How to Get and Complete California Form DL 937: Eligibility and 90-Day Window

California Form DL 937 is the verification document that lets you pay the reduced $11 fee for a California identification card instead of the standard $40. You don’t complete it yourself. The government agency or approved nonprofit that administers your public assistance benefits fills it out, signs it, and hands it to you to take to the DMV along with your ID card application. Once signed, the form is good for 90 days.

Who Qualifies

California Vehicle Code Section 14902(c) sets the reduced fee for residents whose income qualifies them for certain public assistance programs. The DMV does not decide your eligibility. The agency managing your benefits does, and it documents that decision on the DL 937.¹

You must currently be receiving benefits from one of these programs:

CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act)
SSI/SSP under the Burton-Moscone-Bagley Citizens Income Security Act for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Californians
County or city general assistance
CalFresh
Food Assistance Program for Legal Immigrants or the California Food Assistance Program
CAPI (Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants, or Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants)

Past participation does not count. And the form works only for a California ID card. You cannot use a DL 937 toward a driver license.²

How to Get the Form

You cannot download DL 937. The DMV distributes it only to authorized government agencies, county social services offices, and qualifying nonprofits that administer the listed programs. Contact whichever agency manages your benefits and ask for the reduced-fee ID card verification form. If you receive CalFresh, that is your county social services office.

A representative there will confirm you are actively enrolled in a qualifying program, then complete and sign the form. The DMV currently accepts revisions dated REV 12/2015, REV 3/2016, REV 6/2023, and REV 8/2023. If you’re handed something older, ask for a current one.²

What Goes on the Form

The top of the form is your personal information: full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. These need to match the identity documents you plan to bring to the DMV exactly. A minor discrepancy can get the form rejected at the counter.

The bottom is completed by the Authorized Agency Representative, who fills in the agency name, signs, and dates it. The form must be legible, complete, and free of errors or scratch-outs. If the representative makes a mistake, they need to start over on a fresh form rather than cross anything out.²

The 90-Day Window

You have 90 days from the agency’s signature date to bring the form to a DMV office. Miss that window and you go back to the agency for a new one. Showing up at the DMV with an expired DL 937 means paying the full $40 fee.²

What Else to Bring to the DMV

The signed DL 937 is one piece. You also need a completed Driver License or Identification Card Application, either the paper DL 44 at the office or the online eDL 44 filled out ahead of your visit.³ On top of those two, plan for:

An identity document verifying your legal name and date of birth, such as a birth certificate or valid passport. Your current name has to match.
Your Social Security card or another document confirming your SSN.
Proof you live in California, if you have never held a California driver license or ID card before.

If you want a REAL ID-compliant card, which has been required for domestic air travel and entry to certain federal facilities since May 2025, you’ll need proof of legal presence, your SSN, and two separate proofs of California residency from the DMV’s accepted list.¹ The DMV’s REAL ID page has an interactive checklist to help you assemble the right documents.⁴

At the Counter

Hand the technician the signed DL 937, your completed application, and your identity documents. The technician checks that the form is a current revision, properly signed, within the 90-day window, and free of corrections. You’ll also have your photo taken and give a thumbprint, the same as any ID card applicant.

The reduced fee is $11.⁵ The DMV takes cash, debit and credit cards, digital wallets, cashier’s checks, and money orders.⁶ The DMV keeps the original DL 937 in your file. You leave with a temporary paper ID; the permanent card arrives by mail within two to four weeks.⁷

Renewals and Replacements

The $11 reduced fee also covers renewals and replacements for lost or stolen cards, but every transaction needs a fresh DL 937. The DMV treats each one as a separate verification, so your agency has to confirm you still qualify and issue a new signed form.⁵ The same 90-day submission window applies. If your benefits have ended since your last card, the fee reverts to $40.

If You’re Unhoused or Age 62 or Older

DL 937 is not the right form for everyone who pays less than the standard fee. If you meet the definition of an unhoused person under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, you can get a California ID card at no cost using Form DL 933, verified by a qualifying government agency, nonprofit, shelter, or California-licensed attorney. Senior citizens 62 and older receive their ID cards at no charge under Vehicle Code Section 14902(b) without needing either verification form.⁸

1
California DMV. Identification (ID) Cards
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California DMV. Reduced/No Fee ID Card Program Information for Organizations
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California DMV. Apply Online for a Driver License or ID Card
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California DMV. Apply for REAL ID
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California DMV. Licensing Fees
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California DMV. Payments and Refunds
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California DMV. Driver’s License and ID Card Online Renewal
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14902