To be specific about your question - YES, this is self-employment income for CalFresh purposes. Here's exactly what you need to do: 1. Keep tracking ALL income and expenses until recertification 2. Only report before recertification if your TOTAL household income exceeds your IRT (this is on your approval notice, usually around 130% of the Federal Poverty Level) 3. For recertification, you'll complete a Self-Employment worksheet (ask for one if they don't provide it) 4. You'll need to show GROSS income (before expenses) and then all allowable business expenses 5. Allowable expenses include: supplies, tools, business insurance, transportation to job sites (mileage or actual gas costs), advertising, and any other direct business costs CalFresh will then calculate your NET self-employment income (after expenses) and only count that toward your household income. This often results in much lower countable income than people expect. One last tip: When doing your SAR7 (Semi-Annual Report), if they ask about income changes, be sure to explain the variable nature of the landscaping work so they understand why amounts fluctuate.

On a related note - have you considered applying for CalWORKs too? If your income is low enough for CalFresh, you might qualify for cash aid as well, especially with children in the household. The self-employment rules are similar.

thats super fast! took them 6 weeks to approve my calfresh and i was literally living in my car at the time. the county workers always find ways to delay things... make sure u spend all the benefits each month cuz they don't roll over forever, i think only for like 9 months now

Just to clarify regarding benefit expiration - CalFresh benefits stay on your card for 274 days (about 9 months) before they start to expire. They expire on a rolling basis, so oldest benefits are used first. If you're actively using your card every month, you don't need to worry about benefits expiring. For your original question, once you get your approval letter, it will show: 1. Your certification period (how long your benefits are approved for, usually 12 months) 2. Your regular monthly benefit amount 3. Your reporting requirements (most likely a SAR7 at 6 months) 4. Your case number and when your monthly benefits will be deposited Since you qualified for expedited services, they issued benefits quickly but may still need to verify some information. Make sure you respond promptly if they request any additional verification documents.

This thread is so frustratting!!! Can someone just clearly say which counties are gettin this extra money?? I'm in Sacramento and really need to know if I should be expecting something extra on the 15th or not????

Just to provide some clarity for everyone - there are currently NO regular emergency allotments for CalFresh in 2025. What the original poster is referring to are Disaster CalFresh supplements related to specific flood-affected counties. Key points: - Regular emergency allotments ended in March 2023 - Disaster CalFresh was available only to those who applied during the short application window following the disaster - Applicants needed to show disaster-related expenses or income loss - Regular CalFresh benefits are issued according to the last digit of your case number - Maximum benefit amounts did increase slightly in October 2024 due to the annual cost of living adjustment If you're struggling with your current benefit amount, I recommend speaking with a county worker about your specific situation. There may be deductions you're eligible for that could increase your benefit amount.

This happened to my sister too!!! She never got her benefits back tho cuz she waited too long to report it!! Make sure u do the police report ASAP!! There's like a 30 day window or something

UPDATE: I filed the police report this morning (they gave me a case number) and finally got through to P-EBT customer service using that Claimyr service someone suggested. The rep confirmed I need to submit Form PEBT-10 with the police report number and proof of my current address. She said processing takes around 2-3 months but the full benefit amount ($1,465) should be replaced if my claim is approved. Thanks everyone for the guidance - will update again when I hear something!

a friend told me u can also try calling ur kids school district office sometimes they have a pebt coordinator who can check on card status. worked for her but not me lol worth a try tho

UPDATE: I finally got through to P-EBT this morning using the Claimyr service that was mentioned earlier. Confirmed that cards for my 3 kids were mailed on March 12th as I thought, but the representative said there have been massive mail delays with this batch. She's sending replacement cards and canceling the old ones just in case. Should arrive within 10-15 business days. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions! Will update when the new cards arrive.