CalFresh, California’s nutrition assistance program (the state’s equivalent of SNAP benefits), continues to operate normally in 2025. Benefits, distributed through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, allow low-income households to access essential foods. Each year, nearly five million families benefited monthly, according to official data from local authorities.
CalFresh payments are made at the beginning of the month and, by now, there are no more payments, but that does not mean that there are massive delays or suspensions of payments. Funds were distributed between March 1 and March 10, following the last digit of each beneficiary’s case number.
No more CalFresh payments in March 2025: What’s coming next
As of March 10, 2025, all payments for the month had already been processed, and now all that remains is to see in advance when and how the next payments for the coming month will arrive.
For April 2025, the same schedule will remain: beneficiaries will receive their funds between April 1 and 10, depending on their case number. The continuity of the program depends on users meeting eligibility requirements, such as recertification processes on time.
Maximum benefit amounts (October 2024 to September 2025)
Amounts were adjusted for cost of living (COLA) and the federal Thrifty Food Plan. An additional increase of $220 per person in households with more than 8 members stands out:
- 1-person household: $292
- household of 2 people: $536
- household of 3 people: $768
- household of 4 people: $975
- household of 5 people: $1,158
- household of 6 people: $1,390
- household of 7 people: $1,536
- household of 8 people: $1,756
- Additional person: +$220
A practical example to better understand: A household of 2 people with a net income of $100 would receive $506 ($536 – $30 standard deduction). For larger families, such as one with 10 members, the amount would be $1,756 + (220 × 2) = $2,196.
Will there be cuts to the CalFresh program?
Although the 2024-25 state budget includes a less than 1% cut to human services, this does not affect monthly CalFresh payments. There have also been no recent changes to work requirements for adults without dependents (ABAWD) that alter eligibility.
For the next fiscal year (2025-2026), an increase in funding is proposed, indicating that there are no immediate plans for cuts.
Although there are no direct cuts to the program, there are changes to work requirements for certain groups, such as adults ages 50 to 54, that could affect eligibility for some people, but this does not reduce overall funding for the program but rather complicates the benefit eligibility process.