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