Did CalWORKs change Cash Aid EBT funds availability from 12am to 8am?

Yes, there was a change last year. CalWORKs Cash Aid is now generally available at 8am on your payment date instead of midnight. I found this out when I called my county office about the same issue. The worker explained they made this change to better align with their processing times and reduce system errors. If your rent is due on the 1st and you get your Cash Aid on the 1st, I would recommend explaining the situation to your landlord ahead of time or seeing if you can budget differently by saving a portion from the previous month. Some landlords will give you until the 5th without a late fee if you communicate with them.

this is NOT true for everyone!!!! i can still pull mine at 12am sharp on my payment date. it depends on which county ur in. some countys still do midnight deposits and some changed to morning. call ur worker and ask specifically about YOUR case. dont just assume!!

I've worked with many CalWORKs recipients on this exact issue. The availability timing depends on two factors: your county and your specific payment schedule. Most counties have shifted to the 8am deposit time, but a few smaller counties still maintain midnight deposits. Additionally, the timing can be affected by your case number grouping, as many counties release benefits in batches. What I recommend: 1. Call your county office to confirm your specific deposit time 2. Ask if you qualify for expedited processing in cases of emergency 3. See if you can have your payment date adjusted to better align with your rent due date (some counties can accommodate this) For your rent situation, you might also want to look into the CalWORKs Housing Support Program if the timing continues to cause hardship. They sometimes can help negotiate with landlords or provide additional assistance.

After spending HOURS trying to get through to my worker about this exact issue last month, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real person at my county office in about 10 minutes. They have a system that keeps redialing and holds your place in line so you don't have to. It was seriously a lifesaver when I needed to find out about my deposit timing for my rent payment. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE and their website is claimyr.com if you want to actually talk to someone about your specific situation. So much better than waiting on hold forever or getting disconnected.

Maybe try using the BenefitsCal app to see exactly when ur payment is processed? Sometimes the app will show the pending deposit before it's actually available to withdraw. At least then you'd know for sure if it's been processed or not instead of guessing and making multiple trips to the ATM. Also they DO send notices about changes like this but who actually reads all that small print stuff they mail us?? 🙄 I usually just look for the amount and toss the rest lol

i had same problem but with my calfresh. tried using my ebt at 12:15am at walmart and it got declined. had to come back at 9am. so embarrassing standing there with a cart full of groceries and the cashier telling me i dont have enough funds 😖

Here's some official information that might help everyone: According to the California Department of Social Services policy updates from late 2024, counties were given the option to standardize their benefit release times. Most chose the 8am-10am window for technical reasons, though a few counties maintained midnight deposits. If you're experiencing hardship due to this timing issue, you can request what's called a "Hardship Accommodation" using form CW 2218. This form allows you to explain why the current deposit timing is causing significant problems (like potential eviction or essential bills being late). Your eligibility worker can help with this process. Additionally, for those who need their funds specifically for rent, ask about the "Housing Special Need" supplement which can sometimes be arranged to help with timing mismatches between benefit deposits and rent due dates.

Regarding your concern about rent being due on the 1st - if you're receiving CalWORKs, you should also know about the "Once in a Lifetime" rent assistance option that can help you avoid eviction if there's ever a timing problem with your benefits. You can receive up to two months of rent payment assistance in an emergency situation. Also, California law gives tenants a 3-day grace period before a landlord can even begin eviction proceedings, regardless of what your lease says about late fees. So while your landlord can charge late fees, they cannot legally evict you until after the 3-day notice period (which can only be issued after the rent is officially late). This might give you some peace of mind.

I'm dealing with this same issue! I'm in Riverside County and my Cash Aid used to be available right at midnight, but now I have to wait until around 8:30am. It's really frustrating because I work early morning shifts and I used to be able to take care of bills the night before. Now I have to rush around in the morning or take time off work just to get to the ATM or bank. Has anyone found out if there's a way to get notified exactly when the funds are available? Like does the EBT customer service line give you real-time updates or do you just have to keep checking? I hate making multiple trips to the ATM and getting declined - it's embarrassing and wastes gas money I don't have. Also wondering if this change affected the CalFresh deposits too or just Cash Aid? My food stamps seem to still come at midnight but I'm not 100% sure.

