also submit it online through BenefitsCal.com or the mobile app. Missing this deadline can indeed result in benefit termination, so it's important to keep track of it.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE US!!!! They never explain the retroactive payments clearly and then expect us to know all these random form names and deadlines?! I got cut off THREE TIMES because nobody told me about the reporting requirements. And then they make you wait HOURS on the phone just to talk to someone who half the time doesn't even know the answer!!!!!

One more thing - make sure you're aware of your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). It should be listed on your approval notice. If your income ever goes above that amount, you have to report it within 10 days, even before your SAR7 is due. A lot of people miss this and end up with overpayments.

The IRT isn't a form - it's a specific income amount that's calculated for your household. If your monthly income ever exceeds that amount, you must report it within 10 days, even if it's not time for your SAR7 yet. It should be clearly stated on your approval notice, usually in bold or highlighted. For a household of 2 in 2025, it's typically around 130% of the Federal Poverty Level, which would be approximately $2,450/month. But your specific IRT might be different based on your situation.