CalWORKs EBT card showing 'maximum PIN tries exceeded' - locked out of benefits!

This happened to me last year. You don't need to go into the office. Call the EBT customer service number again (not the regular CalWORKs office). They can reset your PIN over the phone after verifying your identity. The system locks your card after 4 wrong PIN attempts as a security measure. The card itself isn't damaged - it just needs to be unlocked.

u might have to get a new card. my sister had this happen and they said her card was permanently locked or somethin. had to wait 7-10 days for a new one in the mail. hopefully ur luckier tho

I work with CalWORKs clients and can clarify this situation. When you get the "maximum PIN tries exceeded" message, it means your card is temporarily locked for security. This is actually different from needing a new card. You have two options: 1. Call the EBT Customer Service number (it's 24/7) and after identity verification, they can unlock your card and let you select a new PIN. Your benefits are still there, just locked. 2. If for some reason they can't unlock it by phone, you CAN go to your county office and request an emergency replacement card. If you explain it's for immediate need, they should be able to print one right there (policy is same-day for hardship cases). Don't worry about your benefits - they're still in your account even if your card is locked.

this is why I always keep some cash from my Cash Aid at home for emergencies! the EBT system can be so unreliable sometimes. glad you got it working though!

I've been dealing with CalFresh and CalWORKs for years and those EBT phone lines are the WORST! Always disconnecting after waiting hours. Once I waited 3+ hours just to get hung up on when someone finally answered! So frustrating when you're dealing with something urgent like feeding your kids. BTW if this ever happens again, try using Claimyr.com - it's this service that waits on hold for you and calls you back when there's a real person. Saved me SO much time with my CalWORKs issues. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

Just a heads-up - sometimes when you reset your PIN, it can take a few hours for the change to fully process in the system. If you try using your card immediately after changing the PIN and it still doesn't work, wait a bit and try again. The system updates usually process by midnight.

When you say it was showing 'maximum PIN tries exceeded,' was this at an ATM or at a store? I'm asking because sometimes the store machines show weird error messages that aren't actually about your PIN but something else entirely. Sometimes it's actually the STORE'S machine that's having issues accepting EBT but they blame it on your card. Happened to me at Food 4 Less last month.

what was ur caseworkers name? mine is NEVER helpful with these kind of problems

do u get cash aid and calfresh both? cuz sometimes if ur calfresh gets cut off it can mess with the whole card even tho ur cash aid is still there

I'm so glad you got it resolved! This is such a scary situation when you need to feed your family. For anyone else reading this who might face the same issue - I've learned that writing down your PIN and keeping it in a safe place at home is really helpful. Also, the EBT customer service is definitely 24/7, but I've found that calling very early in the morning (like 6-7am) or late at night (after 9pm) usually gets you through faster than during peak hours. The system automatically locks after 4 wrong attempts, but your benefits are always still there - it's just a security measure.

I'm so sorry you went through this stress! As someone new to CalWORKs, this is exactly the kind of situation I worry about. Reading through all these responses has been really educational - I had no idea that the card gets locked after 4 wrong PIN attempts, but it's reassuring to know that the benefits are still there and it's just a security measure. I'm definitely going to write down the EBT customer service number and keep it handy, and I love the tip about calling early morning or late at night to avoid long hold times. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me understand how to handle these emergencies!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who just got approved for CalWORKs last month, I had no idea about the PIN lockout system or how to handle it. The panic you must have felt is so understandable - when you're depending on these benefits to feed your family, any disruption feels catastrophic. I'm bookmarking this conversation because the advice here is gold - especially the tips about calling EBT customer service during off-peak hours and that Claimyr service for avoiding hold times. It's also really reassuring to know that your benefits don't disappear when the card gets locked, it's just a security feature. Thank you for sharing your experience and to everyone who jumped in with helpful advice - this community really shows up for each other!

I'm so glad you were able to get this resolved! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs benefits a few weeks ago, reading about your experience was both terrifying and incredibly educational. The panic you must have felt when you couldn't access your benefits with hungry kids at home is something I hope to never experience, but now I feel much better prepared if it does happen. I had no idea that the card automatically locks after 4 wrong PIN attempts - that's actually a smart security feature, but so scary when you don't know what's happening! I'm definitely going to write down that EBT customer service number and keep it somewhere safe, along with my PIN. Thank you for sharing your story and to everyone who provided such helpful advice in the comments - this community is amazing!

