SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT (S-EBT), is a new program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will get $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer. Families must use SUN Bucks within 122 days of funds being loaded to their card. Children who get SUN Bucks can still participate in other summer meal programs. SUN Bucks will not affect immigration status.
Children will automatically get SUN Bucks if:
- They are age 6 - 18 years and get CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal; OR
- They are age 0 - 22 years, attending schools that are part of National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Programs, AND are approved for free or reduced price meals. Check with your child's school to make sure your free or reduced-price meal application or Alternative Income Form is on file.
Children who are attending Head Start, experiencing homelessness, living in foster care or part of a migrant family are also automatically eligible. Children not automatically enrolled for SUN Bucks can apply for free or reduced-price school meals by completing and submitting a school meal application by August 31, 2024.
Eligible families will get SUN Bucks on an S-EBT card mailed to their home. You do not need to fill out an application. You will get one new SUN Bucks card for each eligible child. You can use SUN Bucks 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.
Watch videos released by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) about the SUN Bucks program: English Spanish
Visit CDSS' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page to learn more about eligibility, when to expect cards to arrive and many other topics: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks/faq
More information on SUN Bucks can also be found on the following websites: https://cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks and https://www.fns.usda.gov/sebt