What is this $20.01 cash desposit on my EBT card? #
Some households who get CalFresh (food benefits) only will also get a "cash" deposit of $20.01 one time per year.
This is called the "heat and eat" benefit - it happens because it lets the state increase food benefits for some people due to a (complicated) detail in federal law.
How can I use it? #
It is loaded onto your card as "cash" so you can use it at a store to buy non-food items if you pay for them on the EBT machine by pressing the "EBT cash" option.
Because it is cash, you can also withdraw $20 from an ATM. But it's important to use one of the ATMs that do not charge a fee for EBT users.
- You can see the list of no-fee ATMs here: https://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/Library/Cash_Access.pdf
- There is also a map of no-fee ATMs here - use the filter in the top right to choose ATMs and then click "Free" under "Surcharge amount": https://www.ebt.ca.gov/locator/index.html#/locator.page
Sources and more information #
Contact us if you have questions or see a problem or suggestion for the info above.