


Ask the community...
To clarify what everyone is saying: The CalFresh 3.0 emergency allotment was a specialized program that provided two supplemental payments in March and April 2025. This is different from the pandemic emergency allotments that ran monthly from 2020-2022. If your benefits aren't sufficient, here are some actionable steps: 1. Report any increase in expenses (rent, utilities, childcare, medical) immediately using a SAR 7 or by contacting your county office 2. Make sure all eligible household members are included in your case 3. Verify all deductions are being properly applied (many households don't receive all deductions they qualify for) 4. Check if you qualify for expedited services if your situation becomes more severe The income reporting threshold (IRT) for CalFresh is now 150% of your household's gross monthly income limit. Be sure to report any income changes over this threshold within 10 days.
This is incredibly helpful - thank you! I didn't realize I could report expense increases outside of recertification. I'm going to gather my new rent agreement and childcare receipts and submit them this week. Do you happen to know what the current gross monthly income limit is for a family of 4? Just want to make sure we're still eligible with my husband's recent raise.
For a household of 4 in 2025, the gross monthly income limit for CalFresh is approximately $3,950. Your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) would be 150% of that figure, so around $5,925. As long as your household's total gross monthly income stays below the income limit, you should remain eligible, though the benefit amount may adjust based on the exact income. When reporting your husband's raise, make sure to provide documentation like a pay stub or employer letter to verify the new income amount.
btw does anyone know if the emergency allotments count towards the resource limit test for medi-cal? i got both payments but am worried about my medi-cal redetermination coming up
Great question - CalFresh benefits (including emergency allotments) do NOT count as income or resources for Medi-Cal eligibility. The emergency allotments were considered the same type of benefit as regular CalFresh, just supplemental. You don't need to report them as income for your Medi-Cal redetermination.
i just go to the office in person now cause the app AND the website are both trash lol easier to just hand them papers directly
Update on your specific issues: For the BenefitsCal app in Shasta County, there's a known issue affecting users trying to upload verification documents. The county is aware of it and working on a fix. In the meantime, you can email documents to [email protected] with your case number in the subject line, or use the website version which is more stable. For P-EBT status, Shasta County's distribution is scheduled for late March 2025, so you likely won't receive notification until early March. The P-EBT cards are mailed to the address the school district has on file, so make sure your address is current with your children's school.
My niece got like $350 for missing 2 days!!! The amounts are crazy and make no sense. not that I'm complaining lol
That's unlikely for just 2 days of absence. The $350 likely included other factors - perhaps retroactive payments from previous months that weren't processed, or your niece might attend a school with higher reimbursement rates. There's also a possibility the parent/guardian misunderstood what period the payment covered. PEBT calculations follow specific formulas based on the school's meal rates, days missed, and whether the child qualifies for free/reduced lunch.
UPDATE: So I called the number on the back of the PEBT card and finally got through to someone. They confirmed the amount is correct! The $202 covers the 5 days she missed, plus there was a small supplemental amount for January's benefits that got added retroactively because of some policy change. They said I should definitely use it and not worry about having to pay it back. Thanks everyone for your help!
glad u got it figured out! the extra money always helps with groceries these days
Just checking back - were you able to get to your county office for an emergency replacement card? If you're still waiting, remember most counties are required to expedite replacement cards when there's a food security issue involved, especially for households with children. Make sure you specifically mention when you call that you have children and limited food in the house.
Yes! Thank you for checking back. I went to the county office yesterday after calling them first. I had to wait about 2 hours, but they were able to print a temporary card for me that will work until the permanent one arrives. So relieved! For anyone else reading this with the same problem - definitely go in person if you can, it's much faster than waiting for mail!
Emily Jackson
Thanks everyone for clearing this up. I feel kinda dumb now for believing my neighbor, but she was so convincing! I'll definitely look into getting my benefits recalculated with my current expenses. Really appreciate all the help and information.
0 coins
Liam Mendez
•Don't feel bad! CalFresh rules are complicated and there's a lot of misinformation out there. Focus on getting all your current expenses documented at your next SAR7 or recertification. That's your best path to maximizing your regular benefits now that the emergency allotments are gone.
0 coins
Jacob Smithson
My cousin works for the county and said they get calls about this ALL THE TIME still. People are really struggling without those extra benefits. I remember getting almost double my regular amount during COVID. Now food prices are even higher but we're back to the old benefit levels. It's rough out there.
0 coins