Can I withdraw CalWORKs Cash Aid from my EBT card instead of using CalFresh food benefits?

Yes, you absolutely can withdraw the cash portion! Your EBT card actually holds two completely separate benefits: 1. CalFresh (food stamps) - This can ONLY be used to buy eligible food items at grocery stores 2. CalWORKs (Cash Aid) - This is actual cash you can withdraw or use like a debit card To withdraw your Cash Aid: - Go to an ATM (look for ones that don't charge fees - many Bank of America ATMs are free for EBT) - Insert your EBT card - Select "WITHDRAW CASH" (not food benefits) - Enter your PIN - Select checking account (sometimes labeled as "CA CASH") You can also use the Cash Aid portion of your EBT card like a regular debit card at stores by selecting "EBT CASH" at checkout (not "EBT FOOD"). This is perfect for paying bills, buying clothes, or other necessities not covered by CalFresh.

The atms at the gas station near me charge like $4 fee every time u withdraw from ebt. total ripoff. try to find bank of america atm, they dont charge ebt users fees. also walmart lets u get cash back when u buy something with the cash part of ur ebt

MAKE SURE you use the right button when withdrawing!!!! I accidently hit FOOD BENEFITS at the ATM once instead of CASH and it said my transaction was declined and I got so confused and thought my benefits were cut off!! Almost had a heart attack lol. But then I realized I hit the wrong option. Just remember FOOD is only for grocery shopping but CASH can be used for whatever you need. And yes, you can totally pay your electric bill with the cash part!!

u can also use ur cash aid online to pay bills direct. i pay my rent with mine. just choose the option for debit card (not credit card) and use ur EBT card number and PIN. not all websites take EBT tho so u might need to take out cash first for some bills

Just to be super clear since I see some confusion here: CalFresh and CalWORKs are COMPLETELY different programs that happen to use the same EBT card for distribution. CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps) can ONLY be used for food items (no hot prepared food, no alcohol, no non-food items). CalWORKs Cash Aid is actual money that you can withdraw or spend like cash. You can use it for bills, clothes, gas, whatever you need. If you're having trouble reaching your CalWORKs worker to answer questions like this, try using Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets you through to a live person at the county office without waiting on hold forever. Saved me hours of frustration when I had questions about my benefits. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

make sure u know ur irt too. thats income reporting threshold. if u make money over that amount u gotta report it even if its not time for ur sar7 yet. they can hit u with overpayment if u dont

SAR7 is your Semi-Annual Report form that you must submit every 6 months to keep your benefits active. As for your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold), it should be listed on your approval notice. For someone working part-time making $600/month, you're likely well under your IRT, but it's important to know what that number is. Regarding your original question about withdrawing cash: one more important thing to know is that your Cash Aid and CalFresh benefits might be issued on different days of the month. Cash Aid is usually available on the 1st, while CalFresh is staggered based on the last digit of your case number. So if you check your balance and don't see your full amount, that might be why!

tbh when I first got on benefits I was confused too!!! The EBT card system isn't very user friendly. But yes you can 100% withdraw the cash aid part! That's literally what it's for - to help with your bills and necessities. Good luck with your electric bill! 👍

Hey Isaiah! Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me when I first got CalWORKs - you can check your balance anytime by calling the customer service number on the back of your EBT card (1-877-328-9677). It'll tell you exactly how much you have in CalFresh vs CalWORKs cash aid so you know what's available to withdraw. Also, some ATMs will show both balances on the screen when you insert your card, which is super handy! The cash aid really is a lifesaver for bills and emergencies when you need it most.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been using CalWORKs for about a year now - YES you can definitely withdraw the cash aid portion for your electric bill! That's exactly what it's for. One thing I learned the hard way is to always check which ATMs are fee-free before withdrawing. I used to lose $3-4 every time at random ATMs until I found out about the free ones at Bank of America and some credit unions. Also, if you're ever unsure about your balance or which benefit is which, the EBT app (ConnectEBT) is super helpful - you can check your balance and transaction history right from your phone. It shows CalFresh and Cash Aid separately so there's no confusion. Hope this helps and good luck with your electric bill!

Hey Isaiah! I'm also pretty new to CalWORKs and had the exact same confusion when I first got my EBT card. Everyone here has given you amazing advice! Just wanted to add that when I was figuring this out, I found it helpful to think of your EBT card like having two separate accounts on one card - the CalFresh side is like a gift card that only works for food, and the CalWORKs side is like a regular checking account with actual cash you can use for anything. One thing that really helped me was doing a small test withdrawal first (like $20) just to make sure I understood how to use the ATM correctly before withdrawing a larger amount for bills. Also, keep your receipts! They show your remaining balance for both benefits, which is super handy for budgeting. You've got this - paying that electric bill with your cash aid is totally the right move!

Hey Isaiah! I just wanted to add something that might help you and others who are new to this - when you go to withdraw your CalWORKs cash aid, make sure you have your PIN memorized and not written down anywhere on or near your card. I learned this the hard way when I first started using my EBT card and had my PIN on a sticky note in my wallet. Also, if you're ever at an ATM and it seems like it's not working or giving you error messages, try a different ATM before panicking. Sometimes the machines just have connectivity issues, especially at smaller locations. I've had this happen a couple times and thought my benefits were frozen, but it was just the ATM. One more thing - once you get comfortable with withdrawing cash, you might want to look into which grocery stores and pharmacies near you offer cash back with EBT purchases. It can be really convenient when you need smaller amounts and don't want to make a special trip to an ATM. Good luck with everything!