California EBT and CalFresh (SNAP)

BenefitsCal: the statewide county portal

BenefitsCal covers food (CalFresh), cash aid (CalWORKs) and health coverage (Medi-Cal) in a single application. With a user account you can manage benefits, upload documents and submit renewals. You can also upload papers for a pending application without an account¹⁵. BenefitsCal is the counties' system, not a CDSS website. If you are locked out, CDSS sends you to your county office rather than its own staff¹².

Two security steps catch people out. Since May 31, 2024 every login asks for a one-time code sent to the email address or phone number on file. To link an existing case to your account, you verify with the email or phone number your county already has,¹⁵. Texts about your case come from the short code 72422¹⁵. From BenefitsCal you can also order a new EBT card and report electronic theft⁴.

BenefitsCal

The Golden State Advantage card and stolen benefits

CalFresh and cash aid such as CalWORKs share one Golden State Advantage card⁴. FIS runs California's EBT system for CDSS. Its free ebtEDGE app and the cardholder website use the same login and let you reset your PIN, see 365 days of transactions, order a replacement, freeze the card, and block out-of-state or internet purchases^6,9. A newer app listed as "ebtEDGE NEW!" is not supported in California and will not show your benefits⁶. BenefitsCal also shows the balance, as does 1-877-328-9677 (24 hours, with menus in ten languages)^4,8.

As of April 29, 2025, all 4.4 million cardholders had been issued a chip-and-tap card⁵. CDSS asks you to insert or tap and to swipe the stripe only as a last resort⁴. Los Angeles County warns that if you never use the new card, the old stripe-only card is shut off about 180 days after the chip card was issued²⁹. Report a lost card by phone and a new one usually arrives by mail within five days, not counting Sundays and holidays⁷.

Since December 21, 2024, California has replaced electronically stolen CalFresh (skimming, cloning, scams) with state funds under AB 161¹⁰. File form EBT 2259 with your county within 90 days of the theft. You can get back what was taken, up to two months of your allotment, at most twice per federal fiscal year. Stolen fruit-and-vegetable incentive dollars count too¹¹. Benefits taken by someone who had your physical card and PIN may not be replaced, so call the helpline at once⁵.

• Card customer service: 1-877-328-9677
• Cardholder website: California EBT cardholder website (ebtEDGE)
• Cardholder app: ebtEDGE (iPhone, Android)
• EBT processor: FIS

California SNAP and EBT phone numbers

Applying for CalFresh through your county

1. File in BenefitsCal or with your county. Apply online at BenefitsCal, in person at a county office, or by mail. A form with just your name, address and signature is enough to start the clock, so file the same day even if you lack papers^12,15,16.
2. Choose the right paper form. The standard paper form is the CF 285, Application for CalFresh Benefits. Households where everyone is elderly or disabled and no one has earnings can use the shorter CF 485 Elderly Simplified Application²⁰.
3. Complete the county interview. The county must interview every new applicant. Call your county office or, in Los Angeles County, the DPSS Customer Service Center at 1-866-613-3777 to ask for an appointment^20,16.
4. Send the proof the county asks for. Counties verify identity, income and immigration status, and run data matches such as the federal SAVE system¹⁷. Upload documents in BenefitsCal, with or without an account¹⁵.
5. Watch the mail for the card. If approved, your Golden State Advantage card comes by mail. Keep the card: you use the same one every month for as long as you get benefits⁷.

California's deadline for urgent cases is shorter than the federal seven days. You may get CalFresh within 3 days if your household has $150 or less in monthly gross income and $100 or less in cash and bank accounts, if income plus liquid resources are less than rent or mortgage plus utilities, or if you are a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker with $100 or less. Benefits count from the date you applied^15,20. Other applications are decided within 30 days²⁰.

Undocumented people cannot get CalFresh; CFAP covers only certain lawfully present immigrants¹⁷.

CalFresh income limits from October 1, 2026

Gross limit: as published by California Department of Social Services (CDSS), with the 58 county welfare departments². Net limit and maximum benefit: USDA FY2027 cost-of-living adjustments. All states compared.

