How to Fill Out California Form MC-356: Blocked Account Acknowledgment

California Form MC-356, the Acknowledgment of Receipt of Order and Funds for Deposit in Blocked Account, is a one-page receipt a bank signs to confirm it has received both the court’s deposit order and the settlement money for a minor or a person with a disability.¹ The petitioner (usually a parent or guardian) fills in the case caption at the top, brings the form and the signed MC-355 order to the bank, and the bank completes the account details and signs. The signed acknowledgment then goes back to the court, with a copy of MC-355 attached, within 15 days of the deposit.²

Before You Go to the Bank

Have the MC-355 order in hand first. MC-356 exists to acknowledge that specific order, so the bank needs to see it. Bring a certified or file-stamped copy, not a plain photocopy; the bank has to confirm the order is genuine before it will open a locked account.

Call the branch ahead. Not every branch handles court-ordered blocked accounts regularly, and staff may need to consult a manager or legal department before opening one. Some institutions restrict blocked accounts to certain branches. Confirming the right location and the right person to ask for saves a wasted trip.

Fill in the case caption at the top of MC-356 yourself before you go. That section asks for the case name, case number, county, and court address. The bank has no way to know any of that, and leaving it blank slows the visit.

Confirm the deposit figure. The amount going into the blocked account is the net settlement after court-approved attorney fees, costs, and liens, as reflected on MC-355. That is the number the bank should show as the initial deposit on MC-356.

What the Bank Fills In on MC-356

Once you hand over the form and the order, an authorized bank representative completes the substantive items. The form is short.³

Item 1 is a pre-printed acknowledgment that the bank received the MC-355 order and the funds listed in Item 7.
Item 2 is a pre-printed certification that the account is interest-bearing and federally insured.
Item 3 is the name and title on the account, generally the minor’s name and sometimes a parent as custodian or trustee depending on internal bank policy.
Item 4 is the bank’s name, branch name, and branch address.
Item 5 is the account number.
Item 6 is the date the account was opened.
Item 7 is the amount of the initial deposit. This should exactly match the net amount the court ordered deposited on MC-355.
Item 8 is the current balance, which will match or slightly exceed the initial deposit if any interest has already accrued.
The signature block is signed by an authorized bank representative, who also prints their name and title. That signature is the bank’s certification that no principal or interest will be released without a signed, file-stamped court order under the same case name and number.

The account itself has to sit at a federally insured financial institution located in California, and it must be interest-bearing.³ Beyond that, no particular bank is required.

Filing MC-356 With the Court

After the bank signs, you file the completed MC-356 with the court that issued the order. Two rules control this step.

First, attach a copy of MC-355 to the MC-356 when you file it. That linkage is how the court matches the acknowledgment to the underlying deposit order. If you forget the attachment, the clerk may reject the filing or the court may not credit the proof of deposit.

Second, file within 15 days of the deposit.² Missing that window can prompt follow-up from the court, and in some cases an order to show cause explaining why proof of deposit was not provided. Courts track these deadlines because the account holds money that belongs to someone who cannot yet manage it.

Keep your own copies of everything before you file. The court retains the original MC-356, and requesting a copy later means going back to the clerk. Save a copy of the signed MC-356, the MC-355 order, and the opening account statement. You will want the account number and branch information years later when the minor turns 18 or if a withdrawal petition becomes necessary.

If the Numbers Don’t Match

The most common problem at this stage is a mismatch between the amount on MC-355 and the amount the bank writes in Item 7 of MC-356. If the court ordered $25,000 deposited and the acknowledgment shows $24,800, the court will flag the discrepancy. The deposit figure is the net after approved attorney fees, costs, and liens, all of which should have been resolved before the money reached the bank. If the numbers do not line up, work it out with your attorney and the bank before filing the acknowledgment rather than after.

If the Bank Won’t Open the Account

Some banks are unfamiliar with blocked accounts or have internal policies that make the process slow. There is no requirement to use any particular institution, only that it be federally insured and located in California.³ If a branch refuses or drags its feet, try another branch or another institution. Credit unions and community banks sometimes handle these accounts more smoothly than large national banks.

Getting the Form

MC-356 is available as a fillable PDF on the California Courts website, and blank copies are also available at the local superior court clerk’s office.¹ Fill in the caption before you go to the bank; the bank handles everything below it.

What Happens to the Account After MC-356 Is Filed

Once the acknowledgment is on file, the account stays locked. No one, including the parent or guardian, can withdraw principal or interest without a further court order.²

If the MC-355 order includes the standard provision releasing funds at age 18, the former minor can go to the bank at that point with valid identification and withdraw the balance, principal and accumulated interest, without returning to court.² The order lists the minor’s date of birth so the bank knows exactly when to unlock the account.

An earlier withdrawal requires a separate petition. The petitioner files Form MC-357 (Petition to Withdraw Funds From Blocked Account), the court holds a hearing, and if the judge approves, the court issues Form MC-358 (Order for Withdrawal of Funds From Blocked Account).⁴ The bank will not release funds without that signed, file-stamped order.

When MC-356 Doesn’t Apply

MC-356 only comes into play when the court chooses the blocked-account route for the settlement proceeds. Under Probate Code section 3602, the court can instead order the money placed in a single-premium deferred annuity, a structured settlement, or, for smaller amounts, paid directly to the parent.⁵ If MC-355 was not issued in your case, MC-356 is not the form you need.

The process also covers adults with a disability who lack a conservatorship of the estate.⁵ The forms and steps are the same. The difference on the back end is that an account for an adult with a disability does not automatically unlock at any particular age; every withdrawal requires a court order.

1
California Courts. Acknowledgment of Receipt of Order and Funds for Deposit in Blocked Account (MC-356)
2
Judicial Council of California. Order to Deposit Funds in Blocked Account (MC-355)
3
Judicial Council of California. Acknowledgment of Receipt of Order and Funds for Deposit in Blocked Account (MC-356)
4
California Courts. Petition to Withdraw Funds From Blocked Account (MC-357)
5
California Legislative Information. California Probate Code 3602