Will I get backdated CalFresh benefits after approval? Applied in November but just got first payment

Yes, you should receive retroactive benefits back to your application date! CalFresh benefits are supposed to be provided from the date you applied, not just from when you were approved. So you should get benefits for November (prorated from your application date) and the full month of December. Sometimes they load the current month first and then process the retroactive benefits separately. Did you receive an approval notice in the mail? It should mention the amount you're eligible for each month. I would give it another week and then call your county office if you don't see those payments.

i went thru this back in october. they loaded my current month first then the back benefits came like 10 days later. dont wory yet its probably coming

The system is SO BROKEN!!! I had the EXACT same issue last year and had to call the county 14 TIMES before anyone would help me!! They kept saying the backpay was "processing" but it never came until I basically THREATENED to file a formal complaint! Don't wait - call them NOW and document EVERYTHING. They count on people not knowing their rights or giving up!!!

I had this exact situation in September when I applied. Here's what I learned: the system processes current benefits first, then retroactive benefits typically come within 7-10 business days after. If you don't receive them by then, you need to call your county office. But getting through on the phone is nearly impossible these days. I discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me reach a live person at the county within minutes instead of spending hours on hold. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. It was honestly a game-changer for resolving my retroactive benefits issue - the county worker told me they had a system error with my retroactive payment that wouldn't have been fixed if I hadn't called.

To give you the official answer: CalFresh regulations require benefits to be provided from the date of application, so you should receive prorated benefits for November (from Nov 10) and full benefits for December. These are typically processed separately from ongoing benefits. However, there are a few situations where you might not receive retroactive benefits: 1. If your application was pending due to you needing to provide verification documents 2. If your eligibility changed between application and approval dates 3. If there was a system processing error If it's been more than 10 business days since your approval, I'd recommend contacting your county office to check on the status of your retroactive benefits. Make sure to reference your application date when you call.

this happend to me to. my worker said i had to call and specificly ask for the retro benefits bcuz sometimes the system doesnt do it automatic. cant hurt to call and ask about it but ye its sooo hard to get thru to them

My cousin works for the county and she says they're super backed up right now because of system upgrades. But you should def get those back benefits! Have you checked BenefitsCal? Sometimes you can see pending payments there before they hit your card.

Just to follow up - after reading all these comments, it sounds like your retroactive benefits are likely coming but may be delayed. If the BenefitsCal website shows a pending issuance, that's a good sign. If you don't see anything by next week, definitely call your county office to check on the status. Be sure to mention specifically that you're calling about retroactive benefits from your application date (Nov 10) through your approval month (Dec). The way the CalFresh system works, those should be issued to you unless there were specific circumstances that changed your eligibility during that time period.

I work as a benefits specialist and see this situation frequently. You're absolutely entitled to retroactive benefits from your November 10th application date. The fact that you're seeing a pending issuance in BenefitsCal is actually a really good sign - that usually means the retroactive payment is being processed. In my experience, when current month benefits load first (like your January payment did), the system typically processes retroactive benefits within 7-14 business days after. Since you mentioned having to provide additional income verification, make sure when you call (if needed) that you emphasize you submitted your application on November 10th and provided all requested documents within the required timeframe. The county should honor your original application date for benefit calculation purposes.

I'm going through something similar right now! Applied in early December and just got approved last week. Got my current month benefits but still waiting on the backdated ones. Reading through all these responses is really reassuring - sounds like it's totally normal for the retroactive benefits to come separately and take a bit longer. The fact that you're seeing a pending issuance in BenefitsCal is definitely a good sign. I'm going to check mine too! Thanks for posting this question, it's helping me understand the process better too.

Just wanted to share my recent experience since it sounds exactly like yours! I applied in October and got approved in November. My current month benefits showed up right away, but I had to wait almost 3 weeks for the retroactive benefits to appear. What really helped me was calling the county office and specifically asking them to check the status of my "retroactive issuance" - apparently that's the exact term they use in their system. The worker was able to see that mine was stuck in processing and pushed it through manually. Since you're seeing a pending issuance in BenefitsCal, that's actually really promising! Mine showed the same thing for about a week before the benefits finally loaded. I'd give it until the end of this week, then definitely call if you don't see anything by then.

