CalWORKs Cash Aid showing deposited but $0 balance - when will money actually be available?

This happened to me back in January. The system shows 'deposited' but there's actually a 2-4 business day processing time before it hits your card. Since the 18th was a weekend, it probably won't actually be available until Tuesday or Wednesday. If you don't see it by Thursday, definitely call your worker. Also double check you're looking at the cash balance and not just the food balance - they're separate on the EBT card.

Ok that makes me feel better. I was worried something went wrong with my approval. I definitely checked both balances (food shows $437 but cash shows $0). I guess I'll wait until Wednesday before panicking. Thank you!

somtimes the county puts a hold on first payments to make sure everythings verified properly. did u submit all ur verification docs? they wd have needed id proof, income, housing costs etc. if anything was missing they mite be waiting on that before releasing the $$

I submitted everything they asked for - birth certificates, lease, bank statements, even my kid's school enrollment. The worker said everything was complete during the interview. That's why I'm confused why CalFresh loaded but not the Cash Aid when they were both approved together.

The Cash Aid and CalFresh often process at different speeds even when approved at the same time. If BenefitsCal shows it as deposited, it's coming! My first Cash Aid payment took nearly a week after it showed as

this is rite. the computer system and the actual bank deposit system r totally separate. one says its done but the other takes time to catch up

Just a heads up - your first Cash Aid payment might be prorated depending on when in the month you applied. So if the amount seems less than what you were expecting, that's probably why. The system will show the full monthly benefit amount you're approved for, but your first payment may be less. Also, did they tell you if you'll be getting your payments as a direct deposit or on your EBT card? Some counties are moving to direct deposit for Cash Aid.

They didn't mention anything about direct deposit options. I assumed it would be on my EBT card since that's what they gave me at the office. The approval letter says I'm getting $976 for me and my two kids, but honestly I'd be grateful for anything right now. Just need to know WHEN it's coming!

The same thing is happening to me right now!!! I got approved last week and the app says deposited but my card shows $0. So frustrating because I need to pay my phone bill by tomorrow or it gets shut off. Did yours show up yet?

Not yet :( Today is business day 3 since it showed as deposited. I'll update here when it comes through!

If you need to reach your caseworker to check on this (which I would recommend if it doesn't show up by Thursday), save yourself hours of waiting on hold and use Claimyr. It got me through to my caseworker in 15 minutes when I had a similar issue with my benefits not loading correctly. You can check them out at claimyr.com or watch how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - seriously saved my sanity when I was dealing with my Cash Aid delay last month.

Ooh thanks for this tip! I'll definitely check it out if my money isn't there by Thursday. I tried calling the regular line yesterday and was on hold for 45 minutes before I had to hang up to pick up my kids.

DONT PANIC YET!! The county ALWAYS does this with first time payments!!! They make it look like its deposited but then it takes FOREVER to actually show up on your card. The system is SO BROKEN. One time they told me I was approved and then I waited TWO WEEKS before it showed up and I almost got evicted. I hate how they do this to people who are already struggling!!!!!

Wow, 2 weeks is insane! I hope mine doesn't take that long. My landlord is already giving me the side-eye since I'm going to be a few days late on rent. Did you have to keep calling them or did it eventually just show up?

I called like TWENTY TIMES and they kept saying it was \

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know my Cash Aid showed up this morning! It took exactly 4 business days from when it showed as \

That's great!! Mine came through today too! What a relief!!

Glad it worked out! Just so you know for future reference, regular monthly Cash Aid payments are more predictable. They're distributed over the first 3 days of the month based on the case number. Your worker should have told you which day of the month you'll get your regular payment going forward.

Thanks for that info! My approval letter says my regular payment date will be the 1st of each month. So much more helpful to know exactly when it's coming for budgeting purposes.

So glad to see this thread worked out for everyone! I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a similar situation - my Cash Aid shows deposited but card balance is still $0. This is really helpful to know it's normal and takes 3-4 business days. The stress of waiting when you need the money for basic necessities is no joke. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the tip about calling patterns and Claimyr for getting through to caseworkers faster. This community seems really supportive!

