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!

I just switched to direct deposit last month and it's been amazing! No more worrying about ATM fees or having to find machines that accept EBT for cash withdrawals. The process was pretty straightforward once I got the right form. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure your bank doesn't have any weird policies about government deposits. My friend had issues with her small local bank initially flagging the CalWORKs deposits as suspicious, but it got sorted out after she called them. Also, keep track of your deposit dates because they might shift slightly from your EBT schedule. Mine moved from the 1st to the 3rd of each month, which threw off my rent payment timing the first month. But honestly, being able to pay bills online and transfer money instantly has been such a relief!

Wow, this thread has been so helpful! I just got approved for CalWORKs a few weeks ago and had no idea direct deposit was even an option. My caseworker definitely didn't mention it during orientation. I'm definitely going to look into switching because like others mentioned, the ATM fees are killer and it would be so much easier for rent and bills. Quick question though - if I'm also getting CalFresh on the same EBT card, will switching to direct deposit for the cash aid mess up my food benefits at all? I want to make sure I don't accidentally cause problems with my CalFresh while trying to fix the cash aid situation. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now and honestly had no clue that direct deposit was even possible. My caseworker never brought it up during any of our meetings, and I just assumed the EBT card was the only way to get cash benefits. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like direct deposit could solve so many of my monthly headaches - especially the ATM fee situation (I swear I'm losing like $20+ a month just trying to access my own money!). I'm definitely going to look into getting that CW8572 form filled out. One thing I'm curious about though - for those of you who made the switch, did you notice any difference in how quickly you could access your funds? Like, does the money become available immediately when it hits your account, or is there still some kind of processing delay like there sometimes is with EBT? Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!

This has been such an informative thread! I've been on CalWORKs for about 3 months and like many others here, my caseworker never mentioned direct deposit as an option. I'm definitely going to pursue this - the ATM fees alone are eating into my already tight budget. One question I haven't seen addressed yet: has anyone had experience with direct deposit if you have a joint bank account? My account is joint with my spouse (who isn't on CalWORKs) - will that cause any issues with the name matching requirements that were mentioned earlier? I want to make sure I don't run into problems when I submit the CW8572 form. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - it's so helpful to get real-world advice from people who've actually been through this process!

Thanks for starting this thread! I just got approved for CalWORKs too and had the same exact question. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - I had no idea direct deposit was even possible! My orientation was pretty rushed and they definitely didn't mention this option. I'm going to download that CW8572 form today and get it submitted. Really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences, especially the tips about keeping the EBT card active during the transition and making sure the names match exactly. This community is so valuable for getting the info they don't always tell us during the official process!

This thread is amazing! I've been on CalWORKs for about 5 months and never knew direct deposit was an option either. My caseworker definitely didn't mention it and I've been dealing with those awful ATM fees every month. Just looked up the CW8572 form on my county website and found it right away - thank you to everyone who mentioned the exact form name! Quick question for those who've made the switch: do you still get any kind of notification when your deposit hits, or do you just have to check your account? With the EBT card I at least got used to checking on the same day each month, but I'm wondering if banks send alerts or anything when government deposits come in. Also really appreciate the tip about calling ahead to make sure the bank won't flag the deposits as suspicious - would never have thought of that! Going to submit my form this week and hopefully join the direct deposit success stories soon!

This has been such a helpful thread! I've been on CalWORKs for about 2 months and honestly had no idea direct deposit was even possible. My caseworker never mentioned it during my orientation either - seems like they really need to do a better job informing people about this option! I'm definitely going to look into getting that CW8572 form filled out. The ATM fees are already adding up and it would be so much more convenient for paying rent and utilities online. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who switched, did you notice any change in the actual deposit dates? Like, does it still come on the same day of the month as your EBT did, or do the timing shift around when you switch to direct deposit? I want to make sure I plan my budget accordingly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is way more informative than the official channels!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been on CalWORKs for about 6 weeks now and my caseworker never mentioned direct deposit either - it's honestly kind of frustrating that this seems to be such a common experience. I'm definitely going to look into getting that CW8572 form submitted ASAP. The ATM fees are already eating into my budget more than I expected, and being able to pay bills online would be a huge relief. Quick question for everyone who's made the switch - do you know if there's any limit to how many times you can change your direct deposit info? Like, if I need to switch banks later on, is it just a matter of filling out a new form or is there some kind of restriction? Also really appreciate all the specific tips about name matching and calling the bank ahead of time - these are the kinds of details that make all the difference but never get explained properly during the official process!