CalWORKs EBT Cash Aid showing $20 balance but card won't work - driving me crazy!

same thing happened to me last month!!! the machine kept saying insufficient funds even tho my balance said $48. turns out there was a hold on my account bc i missed my SAR7 deadline 🤦‍♀️ didnt even get a notice about it

There are a few different reasons this could be happening: 1. Your card might have a temporary hold due to missing paperwork like your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) or some verification documents 2. There might be a system-wide issue with the EBT system (this happened county-wide back in November and took 3 days to fix) 3. If you haven't used your cash benefits in 90 days, they sometimes put a security hold that requires verification 4. The card itself could be damaged (magnetic stripe problems) I'd recommend calling your CalWORKs worker directly to find out what's going on. They can tell you if there's a hold and how to fix it.

Are you trying to withdraw the full $20? Some ATMs have a minimum withdrawal amount of $20 but also charge a $2-3 fee, which would put you under the minimum. Try using it at a store for a small purchase instead of an ATM, or try withdrawing just $10 if the ATM allows smaller amounts.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!!! They do this on purpose to make it hard to access your benefits. I've had cashiers give me dirty looks when my card gets declined even tho the money should be there. This happened to me TWICE this year and both times it was because they put a "fraud hold" on my account without telling me. I had to physically go to the county office and wait 4 HOURS just to get someone to remove the hold. They're hoping people just give up and don't claim their benefits. CALL YOUR WORKER AND DEMAND THEY FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!!

If you can't get through to your worker, I just started using this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual person at CalWORKs in about 10 minutes when I was dealing with a similar issue. My card was showing a balance but not working because they needed me to verify my address after I moved. The service basically calls for you and then connects you when they reach a person instead of you waiting on hold forever. There's a video that shows how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me from having to take a day off work to go to the office.

Have you tried logging into BenefitsCal to see if there are any notices or alerts on your account? Sometimes they post important messages there before you get the physical mail. Also check if your account is in "pending" status for any reason.

That "pending verification" status is definitely your issue. When verification is pending, they often put a hold on cash benefits while still allowing CalFresh (food stamps) to work. You need to submit whatever verification they're requesting ASAP. You can upload documents directly through BenefitsCal now instead of mailing them or bringing them in person. Once you do, call your worker to let them know you've submitted the documents so they can lift the hold.

happened to me last yr when i forgot to report my new job within 10 days. the ebt cash part got frozen but not the calfresh part. i had to wait till they processed my income verification before the cash worked again. took like 3 days after I talked to my worker

I used Claimyr this morning after seeing the recommendation here and got through to a CalWORKs worker in about 15 minutes! They confirmed there was a hold on my cash benefits because of the pending verification. Since I already uploaded my pay stubs, they were able to process them while I was on the phone and remove the hold. The worker said the cash aid should be available again within 24 hours. So relieved to have this resolved before my rent is due! Thanks everyone for your help!