EDD SDI Bank of America debit card withdrawal options - can I transfer to my personal account?

Yes, she absolutely can transfer the money from the BofA EDD debit card to her personal bank account! There are a few options: 1. She can set up a transfer through the Bank of America prepaid card website (prepaid.bankofamerica.com/eddcard). She'll need to create an account first, then link her Chase account. 2. She can use the BofA card at ANY ATM, but only BofA ATMs are fee-free. Other ATMs will charge a surcharge. 3. Once she has the physical card, she can go to any Bank of America branch and withdraw the entire balance for free. I personally find the online transfer the easiest - it usually takes 1-2 business days for the money to show up in my regular account. Just make sure she doesn't lose the card, because getting a replacement can take time!

I just went thru this with my disability claim. The BofA card is annoying tbh. You can use ATMs but theres limits like $1000 per day I think? And non-BofA ATMs charge fees which is stupid.

I've been on SDI twice and found the best option is definitely setting up the bank transfer on the BofA EDD card portal. Your sister will need: 1. The EDD card activated first (call the number on the sticker when it arrives) 2. Set up an online account at prepaid.bankofamerica.com/eddcard 3. Use the "transfer funds" option and enter her Chase routing and account numbers The online transfer limits are much higher than ATM withdrawals - I believe it's $5000 per transaction with a $10,000 daily limit. Transfers usually process within 2 business days. One important thing - make sure she keeps her address updated with EDD if she moves. The card is initially mailed to whatever address is on file with EDD when the claim is approved.

I had SUCH a nightmare with that stupid EDD card last year! They sent it to my old address even though I updated my info with EDD, then I had to wait 10 days for a new one, and by then I was behind on bills. Make sure your sister calls to activate it THE MINUTE it arrives and sets up the online account right away. And tell her to write down the customer service number somewhere else because if she loses the card, she'll need that number and won't have it!

Has anyone tried using the B of A card at stores? Can you get cash back when making purchases to avoid ATM fees?

Thanks everyone for the helpful info! One more question - my sister's claim is for pregnancy disability. Does anyone know if the same card is used when she transitions to Paid Family Leave after the baby is born, or will she get a new card for that?

If your sister has trouble reaching EDD to ask questions about her card or payments, I recently used a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual EDD representative in about 20 minutes after I'd been trying for days on my own. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. It was really helpful when I had issues with my disability payments not showing up on my card.

tell ur sister to be careful cuz there are alot of scams targeting edd cards!! my friend got a text saying her card was locked and clicked the link and they stole all her disability money. she should ONLY use the official bofa prepaid website!!!

Just wanted to add - if your sister prefers to avoid the BofA card entirely, she can actually call EDD and request direct deposit to her regular bank account instead! I did this when I was on disability and it was so much easier. She'll need to call the SDI customer service line at 1-800-480-3287 and request form DE 1551 (Direct Deposit Authorization). Once she fills it out and sends it back, future payments will go directly to her Chase account. It takes about 2-3 weeks to process the change, so she'll probably get her first payment or two on the card, but after that it'll go straight to her regular account. No fees, no transferring, no hassle with the card at all!

Another option your sister might want to consider is using the BofA card for online bill payments! I've been using mine this way for months and it works great. She can add the EDD debit card as a payment method on most utility, credit card, and even rent payment websites. This way she doesn't have to worry about transferring money or dealing with ATM limits - she can just pay bills directly from the card as soon as the funds are loaded. Most places accept it just like a regular debit card. Just make sure she writes down the card number and keeps it somewhere safe in case she needs to make payments online before the physical card arrives!

I've been on CA disability twice and wanted to share a few additional tips that really helped me! First, your sister should download the Bank of America mobile app once she gets her card - it's actually easier to manage transfers and check balances through the app than the website. Second, if she's worried about the first payment timing, she can call the EDD automated phone line at 1-866-401-2849 to check if her payment has been issued (it usually gets loaded onto the card 1-2 days after the "paid" date shows in her online EDD account). One thing I learned the hard way - if she needs cash quickly and there's no BofA ATM nearby, Walmart MoneyCenter locations will let you withdraw up to $999 per transaction for just a $3 fee, which is way better than most ATM surcharges. Also, once she sets up the online account, she can get text alerts when payments are loaded onto her card, which is super helpful for budgeting. Hope her claim goes smoothly and congratulations on the upcoming baby!

Just wanted to add something that saved me a lot of stress when I was on disability - your sister should definitely take a photo of both sides of the EDD card as soon as it arrives and store it securely on her phone or in a safe place. The card number, expiration date, and security code are all you need to set up online transfers or make online payments, so if she ever loses the physical card, she can still access her funds digitally while waiting for a replacement. I had my card fall out of my wallet once and this backup saved me from being completely stuck without access to my money for over a week. Also, make sure she memorizes or writes down the PIN separately from where she stores the card info - you need both for ATM withdrawals but keeping them separate is safer if one gets compromised. The EDD system can be frustrating enough without adding preventable headaches on top of it!