CalWORKs benefits not deposited today in Santa Barbara County - normal delay or system issue?

Yup, same problem here! Also in Santa Barbara. My payment is usually there by 6am but nothing today. Last month it came through around noon, but month before was normal. I think the county is having system issues again but they never announce anything 🙄 I've been on Cash Aid for 3 years and this random late deposit thing started happening like 6 months ago. Super annoying when you're counting on that money being there.

mine just hit about 20 min ago check ur card again. im in sb county too

This is actually a common issue with CalWORKs deposits in several counties. While benefits are supposed to be deposited on your scheduled day, the exact time can vary. The official policy is that funds should be available by the end of your designated deposit day. Some things that could cause delays: 1. County batch processing (they release payments in groups) 2. Technical issues with the EBT system 3. Monthly reconciliation periods (especially at the beginning/end of month) 4. Changes to your case that triggered a review (even minor ones) If your payment doesn't show up by the end of business hours today, definitely call your caseworker tomorrow morning. Make sure to document the delay in case it affects your ability to pay bills on time - sometimes they can help with urgent needs if their delay caused you problems.

I bet its because of the recent SAR7 issues. did u submit urs last month? they froze my benefits for 2 weeks because they said they didnt get my SAR7 but i sent it online and had confirmation!! had to resubmit everything and then suddenly they found the original one 🤦‍♀️ such a headache

I work for a nonprofit that helps people with CalWORKs issues, and we've heard from several clients in Santa Barbara County about deposit delays this month. Apparently, there was some kind of system update over the weekend that's causing slower processing times. If you need to reach someone at the county office quickly, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you skip the phone queues and get through to a real person at the benefits office. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE One of our clients used it yesterday to resolve an urgent CalWORKs issue and got through in minutes instead of hours. Might be worth trying if your money doesn't show up by end of day and you need immediate assistance.

This is happening in Ventura County too!! My sister's payment was late by almost a full day last month. The caseworker told her it's because they implemented some new "verification system" that's slowing everything down. They're supposed to notify us about delays but of course they never do. I always tell people to keep at least a small emergency fund because CalWORKs payments are never 100% reliable, even when you do everything right on your end.

hey just wanted to update - did yours come thru yet? mine showed up but my neighbors still hasn't and she's worried

Glad to hear your payment came through! For future reference, if this happens again and causes serious problems (like late fees on bills), you can request an "Immediate Need" payment from your CalWORKs office if the delay was their fault. You might also want to ask your worker at your next appointment if your regular deposit day or time has permanently changed. Sometimes they adjust batch processing schedules without clearly communicating it to recipients. It's worth making a note of exactly when your deposits have been arriving for the last few months to see if there's a new pattern forming.

This is so stressful when you're depending on that money! I'm in LA County and we had similar issues a few months back where payments were coming 4-6 hours late consistently. What helped me was setting up text alerts through the EBT app so I'd get notified the moment anything hit my account instead of constantly checking manually. Also, if you have a smartphone, the "ebtEDGE" app lets you check your balance and transaction history in real-time, which might be faster than calling the EBT customer service line. Really glad yours finally came through today - hopefully this gets sorted out system-wide soon because the stress isn't worth it!