Starting February 15, 2024, the Employment Development Department (EDD) begins issuing payments for unemployment, disability, and Paid Family Leave customers on new Money Network prepaid debit cards. Benefit payments will no longer be issued on Bank of America debit cards. The EDD previously announced it was reaching out to its customers with related timelines and information to assist them in transitioning to Money Network Cards.
“Through our partnership with Money Network, we are enhancing how we deliver benefits to our customers,” said EDD Director Nancy Farias. “That includes introducing a direct deposit option later this year – the fastest, most secure method for receiving payments.”
Receiving Money Network Cards
Individuals with active claims who qualified to receive benefit payments after January 15 were mailed an unfunded Money Network Card in preparation for the transition. It may take up to 14 business days from the date of qualification for the new card to arrive. Individuals who don’t receive their card after that period may contact Money Network at 1-800-684-7051.
Additional information about the Money Network Card is available at moneynetwork.com/edd in 21 of California’s top spoken languages. This includes instructions on how to activate the card, how to avoid fees and locate surcharge-free ATMs in local areas, FAQs, and translations of important “Terms and Fees” in all supported languages.
Customers can choose their preferred language by selecting the globe icon at the top of the webpage as shown:
Closing Bank of America Cards
IMPORTANT DEADLINE: April 15, 2024, is the last day individuals will be able to use their Bank of America debit card in this transition. Customers are encouraged to use or transfer any remaining balance on their debit cards before that date or submit a request to Bank of America to be issued a check in the amount of remaining funds. Visit Debit Card for more information.
Help us fight against fraud
The EDD will never request personal information by text message, email, or on social media. Text messages asking to activate a benefits debit card by selecting a link are scams. The EDD’s text messages only link to websites that include “edd.ca.gov”. The Department encourages customers to remain vigilant and safeguard their financial and personal information. Visit Help Fight Fraud for tips on how to avoid scams.
Later this year, the EDD is set to implement a new direct deposit option for benefit payments. Details about this option will be provided in upcoming communications. This service improvement is part of EDDNext, a multi-year transformation effort to improve the EDD customer experience – updating technologies and self-service choices, streamlining forms and notices, and enhancing staff efficiency through updated policies and procedures. The goal is to make the EDD experience for customers a smoother and faster one.