Welcome to the community @Freya Thomsen! The waiting game is absolutely brutal, especially when you're counting on that money for essentials. I went through the same thing when I first got approved - seeing "deposited" but having a $0 balance had me questioning everything. The fact that they don't clearly explain the processing delay upfront is really frustrating. Hopefully your payment comes through within the next day or two! This community has been a lifesaver for getting real answers about how the system actually works versus what they tell you at the office.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently in the same boat - got approved for CalWORKs two weeks ago, BenefitsCal shows my Cash Aid as deposited last Friday, but my EBT card still shows $0 for cash benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here has really put my mind at ease knowing this delay is completely normal, even though it's incredibly stressful when you're depending on that money. The tip about it taking 3-4 business days is exactly what I needed to hear. It's frustrating that caseworkers don't explain this processing delay upfront - would save so much anxiety! Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and supporting each other through these challenges. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating the actual reality of how these benefits work.

As someone new to both this community and the CalWORKs system, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences in this thread! I'm currently going through the exact same situation - got approved last week, BenefitsCal shows my Cash Aid deposited on Monday, but my EBT card balance is still showing $0. Reading through everyone's stories has been such a relief because I was convinced something had gone wrong with my application. The fact that this 3-4 business day delay is totally normal (but never explained by caseworkers) is both reassuring and infuriating. It's wild that they can say "deposited" when it's really just entered into a queue for processing. The stress of watching that $0 balance when you're already struggling financially is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr tip from @Amaya Watson in case I need to reach my worker quickly in the future. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people can get real, honest answers about how this system actually works!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm currently experiencing the exact same issue - got approved for CalWORKs last Thursday, BenefitsCal shows my Cash Aid as "deposited" since Tuesday, but my EBT card still shows $0 for cash benefits. I was starting to spiral thinking my approval got reversed or something went wrong with my case. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief knowing this 3-4 business day processing delay is completely normal, even though it's absolutely not explained by caseworkers during the approval process. The terminology is so misleading - "deposited" should mean the money is actually available, not just queued for processing! The anxiety of staring at that $0 balance when you desperately need the money for rent and utilities is something they really should warn people about upfront. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences and creating such a supportive environment. I'm definitely saving the Claimyr tip for future reference too. This community seems like such a valuable resource for navigating the reality of how these systems actually work versus what we're told in official channels.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I'm currently dealing with the exact same situation - got approved for CalWORKs three weeks ago, BenefitsCal has shown my Cash Aid as "deposited" since last Wednesday, but my EBT card balance still shows $0. I was getting really worried that my case had some kind of issue or that I'd done something wrong during the application process. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - knowing that this 3-4 business day delay between "deposited" status and actual availability is totally normal, even though nobody at the county office bothered to explain this! It's honestly infuriating how they use the word "deposited" when it's clearly just entered into some processing queue. The stress of watching that zero balance when you need the money for groceries and utilities is unbearable. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and creating such a supportive space where people can get honest answers about how this broken system actually works. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service if I need to reach my caseworker - waiting on hold for hours is not an option when you're already stressed about finances. Fingers crossed my payment shows up by Friday!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly valuable this thread has been! I'm currently in week 2 of waiting for my Cash Aid to actually appear on my EBT card despite BenefitsCal showing it as "deposited" for over a week now. I was honestly starting to think I was the only one dealing with this issue, but reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. The fact that this processing delay is so common yet completely unexplained by caseworkers is beyond frustrating - especially when you're already stressed about making ends meet. The misleading "deposited" terminology really needs to be changed to something like "processing" or "pending" because seeing that word makes you think the money should actually be available! Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment where people can share real experiences and get honest answers about how this system actually works. I'm definitely saving that Claimyr tip for future reference too. It's amazing how this community fills the gaps that official channels leave wide open. Fingers crossed my payment finally shows up soon!