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§ 704.080.Deposit Account

Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 4. Exemptions · Article 3. Exempt Property · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 704.080 automatically exempts a deposit account receiving direct-deposited social security or public benefits without any claim, in amounts from $1,750 to $5,250 depending on the benefit type and number of payees, and protects any excess above those amounts to the extent it consists of such benefits, through an expedited court process.

Full Text of § 704.080

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

(a) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Deposit account" means a deposit account in which payments of public benefits or social security benefits are directly deposited by the government or its agent.
(2) "Social security benefits" means payments authorized by the Social Security Administration for regular retirement and survivors' benefits, supplemental security income benefits, coal miners' health benefits, and disability insurance benefits. "Public benefits" means aid payments authorized pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 11450 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, payments for supportive services as described in Section 11323.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and general assistance payments made pursuant to Section 17000.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(b) A deposit account is exempt without making a claim in the following amount:
(1) One thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750) where one depositor is the designated payee of the directly deposited public benefits payments.
(2) Three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) where one depositor is the designated payee of directly deposited social security payments.
(3) Two thousand six hundred dollars ($2,600) where two or more depositors are the designated payees of the directly deposited public benefits payments, unless those depositors are joint payees of directly deposited payments that represent a benefit to only one of the depositors, in which case the exemption under paragraph (1) applies.
(4) Five thousand two hundred fifty dollars ($5,250) where two or more depositors are the designated payees of directly deposited social security payments, unless those depositors are joint payees of directly deposited payments that represent a benefit to only one of the depositors, in which case the exemption under paragraph (2) applies.
(c) The amount of a deposit account that exceeds the exemption provided in subdivision (b) is exempt to the extent that it consists of payments of public benefits or social security benefits.
(d) Notwithstanding Article 5 (commencing with Section 701.010) of Chapter 3, when a deposit account is levied upon or otherwise sought to be subjected to the enforcement of a money judgment, the financial institution that holds the deposit account shall either place the amount that exceeds the exemption provided in subdivision (b) in a suspense account or otherwise prohibit withdrawal of that amount pending notification of the failure of the judgment creditor to file the affidavit required by this section or the judicial determination of the exempt status of the amount. Within 10 business days after the levy, the financial institution shall provide the levying officer with a written notice stating (1) that the deposit account is one in which payments of public benefits or social security benefits are directly deposited by the government or its agent and (2) the balance of the deposit account that exceeds the exemption provided by subdivision (b). Promptly upon receipt of the notice, the levying officer shall serve the notice on the judgment creditor. Service shall be made personally or by mail.
(e) Notwithstanding the procedure prescribed in Article 2 (commencing with Section 703.510), whether there is an amount exempt under subdivision (c) shall be determined as follows:
(1) Within five days after the levying officer serves the notice on the judgment creditor under subdivision (d), a judgment creditor who desires to claim that the amount is not exempt shall file with the court an affidavit alleging that the amount is not exempt and file a copy with the levying officer. The affidavit shall be in the form of the notice of opposition provided by Section 703.560, and a hearing shall be set and held, and notice given, as provided by Sections 703.570 and 703.580. For the purpose of this subdivision, the "notice of opposition to the claim of exemption" in Sections 703.570 and 703.580 means the affidavit under this subdivision.
(2) If the judgment creditor does not file the affidavit with the levying officer and give notice of hearing pursuant to Section 703.570 within the time provided in paragraph (1), the levying officer shall release the deposit account and shall notify the financial institution.
(3) The affidavit constitutes the pleading of the judgment creditor, subject to the power of the court to permit amendments in the interest of justice. The affidavit is deemed controverted and no counteraffidavit is required.
(4) At a hearing under this subdivision, the judgment debtor has the burden of proving that the excess amount is exempt.
(5) At the conclusion of the hearing, the court by order shall determine whether or not the amount of the deposit account is exempt pursuant to subdivision (c) in whole or in part and shall make an appropriate order for its prompt disposition. No findings are required in a proceeding under this subdivision.
(6) Upon determining the exemption claim for the deposit account under subdivision (c), the court shall immediately transmit a certified copy of the order of the court to the financial institution and to the levying officer. If the order determines that all or part of the excess is exempt under subdivision (c), with respect to the amount of the excess which is exempt, the financial institution shall transfer the exempt excess from the suspense account or otherwise release any restrictions on its withdrawal by the judgment debtor. The transfer or release shall be effected within three business days of the receipt of the certified copy of the court order by the financial institution.
(f) If the judgment debtor claims that a portion of the amount is exempt other than pursuant to subdivision (c), the claim of exemption shall be made pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 703.510). If the judgment debtor also opposes the judgment creditor's affidavit regarding an amount exempt pursuant to subdivision (c), both exemptions shall be determined at the same hearing, provided the judgment debtor has complied with Article 2 (commencing with Section 703.510).
End

Plain-English Summary

Direct deposit made it easy for benefits to land in a bank account, and this section makes sure a creditor's levy can't quietly sweep them up. A deposit account that receives directly deposited public benefits or social security benefits is automatically exempt, without the debtor filing any claim, in set amounts: $1,750 where one person is the payee of public benefits, $3,500 where one person is the payee of social security payments, $2,600 for two or more joint public-benefits payees, and $5,250 for two or more joint social-security payees.

Money above those automatic amounts isn't automatically fair game for the creditor — subdivision (c) exempts the excess too, to the extent it consists of public benefits or social security payments. Because that excess requires tracing rather than a simple deposit-and-protect rule, subdivisions (d) and (e) build a faster process than the standard exemption claim procedure: the bank must flag the account and either freeze the excess or hold it in suspense, notify the levying officer within 10 business days, and the creditor then has only five days after being served to file an affidavit challenging the exemption — file late, and the account gets released outright.

If a challenge is filed, the debtor bears the burden of proving the excess is exempt, at a hearing held under the same notice-and-opposition framework used for exemption claims after levy generally. And if the debtor is separately claiming that some other, unrelated portion of the account is exempt for a different reason, that separate claim follows the standard procedure in § 703.510 instead, though the two claims can be resolved at the same hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a creditor take my Social Security or unemployment benefits out of my bank account?

Direct-deposited social security is automatically exempt up to $3,500 for a single payee ($5,250 for joint payees), and direct-deposited public benefits like unemployment aid or general assistance are automatically exempt up to $1,750 ($2,600 for joint payees), all without filing a claim.

What happens to money in the account above those automatic amounts?

It's still exempt to the extent it consists of public benefits or social security payments, but the bank must flag it and the creditor gets a short window — five days after being served with notice — to challenge the exemption before it's released to the debtor.

Do I have to prove the excess money is exempt?

Yes, if the creditor files a timely challenge. Section 704.080(e)(4) puts the burden on the judgment debtor to prove the excess amount above the automatic exemption is exempt.

What if I want to claim the rest of the account is exempt for some other reason?

That separate claim follows the standard exemption procedure under § 703.510, though it can be heard together with any challenge to the public-benefits or social-security exemption.

Amendment History

Amended by Stats 2020 ch 81 (SB 898),s 6, eff. 1/1/2021. Amended by Stats 2003 ch 379 (AB 182),s 9, eff. 1/1/2004.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Information. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: social security exempt from garnishment californiapublic benefits bank account exemption californiadirect deposit exemption from levy