In the month of March, thousands of households in California could receive up to $1,756 extra for food thanks to the CalFresh benefits program, the name given to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the Golden State.
For example, a family of four could receive more than $975. The money goes directly to an EBT card, which works like a debit card in supermarkets and even on some websites. No cumbersome procedures! Of course, certain requirements must be met.
The CalFresh EBT card: Who can get it?
CalFresh is basically the card that saves you when money is not enough for the pantry. It is the California version of the federal SNAP, so the state sets the rules. The idea is simple: if you qualify, each month they deposit money on a card so you can buy what you need. The best? You don’t have to pay it back.
Not all people and households are eligible, but it is not impossible to access the program either. First, your income must be under a certain limit (usually 200% of the federal poverty level). Second, if you are a citizen or legal immigrant, you are on the other side of the pond. Third, the more people who live with you, the more it helps. Do you work? It depends: some need to be employed or looking for a job, but there are exceptions.
SNAP/CalFresh benefits by household size (fiscal year 2025)
SNAP Benefits by Household Size (Fiscal Year 2025):
- Household Size 1:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $292
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $199
- Household Size 2:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $536
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $364
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $536
- Household Size 3:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $768
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $594
- Household Size 4:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $975
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $726
- Household Size 5:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $1,158
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $845
- Household Size 6:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $1,390
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $1,018
- Household Size 7:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $1,536
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $1,116
- Household Size 8:
- Maximum Monthly Benefit: $1,756
- Estimated Average Monthly Benefit: $1,317
- Each additional person: $220.
The payment dates for CalFresh in March
CalFresh, California’s food assistance program, distributes its benefits between the 1st and 10th of each month in order to avoid overloading the system. If all beneficiaries received their payments on the same day, it would create logistical problems for both the staff in charge of processing payments and the institutions that handle the transactions.
Beneficiary distribution is generally organized by the last digit of your case number. For example, those whose case number ends in 1 receive their payment on the 1st of the month; if it ends in 2, they receive it on day 2, and so on until day 10 for those who have a case number that ends in 0.
This system is widely used in benefit programs because it is simple and allows for equitable allocation of payments over the established period. In this way, a similar volume of transactions is processed each day, facilitating fluid and predictable management of program resources.
