CalWORKs EBT card cash withdrawal time restrictions - still limited to after 6AM?

Yes, this is still a policy with CalWORKs EBT cards. The restriction limiting cash withdrawals to between 6AM and 10PM was implemented to reduce fraud and unauthorized nighttime withdrawals. It wasn't actually a COVID thing - it's been around for years. Some states have different time restrictions but California maintains the 6AM-10PM window. For your situation, you might want to plan ahead and withdraw cash the day before if you need it for early morning expenses. You can also use your EBT card directly at many places that accept EBT for purchases without the time restriction - it's just the cash withdrawal that has the time limits.

yep its super annoying. the atm by my house ate my card once when i tried at 5:15am, had to get a replacement and wait 7 days!!! like we dont have lives that start before 6am lol

This is definitely still a policy with CalWORKs EBT cards. The 6AM-10PM restriction was actually created by California state law (Welfare & Institutions Code Section 10072), not by the county offices. It was designed to reduce fraud and unauthorized transactions. Here's what you need to know: 1. Cash withdrawals are ONLY allowed between 6:00AM and 10:00PM 2. This applies to ATMs and cash-back at stores 3. You CAN still use the card for regular purchases at any time 4. This restriction doesn't affect your CalFresh food benefits, only Cash Aid For your job interview situation, I'd recommend withdrawing cash the day before when you know you'll need it early the next morning. You might also want to mention this to your WTW worker as they might be able to help with transportation solutions that don't require early morning cash.

The system is so stupid!!! They want us to work but then make it impossible to actually get to work on time??? I've been having this issue for MONTHS. My job starts at 6am and I need bus fare but cant get cash until 6 which means im always late and my boss is threatening to fire me!!! What am i supposed to do?? No one at the CalWORKs office seems to care they just say "plan ahead" well sometimes that's not possible when you got kids and a million things going on!!

This is one reason why it's so hard to reach someone at CalWORKs to actually discuss these kinds of issues. When I was having problems with my EBT card time restrictions, I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at my county office who could explain the policy. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at my county office in about 10 minutes. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Was able to get detailed information about the EBT withdrawal policies and even got them to note in my case file about my early morning work schedule so they could suggest alternatives. Worth checking out if you need to actually talk to someone about this issue.

this has been a thing forever its not new lol. i just get cash out during the day and keep it in a safe place at home for when i need it early morning. not that complicated

I'm dealing with this same issue and honestly it's making it SO hard to maintain my WTW participation requirements. My job training program starts at 7am but I need to be dropped off by 6:15 to check in and get set up. I can't withdraw money early enough to pay my ride, and they almost dropped me from the program! When I tried explaining this to my caseworker she just said I should get a monthly bus pass instead but that doesn't help when the first bus doesn't even come until 6:30am in my area!! This feels like one of those policies that they created without thinking about how it affects people who are ACTUALLY trying to meet their requirements and become self-sufficient.

Update: I called the EBT customer service line (not the county) and they confirmed the 6AM restriction is still in place. The lady said it's to "protect recipients from fraud" but honestly it's just making our lives harder! I explained my situation about needing early morning cash for transportation and childcare and she just kept repeating the policy. Super unhelpful. I did get the job though! Now I need to figure out how to make this work with my schedule. Thanks everyone for confirming I'm not crazy - this policy is real and really annoying!

Congrats on getting the job! That's awesome news. I've been dealing with this same 6AM restriction issue and it's so frustrating how it conflicts with real life work schedules. One thing that helped me was talking to my WTW worker about getting a "good cause" exemption noted in my file for transportation barriers. They can sometimes provide alternative transportation assistance or document the barrier so it doesn't count against you if you're occasionally late to appointments due to this restriction. Also, some credit unions and banks have different ATM networks that might have slightly different policies - might be worth checking if there are any ATMs near you that work differently, though I'm not 100% sure if that actually makes a difference with the state law restriction. The whole "plan ahead" advice is so tone deaf when you have kids and unpredictable schedules. Hope you can get some better support from your worker now that you have the job!