Can CalWORKs cash aid be direct deposited into my bank account instead of EBT?

Yes, you definitely can get direct deposit! It's called Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for CalWORKs. You'll need to fill out the

Thank you!! Do you know if I can download this form somewhere? Going to the office is such a pain with my work schedule and my worker barely answers the phone.

I tried setting up direct deposit back in november but my worker never processed it. had to submit the paperwork 3 TIMES before it finally went thru!! make sure u call and check on the status after u submit it. but yes its way better than the ebt card for cash aid, money shows up right in my account on time now

I remember trying to figure this out too! Your county website should have the form under

Oh that's a good point about keeping the EBT card! I do get CalFresh too so I'll definitely hang onto it. I'll check the county website right now!

I've been dealing with this exact issue for months!! Kept calling the regular number and could never get through to anyone about direct deposit. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at the county in like 15 minutes. They call the county for you and then call you back when they have a worker on the line. Worked perfectly and I finally got my direct deposit set up after months of frustration. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

does it actually work?? i spend hours every month trying to talk to someone at my county office

Yeah it does! I was skeptical too but I was desperate after trying for weeks to get through. They connected me to a real person who helped me get my direct deposit form processed. Saved me so much time and frustration.

Just be carefull with direct deposit!! Sometimes they make mistakes and deposit LATE and then ur overdrawn and the bank charges fees!! happened to me twice last year and I switched back to EBT. With EBT at least u know exactly when the $ is available and no bank fees.

That's a good point about potential delays. In my experience though, direct deposit has been more consistent than the EBT card loading. I think it depends on your county. For Los Angeles County, the direct deposit hits my account the same day every month without fail.

when i first got approved they told me ebt was the only option?? this was in january. so confusing how everyone gets different info!!! i might try that direct deposit thing tho cause i hate having to go to the atm all the time

Direct deposit is way better than EBT for cash benefits! I switched last year and it's been great. Just make sure when you fill out the form that your name on your bank account EXACTLY matches your name in the CalWORKs system or they'll reject it. My middle initial caused problems the first time.

That's super helpful! My bank account has my maiden name but my CalWORKs is in my married name... guess I need to update one of them first. Thanks for the tip!

Just to follow up - I found the exact form online. It's called the

Thank you so much! I found the form and am filling it out now. One last question - does direct deposit change anything about my reporting requirements or how I use BenefitsCal? Or is it just changing how I receive the money?

It only changes how you receive the money. You'll still need to complete your SAR7 every 6 months and annual recertification as usual. Your reporting requirements stay exactly the same. Everything in BenefitsCal works the same too - you'll just see your benefits are being issued via direct deposit instead of EBT when you check your payment history.

Just wanted to add my experience - I switched to direct deposit about 6 months ago and it's been a game changer! No more ATM fees or having to remember to bring my EBT card everywhere. One tip though - make sure you have a backup plan for the first month after you submit the form because it can take 1-2 payment cycles to process. I kept my EBT card active just in case there were any delays. Also, if you're with a credit union, they're usually really good about not charging fees if there are any timing issues with the deposits. Good luck with getting it set up!