Can I withdraw my full CalWORKs cash aid from EBT card at once? Bank options?
Is there any way to withdraw all of my CalWORKs Cash Aid from my EBT card at once? I'm so tired of having to make multiple trips to the ATM every month because of the daily withdrawal limits. Last month I needed to pay my landlord $1200 but could only take out $500 per day, which meant THREE separate trips! My landlord was getting annoyed having to wait. Do any banks let you withdraw the full amount in one transaction? Or is there a way to transfer the whole balance to my regular bank account? I tried asking my worker but she just told me to check with my bank. Anyone figured out a workaround for this?
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Liam O'Reilly
You can absolutely withdraw your entire Cash Aid amount, but you need to go inside an actual bank that participates in the EBT program - not just use the ATM. Bank of America handles the California EBT program, so if you go to a teller at any BofA branch with your EBT card and ID, you can request your entire balance as a cash withdrawal. No fees for this either! The ATMs have daily limits, but teller transactions don't have the same restrictions for Cash Aid.
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Aria Washington
•REALLY??? Omg no one ever told me this! I've been using ATMs for like 2 years struggling with those limits. Thank you so much!!
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Chloe Delgado
ya can do bank of america and get it all out at once. i do it every month when my cash aid hits. just gotta go to the teller inside not the atm. brings ur ID
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Ava Harris
•Thanks for confirming! I wonder why the county workers don't tell people this? I've been on CalWORKs for 6 months and had no idea you could do this. Feels like they deliberately make everything complicated lol
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Jacob Lee
I've been dealing with this same issue! One thing I discovered is that you can also sometimes get cash back at grocery stores with your EBT card if you're buying something small. Different stores have different limits, but Walmart lets you get up to $100 cash back, and some Food 4 Less locations allow $200. I usually buy something small like a candy bar, then get cash back. It's another way to get more money out without those annoying ATM limits. But the BofA teller option others mentioned is probably your best bet for getting it all at once!
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Emily Thompson
•That cash back tip is helpful, but be careful with this approach. Some stores might charge a small fee for cash back transactions with EBT Cash Aid. Also, those cash back amounts count toward your daily withdrawal limit, so if you need the full balance, definitely go with the Bank of America teller method. I'd also recommend asking if your landlord would accept direct payments from the county as an authorized payee. Not many people know this, but CalWORKs can sometimes pay a portion of your Cash Aid directly to your landlord or utility companies. Might save you the withdrawal hassle altogether!
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Sophie Hernandez
STAY AWAY FROM THOSE CHECK CASHING PLACES!!!! They tried to tell me they could give me all my money at once but charged me like 10% of my cash aid!!!! COMPLETE SCAM they prey on us CalWORKs recipients. The bank of america way is the only way to go for free.
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Aria Washington
•Thanks for the warning! I was actually considering a check cashing place because there's one right by my apartment. Good to know they try to charge those ridiculous fees.
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Ava Harris
When I called my county office about this same issue, I spent 3 HOURS on hold and then got disconnected!! So frustrating! The whole EBT system needs to be updated - why can't we just transfer the money to our regular accounts online like normal people? It's 2025 for goodness sake!
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Daniela Rossi
•I totally understand your frustration with the phone waits. I've had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to CalWORKs workers without the endless hold times. They call and wait on hold for you, then call you when a real person answers. Saved me hours of time when I had questions about my Cash Aid withdrawal options. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE As for transferring money online, I agree it should be possible! Unfortunately the system is stuck in the past.
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Jacob Lee
If you're getting a large amount of Cash Aid and need to make a big payment regularly, you might want to look into whether you qualify for the CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP). If you're approved, they can sometimes help with direct rent payments or housing subsidies, which could eliminate this withdrawal hassle altogether. Not all counties have availability, but worth asking your worker about!
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Aria Washington
•I'll definitely ask about the housing program! But for now, I'm just going to try the Bank of America teller method. Can't believe I didn't know about this option for so long!
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Chloe Delgado
hey also remember to save ur reciepts when u get cash out. my worker said we suppose to keep track of how we spend the money for our case reviews. idk if they really check but better safe then sorry
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Emily Thompson
•This is a common misconception. For CalWORKs Cash Aid, you don't actually need to track how you spend the cash once you withdraw it. It's different from CalFresh (food stamps), which has specific purchase restrictions. The receipt for the cash withdrawal itself is good to keep in case there's ever a question about whether you received your benefits, but you don't need to document every purchase you make with that cash. Your eligibility worker might have been referring to your semi-annual SAR7 reporting, which requires income verification, but not expense tracking for Cash Aid.
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Aria Washington
Update: I went to Bank of America today with my EBT card and ID, and it worked perfectly! The teller let me withdraw my entire Cash Aid amount with no problems or fees. Thank you all so much for the help! This is going to make paying my rent so much easier.
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