California sets the gross limit at 200% of the federal poverty line through modified categorical eligibility. Counties grant it by giving every eligible household a state brochure on family planning services funded by TANF, the federal welfare block grant¹⁹. The chart above is the state's own FY2027 chart^2,3. A disqualified member, such as someone found guilty of an intentional program violation or a fleeing felon, or a head of household who does not meet work rules, puts the whole household back on the 130% gross test ($1,729 for one person)^19,2.

The 130% figure matters after approval too. It is your income reporting threshold if you were approved with income at or below that level^2,19. People who get SSI/SSP can receive CalFresh^16,19.

Net income test. Households without an elderly or disabled member face only the 200% gross test. A one- or two-person household that passes it gets at least the $25 minimum even when its net income is over the limit^19,2. Households with a member 60 or older or disabled are judged by the net income test instead (100% of poverty, $1,330 for one person)^19,2.

Assets. California waives the resource test for nearly every household under its "modified categorical eligibility"¹⁹. The FY2027 limits of $3,000, or $4,750 with a member 60 or older or disabled, apply only when the waiver does not: a household with a disqualified member or a head of household who broke the work rules, or an elderly or disabled household with gross income above 200%^2,19. Cash and bank balances are still counted when the county screens for 3-day expedited service¹⁹.

CalFresh deposit days by case number

On the 1st through the 10th of each month, set by the last digit of your county case number (not your card number), weekends and holidays included.

CDSS explains the rule with an example: a case number ending in 5 gets benefits on the 5th¹². Orange County's table runs from 1 (the 1st) to 0 (the 10th) and says no one is exempt from the CalFresh stagger day¹³. The state EBT Project's issuance page lists Los Angeles County as an exception to the statewide schedule, so LA County households should check their notices or call DPSS at 1-866-613-3777^14,16. The ebtEDGE app also shows your benefit schedule⁶.

Unused benefits roll over from month to month⁷. They expire only if the card goes 270 days without a food purchase²⁵.

The SAR 7 report and yearly renewal

Most households are certified for a year and send a semi-annual report, the SAR 7, six months in. Send it in BenefitsCal or on paper by the 5th of the "submit month" your county names. After the 11th it counts as late, and benefits can be delayed, cut or stopped^18,17. Between reports, if your household was approved with income at or below 130% of poverty and its monthly income goes over that line ($1,729 for one person in FY2027), you must report within 10 days^2,19. Renewal comes at the end of the certification period; households with older adults renew every two years¹⁷.

Households where everyone is 60 or older or disabled and no one has earnings fall under the Elderly Simplified Application Project. They get 36-month certification periods, with no SAR 7 and no renewal interview unless the county plans to deny²⁰. It is approved through September 30, 2031. From March 1, 2027, people aged 60 to 64 without a disability no longer qualify, starting with renewals due that month²⁰.

Rules specific to California

Work rules for adults 18-64 since June 1, 2026

Since June 1, 2026 California has applied the 2025 federal changes. Adults 18 to 64 with no CalFresh household member under 14 get only 3 months of benefits in 3 years unless they work, volunteer or train 20 hours a week or are excused. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth lost their automatic exemption. People who identify as Indian, Urban Indian or California Indian are excused^21,16. From November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027 the time limit is waived only in Colusa, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Monterey, Plumas and Tulare counties. Alpine County's waiver ends October 31, 2026²¹.

Restaurant meals statewide since 2021

AB 942 made the Restaurant Meals Program statewide: since September 1, 2021, approved restaurants in any of the 58 counties can join, though CDSS is still working toward a vendor in every county. Every member of the household must be 60 or older, disabled, homeless, or the spouse of such a person. Eligible clients can use the card at any approved restaurant in the state, not only in their own county. CDSS posts a map and county lists of restaurants²².

Fruit and vegetable match restarted October 1, 2026

The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot restarted October 1, 2026 with $20 million from the Budget Act of 2026. It runs while funds last. At listed stores and farmers' markets in counties including Santa Clara, Los Angeles, San Diego and Mendocino, it matches what you spend on fresh produce, up to $60 a month, with no sign-up. You can spend what you earn anywhere CalFresh is accepted²⁵. Some farmers' markets also offer Market Match⁴.

