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California SUN Bucks Program Faces Unspent Funds Deadline

Millions in food benefits for low-income children are set to expire this fall, with families urged to use them before they are lost.

Millions in food benefits for low-income children are set to expire this fall, with families urged to use them before they are lost.

2026-10-05 · Updated 2026-10-05

California families have a limited time to utilize nearly $106 million in unspent SUN Bucks benefits, a federal program designed to provide food assistance for children. These funds, distributed via electronic benefit cards, are expiring on a rolling basis throughout the fall. The SUN Bucks program provides eligible low-income families with $120 per child on an EBT card each summer. The benefits are intended to help cover the cost of groceries for children when school is not in session, as schools provide two meals a day to all public K-12 students. Families qualify for SUN Bucks if their children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches or are enrolled in other assistance programs like Medi-Cal or CalFresh. This year, the state automatically sent cards to households with 3.8 million children. Despite state efforts to remind families through text messages and other outreach, a significant portion of the funds often goes unspent. Last year, $118 million in summer food benefits were not used, and nearly a fifth of the cards issued were never activated. Families must spend the funds within 122 days of receipt, or the money returns to the federal government. Families receiving both SUN Bucks and traditional CalFresh benefits are advised by the California Department of Social Services to prioritize using the SUN Bucks first due to their impending expiration. The last cards were mailed in late July and will expire in mid-November.