SUN Bucks is California’s name for Summer EBT, a federal program that puts grocery money on a card for school-age kids during the months school is closed. For summer 2026 it pays $120 per eligible child. The reason families miss it isn’t usually that they don’t qualify. It’s that they don’t know whether their child is signed up automatically or needs an application. That one question decides whether the card shows up in your mailbox or never comes. This is who gets it automatically, who has to apply, how much it pays, and how to use it in 2026.
The short version
SUN Bucks gives $120 per eligible child for summer 2026 (that’s $40 a month for June, July, and August), loaded on a card you use like a debit card to buy groceries.
Most kids are enrolled automatically if the household already gets CalFresh, CalWORKs, or qualifying Medi-Cal, or if the child already gets free or reduced-price school meals. If none of that applies, you have to send in one application through your child’s school.
Worth knowing: the deadline to apply for summer 2026 is August 31, 2026, and once money is on the card it expires 122 days later.
First, the one question that matters: automatic or apply?
SUN Bucks works differently than most benefits because for a lot of families there’s nothing to do. The state already has the records it needs and just mails the card. For other families, the same $120 only comes if they send in a form. Find your situation below before anything else.
Your child is enrolled automatically (no application needed) if any of these are true:
- Your household gets CalFresh (California’s SNAP / food benefits).
- Your household gets CalWORKs cash aid.
- Your child gets Medi-Cal and the household is certified at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
- Your child is already approved for free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program.
- The school identifies your child as being in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or part of a migrant family.
For summer 2026, more than 3.5 million California children are being enrolled this way, with cards mailed starting in late May. If one of these fits, watch the mail — you don’t need to do anything to get the card.
Your child needs an application if:
- The household income is low enough for free or reduced-price meals, but you never filled out a school meal application this year.
- Your child attends a school where meals are free to everyone (a Community Eligibility Provision or “universal meals” school), so no income form was ever collected.
- Your child is income-eligible but is not enrolled in CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal and isn’t flagged by the school as foster, homeless, or migrant.
In these cases the state has no record to pull from, so it can’t enroll your child until you send one in. That’s the gap where most missed benefits happen.
Who can get SUN Bucks at all
Past the automatic-vs-apply split, the basic eligibility rules are simple:
- Age: SUN Bucks reaches children ages 0 to 22 who attend or are enrolled with a California school taking part in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including homeschooled children. Children ages 6–18 already on CalFresh or CalWORKs are the ones enrolled automatically; outside that automatic range, an eligible child can still get SUN Bucks by applying.
- Income: the family income limit follows the free and reduced-price meal guidelines, which top out at 185% of the federal poverty level. A child certified for those meals is income-eligible for SUN Bucks.
- California resident: the child lives in California and attends a participating school here.
If your child gets free or reduced-price lunch during the school year, that’s the clearest signal they qualify for the summer benefit too.
How much SUN Bucks pays in 2026
Each eligible child gets a one-time $120 for the summer. The math behind it is $40 per child for each of the three summer months that school is out:
| What you get | Amount |
|---|---|
| Per child, per summer month | $40 |
| Summer months covered | 3 (June, July, August) |
| Total per eligible child, 2026 | $120 |
It’s issued as $40 for each of June, July, and August, adding up to $120 per eligible child. A family with three eligible kids gets $360, and so on. This is separate from CalFresh, so a household on CalFresh keeps its regular monthly benefit and gets SUN Bucks on top.
How to apply (if you’re in the apply group)
There’s no separate statewide SUN Bucks website to fill out. You apply through your child’s school using one form:
- Get the application from your child’s school. Ask for a School Meal Application or a Universal Benefits Application (UBA) — either one works to set up SUN Bucks.
- Fill in household income and the children you’re applying for. This is what gives the state the income record it’s missing.
- Turn it in to the school by the deadline. Most schools take it online, on paper, or in the office.
- Watch the mail. Approved families are mailed a SUN Bucks EBT card after the application is processed. The card comes addressed to your home, so keep your address current with the school.
Not sure if your child is already enrolled? Check with your school district or the official program page at cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks before you assume you need to apply.
Check the 2026 application window
For summer 2026, the deadline to apply is August 31, 2026. Deadlines and card mailing dates can shift year to year, so confirm the current date on the official CDSS SUN Bucks page before you count on it. Sending the form in earlier than the deadline gets your card to you sooner.
Where you can spend SUN Bucks
The card works like a SNAP/EBT card. You swipe it at checkout and it pays for eligible groceries:
- Where: grocery stores, many farmers markets, convenience stores, and some online retailers — any store authorized to take SNAP. You can find authorized stores with the USDA retailer locator at fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator.
- What you can buy: fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, bread, cereal, and other groceries — the same foods SNAP covers.
- What you can’t buy: hot or prepared foods, alcohol, and non-food items.
Use it within 122 days. Federal rules expire any money left on the card 122 days after it’s loaded. Expired benefits can’t be replaced, so use the card once it arrives.
Already on these programs? Don’t stop at SUN Bucks
The same household that qualifies for SUN Bucks usually qualifies for several other programs — but each one is a separate sign-up. SUN Bucks enrollment does not turn these on for you. Being on one often clears the income hurdle for the next, yet you still have to apply for each:
- CalFresh — monthly grocery money for the whole household, not just summer. If you qualified for SUN Bucks through free meals, you may well qualify for CalFresh too. This is a separate application at BenefitsCal.com.
- WIC — extra food benefits, but only for pregnant people, new parents, and children under age 5. School-age SUN Bucks kids age out of WIC, so check the age rule before applying.
- Free or reduced-price school meals — the school-year version of the same help. Signing up also sets up automatic SUN Bucks for next summer.
- Medi-Cal — free or low-cost health coverage many of these households also qualify for.
See how these fit together in our California benefits stacking guide.
Quick answers
How do I know if my child is enrolled automatically?
If your household gets CalFresh, CalWORKs, qualifying Medi-Cal, or your child already has free or reduced-price school meals, the card comes in the mail with no application. If not, you need to send in a school meal or Universal Benefits Application.
Do I get SUN Bucks if I’m already on CalFresh?
Yes, and it’s separate. You keep your monthly CalFresh and get the $120 per child on top, automatically.
What if I miss the August 31 deadline?
Applications submitted after the deadline generally can’t be processed for that summer. Send the form in as early as you can, and confirm the current date on the CDSS page.
Can I use SUN Bucks for restaurant or hot deli food?
No. Like SNAP, it’s for groceries you take home and prepare, not hot or prepared meals.
Bottom line
SUN Bucks pays $120 per eligible child for summer 2026, and the single thing that decides whether you get it is whether your child is enrolled automatically or has to apply. If your household is on CalFresh, CalWORKs, qualifying Medi-Cal, or your child already has free or reduced-price meals, just watch the mail. If none of those fit but your income is low enough, send a school meal or Universal Benefits Application to your child’s school by August 31, 2026.
Once the card arrives, spend it within 122 days at any SNAP store. And if you qualified through free meals, look at CalFresh next — the same income that got your kids SUN Bucks may get the whole household monthly grocery help too.