CalWORKs families still waiting on $500 dependent stimulus payment - anyone get theirs yet?
I've been checking my EBT account for weeks now waiting for that $500 dependent payment from the California stimulus program. My CalWORKs worker mentioned it was coming 'soon' back in February, but it's April now and still nothing. I have 2 kids and we're really counting on that money for some overdue bills. Has anyone on CalWORKs actually received this payment yet? I've heard some people got it already but others are still waiting. Called the county office twice but just got the automated system saying they're experiencing high call volume. Starting to wonder if I missed something in the paperwork or if there's some extra verification I need to submit?
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Rita Jacobs
I got mine about 3 weeks ago for my daughter. The payment showed up separate from my regular CalWORKs Cash Aid deposit. Check if your address is current on BenefitsCal because they might have sent you a notification about it. Also make sure your children are properly listed as dependents on your most recent SAR7 and SAWS2. If everything is updated correctly, you definitely should qualify if you're receiving CalWORKs.
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Manny Lark
•Thanks! My SAR7 is current (just did it in March) and both my kids are definitely listed. My address hasn't changed either. Wonder if they're just processing them in batches by county or something? I'm in San Bernardino if that matters.
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Khalid Howes
still waiting on mine to. been on calworks for 3 years with my son, they always make us wait forever for everything lol. my neighbor got hers already but she's on calfresh not calworks so maybe thats different?
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Rita Jacobs
•CalFresh and CalWORKs are different programs - CalFresh is for food benefits while CalWORKs provides Cash Aid. The $500 dependent payment should be going to eligible families on either program, but the rollout timing might be different. If your neighbor only gets CalFresh (not CalWORKs), that might explain why the payment timing is different.
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Ben Cooper
Got mine last Friday! It came separately from my regular cash aid. Check your EBT transaction history because it might show up with a different description than your normal payments.
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Manny Lark
•What did it say in the transaction history? I've been checking but only see my regular cash aid payment from the beginning of the month.
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Naila Gordon
I work at a community resource center and we've had TONS of questions about this payment. Here's what I know: 1) They're being distributed through May 2025, so some families will wait longer than others, 2) If you moved or changed accounts recently, that can delay it, 3) Make sure your income didn't go above the IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) as that could affect eligibility. The most frustrating part is there's no way to check your status specifically for this payment. The county workers themselves often don't have visibility into exactly when your payment will be processed.
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Manny Lark
•Thank you for this info! At least now I know I might be waiting a while longer. My income is definitely below the IRT - I'm only working part-time and still meeting my WTW hours. Guess I'll just keep checking my account.
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Cynthia Love
THEY ARE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE to make us wait!!! I've been waiting since january and when i finally got through to someone last week they said "oh we don't see any problems with your case" but STILL NO MONEY. meanwhile my rent is late and my kids need shoes. the whole system is designed to make us suffer i swear.
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Darren Brooks
•I understand your frustration, but I don't think they're intentionally withholding payments. The system is definitely overloaded and inefficient though. Have you tried contacting the customer service advocates? Sometimes they can escalate cases that are stuck in processing limbo. Don't give up - keep advocating for yourself!
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Rosie Harper
I was in the same situation last month - waiting forever and couldn't get through on the phone. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual CalWORKs worker in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE The worker confirmed my family was on the list for the payment and it was scheduled for the following week. Sure enough, it showed up 6 days later. Might be worth trying if you're worried about your status.
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Manny Lark
•I've never heard of this before. Did you have to pay for it? I'm hesitant to spend money when I'm already struggling financially, but being stuck on hold for hours isn't working either.
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Rosie Harper
•Yes, there is a fee, but for me it was worth it to actually talk to someone same-day instead of taking time off work repeatedly to make calls that go nowhere. You can watch their demo video to see how it works before deciding.
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Khalid Howes
my cousin said she had to call and ask for it specifically cuz they "forgot" to process hers lol. typical government stuff. maybe try that? idk
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Rita Jacobs
•This is incorrect information. The payments are being processed automatically for eligible households - you don't need to call and request it specifically. However, if there's an issue with your case that's causing a delay, calling might help resolve that specific problem.
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Ben Cooper
anyone else having other issues with their calworks too?? my childcare assistance has been pending for 2 months now and i cant get anyone to tell me whats going on with that either!!
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Naila Gordon
•That's definitely a separate issue, but equally frustrating! For childcare assistance, make sure you've submitted the CCP 2145 form completely with your provider's information. If it's been more than 30 days, you can request a case review through your county office. Childcare assistance approvals have been particularly backlogged this quarter due to staffing issues.
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Darren Brooks
Just wanted to update everyone - I just received my payment today! No notice or anything, it just appeared in my account. So they're definitely still processing them. Hope everyone else gets theirs soon!
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Manny Lark
•That's great to hear! Gives me hope mine will come through soon. Did you do anything special or did it just show up?
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Darren Brooks
•It just showed up! I hadn't called or done anything special. The description on my transaction history says "CA STIMULUS PYMT" if that helps you know what to look for.
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Dmitry Popov
I'm in a similar situation - been waiting since February for my $500 dependent payment. I have one child and we're on CalWORKs in LA County. It's really frustrating because I keep hearing mixed information about when these are supposed to come through. Some people got theirs weeks ago, others are still waiting like us. I've been checking my EBT account daily and calling the office but can never get through to a real person. The automated system just keeps saying to check BenefitsCal online, but there's no specific information about the stimulus payment status there either. Really hoping it comes through soon because we could definitely use that money for school supplies and some overdue medical bills. Thanks for posting this - at least now I know I'm not the only one still waiting!
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Noland Curtis
•You're definitely not alone! I'm also in California (different county though) and still waiting. It's so frustrating when there's no clear way to check the status. Based on what others have shared here, it sounds like they're still processing payments through May, so hopefully we'll both see ours soon. The fact that some people are getting them gives me hope that the system is working, just slowly. Keep checking that transaction history for "CA STIMULUS PYMT" - that seems to be how it shows up when it comes through!
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