Why hasn't P-EBT for 2025 been issued yet? My kids are waiting for meals

me too!! been waiting since the 10th and NOTHING. my sister already got hers for her kids and we live in the same district! makes zero sense. the p-ebt website says all cards should be mailed by the 25th of the month so maybe give it a few more days?? i'm about to go crazy trying to feed 4 hungry kids without it

Thanks for letting me know about the 25th date, that gives me a little hope! Did your sister get the card or just the benefits loaded on an existing card? I've never gotten P-EBT before so I don't even know what to look for in the mail.

P-EBT distribution for 2025 is happening in phases based on school district and last name. They're sending out about 200,000 cards per week statewide. If your neighbor has a different last name or her kids go to a different school, that could explain why she got hers first. The P-EBT hotline is overwhelmed right now, but benefits will be issued through the end of the month. One important note: if this is your first time getting P-EBT, you'll receive a new card in the mail (looks like a golden State of CA card). If you've received it before, benefits get loaded on your existing P-EBT card (not your regular EBT card). Keep checking your mail daily!

Omg thank you for explaining! So since this is our first time, we're waiting for a completely new card in the mail. That makes sense. Do you happen to know if there's a way to check our status online or something? The waiting and uncertainty is killing me.

THEY ARE ALWAYS LATE WITH EVERYTHING 🙄 waited 3 months for my calfresh recertification last year and now this! government doesn't care if kids go hungry I swear. P-EBT is supposed to help with SUMMER meals but watch them send it when school starts again lol

I understand your frustration, but P-EBT isn't actually summer-specific anymore. The 2025 program provides supplemental food benefits throughout the year for eligible schoolchildren, not just summer. It's separate from Summer EBT which is a different program entirely. They do take too long to distribute though, I agree with you there!

well whatever it is they need to hurry UP. my kids dont care what the program is called they just need to EAT!

my kids got theirs yesterday! it came in a white envelope that looked like junk mail, almost threw it away! check your mail carefully, its not clearly marked as P-EBT

OMG thanks for the warning, i throw away half my mail without looking closely. what school district are you in? trying to figure out if they're doing it by area

There's actually a way to check your P-EBT status now. Go to BenefitsCal and look under the

Thank you! Just checked BenefitsCal and it shows our cards were issued on the 18th and should arrive within 7-10 business days. Such a relief to know they're actually coming. I made sure our address was updated at school registration this year so hopefully no issues there. Really appreciate the info!

I was in the same situation last month - couldn't get through on the P-EBT hotline and was getting so frustrated. I used this service called Claimyr to connect with a real person at the county office who could actually check my status. They got me through to someone in minutes when I'd been trying for days. The county worker was able to confirm my kids' P-EBT cards had been issued and gave me the expected delivery date. They even have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Worth checking out their website (claimyr.com) if you're still stuck trying to get answers after a few more days.

Thanks for sharing! If our cards don't show up by next week I might try that. Did they charge you for the service or is it free? It's ridiculous how hard it is to reach anyone these days.

There is a fee, but it was worth it to me to get answers without spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. Way less stressful than calling over and over. Once I got through to the worker, she was actually really helpful and could see exactly what was happening with our case.

don't worry too much, my kids P-EBT was super late last time too but it showed up eventually. the whole system is totally overwhelmed since they expanded who qualifies. my daughters friend didn't get hers for like 6 weeks after we got ours last time and they're in the same class! hang in there!

6 WEEKS??? oh hell no i cant wait that long! my grocery budget is already stretched way too thin

Just a quick update for everyone waiting - CDSS just announced they're extending the P-EBT distribution period through the first week of next month due to \

Thank you for the update! I checked BenefitsCal again and it still shows our cards are on the way. Fingers crossed they arrive soon!

I'm also waiting on P-EBT cards for my two kids! Been checking the mail every day since the 15th and nothing yet. It's so frustrating not knowing when they'll actually arrive. My kids' school sent home a notice saying all eligible families should receive them by the end of the month, but like you said, some neighbors already got theirs. I'm going to try checking BenefitsCal like others mentioned here - didn't even know you could track the status online! Hopefully we'll all get some answers soon. The uncertainty is the worst part when you're trying to budget for groceries.