EBT Cash Aid card being declined at ATM but works for purchases - anyone else?

same thing happened to me last week!! could only take out $80 at a time, had to do like 5 transactions to get my rent money

Might be ATM youre using. Some ATMs only let u pull out certain amounts from EBT cards now. Try a Bank of America ATM those ones always work for me

Make sure you're using a surcharge-free ATM. There's been a recent change where some non-network ATMs are declining EBT cash benefit withdrawals completely rather than charging fees (which they're not supposed to do). Also check if you've already made withdrawals this month that might be hitting some kind of limit. The EBT customer service is horrible right now because they're upgrading their systems.

I had almost the EXACT same thing happen but it turned out my card was damaged even though it looked fine! The chip was working for purchases but the magnetic strip for ATMs was damaged. They sent me a new card in about 5 days. Until then I just used it for purchases and got cash back at stores which worked fine.

had this problem for 3 weeks straight last month!!! no one at calworks could tell me why!!! so frustrating i nearly got evicted cuz i couldnt get rent money out!!! the whole system is designed to make it hard for us i swear

UPDATE: There actually IS a known issue with EBT cash withdrawals right now affecting multiple counties. The EBT vendor (Fidelity Information Services) is implementing security upgrades that are causing intermittent denials at certain ATMs. This is temporary but might continue for another week. Your funds are safe and accessible, but you might need to try different withdrawal methods: 1. Use Bank of America ATMs specifically 2. Get cash back with purchases at grocery stores 3. Make smaller withdrawals (under $200) if larger ones are declined 4. Try different times of day (early morning tends to work better) I work with CalWORKs clients and many are experiencing this right now. If you urgently need access to your full funds, visit your county office in person and request assistance.

This is so helpful to know it's a system-wide issue! I've been having the same problem for the past few days and was starting to panic thinking something was wrong with my account. I tried three different ATMs yesterday and all of them declined my withdrawal even though I know I have money on there. Going to try the Bank of America ATM today and the cash back option at grocery stores. Really wish they would send us notifications when they're doing these "upgrades" - we depend on this money for basic needs like rent and groceries and can't afford to be left guessing what's going on!

This is so frustrating but glad to know it's not just me! I've been dealing with this for about a week now. What worked for me was going to Safeway and doing the cash back thing - I bought a pack of gum for like $2 and got $100 cash back, then went back later and did it again. The cashier was really understanding when I explained the EBT system was having issues. Also tried a Wells Fargo ATM yesterday and it worked but only let me take out $40 at a time. The whole situation is ridiculous - we shouldn't have to jump through hoops just to access our own benefits money!

I've been having this exact same issue for the past 4 days! Tried 6 different ATMs around town and they all say "transaction declined" even though I can see my balance is fine when I check it. What's really annoying is that like you said, the card works perfectly for purchases - I used it at the gas station and grocery store with no problems. I didn't know about the Bank of America thing though, definitely going to try that tomorrow. Also going to try the cash back method at stores since that seems to be working for people. This whole situation is so stressful when you need cash for things like rent or money orders. Really wish CalWORKs would send us some kind of alert when they're doing these system updates instead of leaving us to figure it out ourselves!

This is such a relief to read! I thought I was going crazy when my card kept getting declined at ATMs but worked fine for purchases. Been dealing with this since last Tuesday and was starting to panic that my benefits got cut off or something. The customer service line is completely useless - I've been on hold for literally hours with no help. I'm definitely going to try the Bank of America ATM tomorrow and the grocery store cash back method. It's really frustrating that they don't notify us when they're doing these system upgrades. We're already stressed enough trying to make ends meet without having to worry about whether we can access our own money! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and workarounds - this community is more helpful than the actual EBT customer service!

I've been dealing with this exact same issue since Thursday! My card works fine for purchases but keeps getting declined at ATMs even though I have over $800 in cash benefits. I was so worried something was wrong with my account. Reading all these comments has been such a relief - I had no idea this was a system-wide problem with their "upgrades." I'm definitely going to try the Bank of America ATM tomorrow and the grocery store cash back method. It's really frustrating that they don't send us any kind of notification when they're doing these system changes. We depend on this money for rent, bills, and basic necessities - the least they could do is give us a heads up instead of leaving us to panic and figure out workarounds on our own. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This is happening to me too! Started having problems on Saturday - my card works fine for buying stuff at stores but every ATM just says "declined" even though I have like $950 in cash benefits. I was getting really worried that my case got messed up or something. So relieved to read all these comments and know it's a system-wide issue with their upgrades. The EBT customer service is absolutely useless - I was on hold for over 3 hours yesterday and never got through. Going to try the Bank of America ATM and grocery store cash back methods tomorrow. It's so frustrating that they don't give us any warning when they're doing these system changes - we depend on this money for rent and basic needs and shouldn't have to stress about whether we can access our own benefits!