The CalFresh program, which administers supplemental nutrition benefits in California, is distributed monthly, and the beginning of September marks a new payment schedule. Funds are distributed to recipients over the first ten days, using a phased-in system based on the first letter of the primary household member’s last name.
The September 2025 CalFresh calendar is now available, and official sources indicate that the schedule will remain unchanged. According to these estimates, benefit deposits will be made between September 1 and 10.
Who is eligible for CalFresh
Eligibility criteria for accessing CalFresh benefits are determined through a specific assessment of the applicant’s household’s economic situation. The first key requirement examines gross monthly income, which must fall within established limits, typically set at up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. This initial threshold is the first filter in the qualification process.
Subsequently, a series of deductions permitted by program regulations are applied to gross income. These deductions result in the household’s adjusted net income, which must be below 100 percent of the federal poverty level to meet final eligibility. In addition to financial requirements, immigration status is another determining factor.
U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and certain groups of qualified immigrants, including SSI/SSP recipients, are eligible for the program. Homeowners and students may also be eligible for assistance, provided they meet specific employment or educational requirements defined in the guidelines.
Maximum benefits and expedited service
The amounts of assistance a household receives vary depending on the number of people in the household and its estimated income level. The maximum monthly amounts, effective from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, were established by the relevant agencies.
- For a one-person household, the maximum benefit is $292.
- For a two-person household, it is $536
- A three-person household can receive up to $768
- A four-person household is capped at $975
- Five people can expect up to $1,158
- Six people up to $1,390
- For seven people expect up to $1,536
- For an eight-person household, a maximum payment of $1,756 could be claimed.
- Every extra member beyond that number add $220.
Under declared emergency circumstances, applicants who meet very specific criteria may be eligible for an expedited process. If the household’s monthly disposable income is less than $150 and its available monetary resources do not exceed $100, benefits may be released within three business days of the application, rather than following the standard process.
Now, let’s check the September 2025 CalFresh dates
The benefits are distributed during the first 10 days of the month. The specific date you receive your benefits depends on the last digit of your case number:
- Case number ends in 1: September 1
- Case number ends in 2: September 2
- Case number ends in 3: September 3
- Case number ends in 4: September 4
- Case number ends in 5: September 5
- Case number ends in 6: September 6
- Case number ends in 7: September 7
- Case number ends in 8: September 8
- Case number ends in 9: September 9
- Case number ends in 0: September 10
The Sun Bucks complementary benefits
The SUN Bucks program, also known as Summer EBT, operates as a complementary initiative to the regular CalFresh program. It is designed to provide additional food support during the summer months, when school-aged children do not have access to their school cafeterias. The assistance consists of a specific financial allocation for this purpose.
The summer program will provide $40 each for June, July, and August 2025. This represents a total of $120 per eligible child. It is estimated that approximately 5.6 million children statewide will participate in the initiative next year, according to data from administrative agencies.
A significant segment of child beneficiaries, estimated at around 4.4 million, will be automatically certified to receive the benefit. Automatically eligible are children who already qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, those who receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal, and those who are in foster care, homeless, in Head Start, or are migrant children.
The process of sending cards to access SUN Bucks funds began in June 2025. The agency’s projections indicate that distribution will be fully completed by December of the same year. Delivery logistics are also governed by a staggered schedule based on the initial letter of the child’s last name or the case holder’s last name.
The shipping schedule established for summer 2025 indicates that shipments for last names beginning with letters A through C were made in early June. Recipients with last names between D and F received their cards in the middle of that same month, while those in the G through L groups received them toward the end of June.
For the month of July, the continuation of shipments is scheduled: early July for surnames M through P, mid-July for surnames R and S, and late July for surnames T through Z. It is important to note that unused benefits remaining on the card have an expiration date; the available balance expires 122 days from the date the benefit is issued.