EBT And Notices · Checklist · Reviewed July 14, 2026
EBT card, stolen benefits, and notice check
A first-step check for a missing EBT card, unfamiliar transactions, stolen benefits, or a county benefit notice.
The short version
Stop the card first, then file the theft report
Call California EBT Customer Service at 877-328-9677 as soon as the card is missing or a transaction looks wrong. That call protects the account and starts the replacement-card step. Restoring the stolen benefits is a separate request to the county: for electronic theft, file EBT 2259 through BenefitsCal or the county within 90 calendar days from the theft date.
What changes the answer: Replacement is aimed at electronic theft while the card stayed with the cardholder, such as skimming or a scam that obtained the card number and PIN. A lost card, an authorized purchase, spoiled food, and a county benefit cut use different rules.
Stopping the card and asking for benefit replacement are different steps. A county Notice of Action and a service complaint also use different response paths.
How it works
The card and the benefits are two separate problems
Customer Service can stop the old card and arrange a new one. Change the PIN and review the official transaction history too. A replacement card gives access to the balance that remains. It does not put disputed money back into the account.
The county handles the benefit-replacement request. Keep the card call time, the last good purchase, each unfamiliar transaction, and the date the theft was discovered. Those dates help show which transactions belong on EBT 2259.
Electronic theft has a specific meaning
The current CDSS rule covers food or cash benefits taken while the cardholder still had the card. One common case is skimming. That is when a device copies card data without the person's knowledge. Another case is a scam that gets the card number and PIN. The scammer may pose as a store, EBT vendor, or government office.
A purchase made by the cardholder is not electronic theft just because it later feels unfair. A card that was lost can raise other facts. So can a card handed to another person. Report what happened without guessing at the label. Let the county issue a decision.
The theft report has a 90-day clock
EBT 2259 must be filed within 90 calendar days from the date of the theft. The report can be completed through the person's BenefitsCal account or with the county. List each disputed transaction and keep the filing confirmation.
The 90 days run from the theft, not from the day a new card arrives or the day someone explains the rule. More than one theft date may mean more than one deadline. File promptly even when a police report, store record, or screenshot is still being gathered.
Food and cash replacements are not identical
CDSS says eligible CalFresh food benefits and eligible cash benefits may be replaced after skimming or a qualifying scam. Supplemental Nutrition Benefit and Transitional Nutrition Benefit amounts are not eligible for this replacement.
Cash-benefit scam replacement is limited to one time in a 36-month period. Older cash-theft guidance gives the county a 10-business-day clock. It starts when the county gets a fully completed EBT 2259. The clock covers an eligible cash repayment. Vendor and claim exceptions can change it. Do not use this cash clock to judge every food-benefit claim.
A Notice of Action is the county's decision paper
A Notice of Action should identify the program, the change or denial, the reason, the effective date, and hearing rights. Keep the notice and its envelope. The date the county mails or gives the notice can start the appeal clock.
The standard hearing-rights form generally gives 90 days to request a state hearing. Asking before the action date may matter when the person wants benefits to continue while the case is reviewed. The notice explains the conditions and possible repayment risk.
A complaint does not replace an appeal
A service complaint can address rude treatment, access trouble, delay, discrimination, or a county process problem. A state hearing asks an independent decision-maker to review a benefit action. The two paths can be used for different parts of the same problem.
Filing a complaint does not pause the hearing deadline. Uploading a report does not show that the county approved the claim. Keep the confirmation and the written approval or denial so the next step is tied to the actual decision.
First moves
- 1
If the EBT card is missing or transactions are unfamiliar, call EBT Customer Service at 877-328-9677 right away. Ask to stop the card and order a replacement.
- 2
Change the PIN and review recent transactions through the official ebtEDGE or EBT account path. Save screenshots or a written transaction list.
- 3
Write down when the card was last used, when the theft was discovered, each unfamiliar transaction, the amount, location, and report number.
- 4
To request replacement for electronic theft, file the EBT 2259 report through BenefitsCal or the county. CDSS says it must be filed within 90 calendar days from the theft date.
- 5
Keep the filing confirmation. Replacing the plastic card does not by itself request replacement of stolen food or cash benefits.
- 6
For a county Notice of Action, mark the notice date, action date, program, reason, and hearing instructions. Keep the envelope too.
- 7
A state hearing request generally has a 90-day clock after the county gives or mails the notice. Follow the notice if you want to ask before the action takes effect.
- 8
Use the county complaint path for service or administration problems. Use the hearing path when you disagree with the benefit decision.
Watch for
- 1
Never share an EBT PIN, password, card number, login code, or one-time code with someone who contacts you first.
- 2
Food-benefit and cash-benefit replacement rules differ. Some supplemental food benefits are not eligible for replacement.
- 3
CDSS limits replacement for certain cash-benefit scams. The facts and prior replacements can matter.
- 4
Not every loss or purchase dispute fits electronic-theft replacement. File the report and let the official process decide.
- 5
A new card does not restore stolen benefits automatically. The EBT 2259 replacement request is a separate step.
- 6
A complaint does not preserve a hearing deadline. An upload receipt does not show that the county accepted the claim.
- 7
If benefits continue while a hearing is pending, the notice explains the terms. An unfavorable result can create repayment questions.
Official sources
Where to confirm this
Use the source that matches the step you are on. Current forms, fees, deadlines, and agency decisions can change after this page is reviewed.
Use this as a map. It does not decide your rights, tell you what to file, or say someone broke the law. If a deadline, denial, eviction, firing, injury, tax bill, permit fight, or insurance dispute is on the line, use the official source or a licensed professional.