As someone brand new to CalWORKs (literally just got my first benefits loaded last week), this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no clue about the PIN lockout system and honestly would have panicked just like you did @Anastasia Sokolov. The fact that your benefits are still safe even when the card is locked is such important information that I wish they explained better during the application process. I'm definitely taking everyone's advice here - writing down my PIN in a secure place, saving the EBT customer service number in my phone, and downloading the Connect EBT app right now. The tips about calling during off-peak hours are brilliant too. Thank you for being brave enough to share your scary experience - it's helping so many of us newbies learn what to do before we face this situation ourselves. This community really does look out for each other!

Wow, what a relief that you got it sorted out! As someone who just received my first CalWORKs payment this week, this whole thread has been incredibly educational and honestly a bit nerve-wracking. I had no idea that EBT cards could get locked after wrong PIN attempts, and the thought of being unable to access benefits when you need to feed your kids is absolutely terrifying. Reading through everyone's responses though has given me so much valuable information - I'm definitely going to write down my PIN and keep it somewhere safe, save the EBT customer service number in my phone, and try that Connect EBT app that was mentioned. The tip about calling during off-peak hours to avoid those awful hold times is gold too. Thank you for sharing your experience even though it was stressful - it's going to help so many of us newcomers know exactly what to do if this happens to us. This community really shows how much we look out for each other during these challenging times!

I'm so glad you got this resolved! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs benefits a few weeks ago, reading about your experience was both terrifying and incredibly educational. The panic you must have felt trying to feed your kids when the card wouldn't work is my worst nightmare as a new recipient. This whole thread has been like a crash course in EBT troubleshooting that I wish they had covered during my application process. I had no clue about the 4 wrong PIN attempts causing a lockout, but it's actually reassuring to know it's just a security feature and your benefits are still safe in the account. I'm definitely taking everyone's advice here - writing down my PIN in a secure place, saving the EBT customer service number, downloading the Connect EBT app, and remembering those off-peak calling times. The tip about Claimyr to avoid those horrible hold times sounds like a lifesaver too. Thank you for being brave enough to share what must have been an incredibly stressful situation. Your story is going to help so many of us newcomers know exactly what to do if we ever face this. This community really shows up for each other when it matters most!

As someone who just got approved for CalWORKs last month, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! @Anastasia Sokolov I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been when you needed to feed your kids and couldn't access your benefits. Reading everyone's responses has taught me so much about the EBT system that I never knew - like the 4 wrong PIN attempt lockout and that your benefits are still safe even when the card is locked. I'm definitely going to follow all the amazing advice shared here: writing down my PIN and keeping it secure, saving the EBT customer service number in my phone, downloading the Connect EBT app, and remembering to call during off-peak hours if I ever need help. The tip about Claimyr for avoiding those awful hold times sounds like a game-changer too! Thank you for being willing to share such a stressful experience - it's going to help so many of us newcomers know exactly what to do if this ever happens. This community's support and practical knowledge is incredible. I feel so much more prepared now!

I'm so sorry you went through that terrifying experience! As someone who just got my CalWORKs card a couple weeks ago, reading your story made my heart race - I can't imagine the panic of not being able to access benefits when your kids need food. This entire thread has been incredibly educational for newcomers like me. I had absolutely no idea about the PIN lockout system or that the card gets locked after 4 wrong attempts, but it's actually reassuring to know it's just a security feature and your benefits stay safe in the account. I'm definitely taking all the amazing advice everyone shared here - writing down my PIN securely, saving the EBT customer service number, downloading the Connect EBT app, and noting those off-peak calling times to avoid brutal hold waits. The Claimyr service tip sounds like a lifesaver too! Thank you for being brave enough to share such a stressful situation - your experience is going to help so many of us know exactly what to do if this ever happens. This community's support and practical knowledge is absolutely incredible!

This whole thread has been such a lifeline for someone like me who just got approved for CalWORKs! I literally picked up my EBT card from the office yesterday and was planning to use it for the first time this weekend. Reading about your experience @Anastasia Sokolov absolutely terrified me - the thought of being locked out when you need to feed your kids is every parent's nightmare. But I'm so grateful you shared it because now I know exactly what to do if this happens to me. The community response here has been incredible! I had no idea about the 4 wrong PIN attempt lockout system, but knowing it's just a security measure and that benefits stay in the account is really reassuring. I'm implementing every single tip from this thread: writing down my PIN and storing it safely, saving the EBT customer service number in my phone, downloading the Connect EBT app right now, and noting those off-peak calling hours. The Claimyr service sounds amazing for avoiding those brutal hold times too! As a newcomer, it's so comforting to see how this community rallies around each other during crises. Thank you for turning your stressful experience into a learning opportunity for all of us - this information is going to help so many people handle these situations with confidence instead of panic!