Who Qualifies Automatically?

Families should automatically receive a SUN Bucks EBT by mail from the California Department of Social Services by July 31, 2026, if they:

• Receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (with income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level)

Have a child who is:

• Enrolled in Head Start, Homeless, In Foster Care, or part of a migrant family SUN Bucks will be mailed to the address on file with the school district.

Families who do not qualify to receive the benefits listed above must submit an online application.

Check to see if you qualify before completing the application - Summer EBT

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Need Help or More Info? SUN Bucks Helpline: (877) 328-9677

Visit: SUN Bucks

Most children are eligible for SUN Bucks if:

• They qualify based on household size and income for free or reduced-price school meals; or
• They get CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level), including homeschooled children ages 6 – 18 years.
   

If your child qualifies, based on household size and income, for free or reduced-price meals, or gets CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level), they will automatically be enrolled in SUN Bucks. You don't need to do anything to sign up. You will get your SUN Bucks on an EBT card in the mail.

Families with children ages 0-22 who qualify for free or reduced-price meals and do not get CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level) can submit a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application at their child's school by August 31, 2026 to see if they qualify for SUN Bucks in 2026 based on household size and income. To check if your child is eligible, ask your child's school for a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application. You can view a template version of the Universal Benefits Application on the California Department of Education webpage. 

Do not submit Universal Benefits Applications directly to the Department of Education or Department of Social Services. These forms must be processed by your child's school to establish eligibility for SUN Bucks. If you are unable to submit a UBA to your child's school site, ask the district how to submit the application.

Visit the Who is Eligible page. You may also use the SUN Bucks Eligibility Tool* to help evaluate your child’s potential eligibility (*note: This tool is neither owned nor maintained by the California Department of Social Services. This tool is for informational purposes only and is not an eligibility determination).

Your child will automatically get SUN Bucks if they get CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (with household income certified at or under 185% of FPL). In addition, children receiving free or reduced-price school meals, or identified by their school as in foster care, homeless, migrant or runaway, will also automatically get SUN Bucks. If your child does not meet any of these conditions, you should apply. If you are unsure about your child’s eligibility, apply to make sure that you do not miss out.

No, not necessarily. Without an approved school meal application, getting free school meals alone does not qualify your child for SUN Bucks. In California, the Universal Meals Program (UMP) provides school meals at no cost to all school age children, regardless of their free or reduced-price meal eligibility. You can learn about the SUN Bucks eligibility categories by visiting the Who is Eligible page.

You must submit the application directly to your child’s school on or before August 31, 2026 to be considered for SUN Bucks 2026. Applications turned in after August 31 will only be considered for SUN Bucks 2027.

You can contact your child’s school or school district for SUN Bucks application questions.

To submit a dispute, call the SUN Bucks Helpline at (877) 328-9677.

All applications after the deadline will only be considered for the following year’s SUN Bucks benefits. If you submit your application after August 31, 2026, it will only be considered for SUN Bucks 2027.

 SUN Bucks 2026 cards will begin arriving in the mail May 2026 until card mailings are complete. Cards for different children or families may arrive at different times. For more information, see the SUN Bucks Card Mailing Schedule (2026) on the How to Get SUN Bucks page.

For families without an address, your card will arrive at your local county office or your child’s school for distribution.

You should contact your local county office and the child’s school to update the address as soon as possible.

If you think your SUN Bucks card was sent to your old address, call the SUN Bucks Helpline at (877) 328-9677.

The deadline to apply for SUN Bucks for summer 2026 is August 31, 2026. SUN Bucks cards are mailed to eligible children beginning in May until mailings are complete. If you submit a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application to your child's school before August 31 and are eligible, you will get a SUN Bucks card in the mail. If your child's school says that your child is eligible, but you do not get a SUN Bucks card by November 30, you may call the SUN Bucks helpline at (877) 328-9677 to ask about the status of your card.