I'm new to CalFresh and this whole thread has been incredibly educational! I just submitted my application last week and had no idea about how the retroactive benefits process works. It's really reassuring to see that so many people have gone through similar situations and eventually received their backdated benefits. The tip about checking BenefitsCal for pending issuances is something I never would have thought of. I'm bookmarking this post for future reference in case I run into the same situation. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to have real people explaining how this system actually works versus trying to decipher the official government websites!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Applied in mid-November, got approved just before Christmas, and received my January benefits but nothing for the previous months yet. Reading through everyone's experiences here is giving me so much hope - it sounds like the retroactive benefits almost always come through, just on a different timeline than the current month benefits. The BenefitsCal tip is gold - I just checked and I also have a "pending issuance" notification that wasn't there before! It's frustrating that the system works this way and creates so much anxiety for people who really need those benefits, but at least now I know it's normal and not something I did wrong. Thanks for asking this question - you've helped so many of us understand the process better!

I just wanted to add another data point since I went through this recently! Applied in September, approved in October, and experienced the exact same pattern - current month benefits loaded first, then had to wait about 2 weeks for the retroactive payments. What really helped me was calling the EBT customer service line (1-877-328-9677) first before calling the county office. They can see your benefit history and pending transactions, and they confirmed that my retroactive benefits were "in process" which gave me peace of mind while I waited. The county office is so hard to reach, but EBT customer service usually answers pretty quickly and can at least tell you if there are pending deposits coming to your account. Worth a try while you're waiting for those backdated benefits to show up!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I applied in late November, got approved in December, and have been waiting for my retroactive benefits too. What's giving me hope is that everyone here seems to eventually get their backdated benefits, even if it takes a few weeks. The tip about calling the EBT customer service line first is brilliant - I never would have thought to try that route before dealing with the county office phone maze. It's so frustrating that we have to become detective-level experts just to understand how a basic safety net program works, but I'm grateful for communities like this where people share their real experiences. Fingers crossed we all see our retroactive benefits soon!

I'm going through almost the exact same timeline as you! Applied in early November, approved in December, and just got my January benefits loaded but still waiting on the backdated amounts. This whole thread has been so reassuring - I was starting to panic that I'd somehow messed up my application or missed something important. The tip about checking BenefitsCal for pending issuances is brilliant, and I'm definitely going to try calling the EBT customer service line that someone mentioned before attempting to reach the county office. It's wild that so many of us are experiencing this same pattern, but at least it confirms this is just how the system works rather than individual errors. Really hoping both of us see those retroactive benefits soon!

I'm currently going through this same situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Applied in December, got approved last week, and received my current month benefits but still waiting on retroactive payments. What really stands out to me from reading everyone's experiences is that the EBT customer service line (1-877-328-9677) seems like such a valuable resource that I never knew about. Being able to check if there are pending deposits before trying to navigate the county office phone system is genius. I also love the tip about using the specific term "retroactive issuance" when calling - it's amazing how knowing the right terminology can make such a difference when dealing with government systems. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines. It's giving me confidence that my backdated benefits will eventually come through too, even if it takes a few more weeks!

I'm in almost the exact same boat - applied in October, approved in November, got my current benefits right away but had to wait nearly a month for the retroactive payments to show up. What finally worked for me was calling that EBT customer service line (1-877-328-9677) that someone mentioned earlier. They were able to confirm my backdated benefits were "pending processing" which gave me peace of mind while I waited. The county office phone system is absolutely brutal, but EBT customer service picked up in like 2 minutes and could see everything about my account including pending deposits. Your situation with the pending issuance showing in BenefitsCal is actually a really good sign - mine looked the same for about 10 days before the money finally hit my card. I know the waiting is stressful when you're counting on that money for groceries, but based on what I've seen here and my own experience, those retroactive benefits are almost certainly coming your way!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Applied in late November, got approved in early January, and just received my current month benefits yesterday but nothing for the previous months yet. This entire thread has been such a goldmine of information - I had no idea about checking BenefitsCal for pending issuances or that the EBT customer service line could give you details about pending deposits. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to piece together this information from community forums because the official process is so unclear. I'm going to try calling 1-877-328-9677 tomorrow to see if they can confirm my retroactive benefits are processing. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like waiting 2-3 weeks for backdated benefits is totally normal, even though it's incredibly stressful when you're already struggling financially. Thanks for posting this question - you've helped so many of us understand that we're not alone in this confusing process!