This is such helpful information everyone is sharing! I'm new to CalWORKs (just started receiving benefits 2 months ago) and I had no idea about all these policy differences between counties or the forms like CW 2218 that @Liam Duke mentioned. My caseworker in Orange County told me deposits happen "in the morning" but never specified exactly when. I've been playing it safe and waiting until 9am to check, but it sounds like I should call and get the exact timing for my county. @Dana Doyle I totally feel you on the rent stress - being a single parent on a tight budget means every hour counts when bills are due. Have you tried talking to your landlord about setting up your rent to be due on like the 3rd or 5th instead of the 1st? Some are willing to adjust the due date if you explain the situation, especially if you've been a good tenant otherwise. Also @Naila Gordon thank you for mentioning that Claimyr service! I've been trying to reach my worker for weeks about a different issue and keep getting stuck in phone jail. Definitely going to check that out. It's crazy how much we have to figure out on our own when these systems are supposed to be helping us! 🤦‍♀️

This timing change has been such a nightmare! I'm in Sacramento County and mine switched to 8am too. What really gets me is that they never sent any official notice about it - I only found out when I was standing at an ATM at 12:30am trying to get money for my daughter's school lunch money and diapers. For anyone still dealing with this, I found that some ATMs will actually give you a more specific error message than others. The ones at my credit union will say "insufficient funds" if the deposit just hasn't hit yet, versus "card declined" if there's an actual problem with your account. Might save you some trips. Also @Khalid Howes thanks for mentioning the housing support program - I had no idea that existed! Does anyone know if there's a similar emergency assistance program for utilities? PG&E has been threatening to shut off our power and the timing of my benefits makes it really hard to pay on time. It's so frustrating that we have to become experts in all these programs just to survive. The caseworkers should be telling us about these resources instead of us having to find out from each other online! 😤

This is such valuable information from everyone! I'm in Alameda County and experiencing the same 8am delay with my Cash Aid. What's really frustrating is that my childcare provider expects payment on the 1st when my benefits are supposed to hit, but now I can't access the money until after I've already dropped my kids off. I had no idea about form CW 2218 for hardship accommodation - my caseworker definitely never mentioned this when I explained how the timing was affecting my childcare situation. I'm going to request this form and see if it helps. @Naila Gordon that Claimyr service sounds amazing! I've wasted so many hours on hold trying to get through to my worker about various issues. Having a service that actually gets you connected to a real person would be a game changer. @Sofia Ramirez that's a great tip about the different ATM error messages! I never thought about how the specific message might tell you whether it's a timing issue vs an account problem. That could definitely save some unnecessary trips and gas money. It's crazy how much we're all learning from each other here that we should have been told by the system from the beginning. Thank you @Dana Doyle for starting this conversation - it's helping so many of us figure out what's actually going on!

I'm also dealing with this same timing change and it's been such a headache! I'm in Fresno County and my Cash Aid switched from midnight to 8am availability sometime last fall. Like so many others here, I found out the hard way when I was standing at an ATM at 12:30am trying to get money for an emergency. What I've learned is that you can actually call your county's EBT customer service line the day before your deposit date to confirm the exact time your benefits will be available. They won't always volunteer this information, but if you specifically ask "what time will my Cash Aid be available for withdrawal on [date]" they'll give you the exact window for your county. I've also found that having a backup plan is essential now. I started keeping a small emergency fund (even just $20-30 when possible) from the previous month specifically for situations where the timing doesn't work out. I know that's not always possible when every dollar is stretched, but even that small buffer has saved me from late fees twice. @Dana Doyle definitely look into that CW 2218 hardship accommodation form that @Liam Duke mentioned - if this timing is causing you to get late fees on your rent, that sounds like exactly the kind of situation it's meant to address. And thank you for starting this thread! It's so helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with these changes that nobody bothered to properly announce to us.