SUN Bucks: $120 per child for summer 2026

California's Summer EBT, SUN Bucks, paid $120 per eligible child on a separate SUN Bucks card. Children found eligible through CalFresh, CalWORKs or Medi-Cal records were enrolled automatically, with cards mailed from late May 2026 in last-name order. Other families had to apply through the school by August 31, 2026. You need a PIN before first use, and the money expires 122 days after it is loaded^24,23.

A $60 floor for some older couples

Under a state pilot that began December 1, 2025, households of two or more where everyone is 60 or older or disabled and no one has earnings get topped up to $60 a month in food benefits. Eligible households are enrolled automatically. On October 13, 2026 CDSS extended the pilot until its funding runs out. These top-ups cannot be replaced if lost or stolen²⁶.

Immigrant eligibility changed April 1, 2026

CDSS applied the 2025 federal limits on noncitizen eligibility from April 1, 2026. CalFresh is limited to citizens, U.S. nationals, green-card holders, Cuban-Haitian entrants and COFA citizens²⁷. The state-funded California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) pays the same benefits to some lawfully present immigrants. Most people who lost CalFresh under the 2025 law do not qualify for CFAP, though battered noncitizens are an exception^27,17. California has no USDA waiver restricting soda or candy: it is not on FNA's list updated October 13, 2026²⁸. You can shop online with the card at USDA-approved stores; delivery fees cannot be paid with benefits³⁰.

Other assistance in California

Sources

1. CalFresh (program page and CalFresh Information Line), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
2. All County Information Notice I-40-26: CalFresh Cost-of-Living Adjustments Effective October 1, 2026 (with Attachment I and CF 11 notice), September 10, 2026, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
3. 2026-2027 CalFresh Income & Eligibility Limits (insert, item 220000), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
4. Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
5. Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
6. ebtEDGE: Protect and Manage Your CA EBT Benefits, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
7. Client Frequently Asked Questions, California EBT Project Office (Office of Technology and Solutions Integration). Checked 16 October 2026.
8. When to Call the Toll-Free Customer Service Telephone Number, California EBT Project Office. Checked 16 October 2026.
9. Golden State Advantage EBT and California SUN Bucks cardholder portal (read through a text reader; the site blocks scripted requests), California EBT Project / FIS ebtEDGE. Checked 16 October 2026.
10. All County Letter 25-02: CalFresh Changes to Electronic Theft Replacement Funding Source, January 7, 2025, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
11. Electronic Benefit Theft Replacement Policy (ePolicy, revised January 28, 2026), Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
12. Frequently Asked Questions, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
13. Electronic Benefit Transfer FAQs (CalFresh stagger day), County of Orange Social Services Agency. Checked 16 October 2026.
14. Benefit Issuance: When will my benefits be available?, California EBT Project Office. Checked 16 October 2026.
15. BenefitsCal home page and announcements (read through a text reader; the site blocks scripted requests), BenefitsCal (California counties, CalSAWS). Checked 16 October 2026.
16. CalFresh, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
17. Fact Sheet on CalFresh Eligibility: Initial Requirements and Ongoing Reporting (updated February 10, 2026), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
18. How to Fill Out Your SAR 7 Eligibility Status Report (SAR 7A), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
19. Modified Categorical Eligibility (ePolicy), Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
20. All County Letter 26-58: Elderly Simplified Application Project Extension Approval and Modifications to Remove Individuals Aged 60 Through 64, August 21, 2026, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
21. CalFresh Work and Community Engagement Requirements, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
22. The CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
23. SUN Bucks (last updated June 3, 2026), California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
24. How to Get SUN Bucks, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
25. CalFresh Fruit & Vegetable EBT Pilot Project, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
26. All County Letter 26-73: CalFresh Minimum Nutrition Benefit Pilot Program Extension, October 13, 2026, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
27. All County Letter 25-92: CalFresh Implementation of H.R. 1 Changes to Noncitizen Eligibility Policy, December 31, 2025, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
28. SNAP Food Restriction Waivers (page updated October 13, 2026; read through the agency's CDN copy because the main site blocks scripted requests), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
29. EBT (chip and tap card replacement), Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
30. EBT Online Purchasing Pilot, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
31. Contact Us, California Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
32. Customer Service Center Telephone System, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.