California's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments are sent out this month as Californians take advantage of the food stamps program.
In California, SNAP benefits are known as CalFresh, and they help low-income families and individuals pay for their monthly groceries.
Why It Matters
California sees roughly 3 million individuals rely on SNAP benefits each month.
As many of the state's residents have lost their homes due to the widespread wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the monthly food benefits could be even more crucial this month as Californians look to make ends meet.
What To Know
CalFresh benefits are sent out over the first 10 days of every month based on the last digit of your case number. That means the first 2025 payments arrived from January 1 to January 10, and the next will arrive from February 1 to February 10.
If your case number ends with 1, you will receive your benefits on the first of the month. Those with case numbers ending with 2 subsequently get their SNAP payments on the second, and so forth, until the 10th of the month, when those whose case number ends with 0 get their benefits.
Those who get CalWORKS, a type of cash aid, will see the cash EBT deposit made during the first three calendar days of the month.
As for the time of arrival for benefits, 92 percent of Californians saw their payments arrive at midnight, according to data from the Propel App.
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "Most of the changes to SNAP are pretty standard, with cost-of-living adjustments and income requirements being in line with expectations. However, the payment schedule in your state may vary. Every state is allowed to pick its own monthly distribution dates, and while some states follow the standard 1st and 28th day of the month, others do not."
What Happens Next
In 2025, the maximum amount available to an individual on SNAP increased to $292 per month, up by $1 from $291. For a household with four people, that boost was $2 from $973 per month to $975.
Californians who have lost their homes due to the Los Angeles wildfires are facing even more financial hardship. SNAP beneficiaries could make up some of the many impacted in the area.
J.P. Morgan analysts said Thursday that the financial losses from the wildfires could go beyond $50 billion. Insurance losses alone are expected to exceed $20 billion.
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