SUN Bucks Summer EBT for School Children

SUN Bucks or Summer EBT (S-EBT) provides families with $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer of 2025. 

Note: Children who get SUN Bucks can still participate in other summer meal programs. SUN Bucks will not affect immigration status.

Children who are eligible for SUN Bucks S-EBT

Your child will automatically get SUN Bucks if they are: 

  • Experiencing homelessness or living in foster care
  • Age 6 to 18 years and get CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal
  • Or, age 0 to 22 years and attend schools participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs. Students must also be approved for free or reduced-price meals. Check with your child's school to make sure your free or reduced-price meal application or Universal Benefits Application is on file.

How to get SUN Bucks S-EBT

If your children are eligible for SUN Bucks, you do not need to fill out an application.  An S-EBT card for each eligible child will be automatically mailed to your home. 

Make sure your mailing address is current by updating it at BenefitsCal.com. If you qualify for free or reduced-price meals, you can change your address at your child's school.

Children who are not automatically enrolled for SUN Bucks can apply for free or reduced-price school meals by completing and submitting a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application by September 2, 2025. Families can obtain these applications from their school or school administrator’s office.

Most families will begin receiving their SUN Bucks cards from June through July. Due to the large volume of automatically eligible children, SUN Bucks EBT cards will be mailed to families in two stages: 

  1. Automatically enrolled kids will begin receiving their cards in June through July. Cards will be mailed in alphabetical order by the child’s last name (A-Z).
  2. Enrolled kids will begin getting their cards in August until the mailing is complete. Enrolled kids will receive cards in August if they were: not automatically enrolled in June and July and determined eligible after the start of June. This includes kids that were determined eligible based on school meal applications, Universal Benefits Applications, or getting CalWORKs, CalFresh, or Medi-Cal.

Regardless of when the card is received, every SUN Bucks card will be loaded with the full $120 per eligible child.

How to use SUN Bucks S-EBT

Use the S-EBT card just like a debit card to buy food like fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains, and dairy at grocery stores, farmers' markets, and other places that accept CalFresh EBT benefits.

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More information or questions

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