CalFresh EBT amount seems low with unemployment income - only $150 for family of 2 in Riverside County

thats actually pretty normal for your income level. my sister gets about the same amount with similar unemployment. calfresh benefits go down as income goes up, and they count all your unemployment as income. did u tell them about your utilities? thats a deduction that can increase ur amount.

Your CalFresh benefit amount sounds accurate for your income level. When calculating CalFresh benefits, they look at your gross income (in this case $2,250 unemployment), then apply certain deductions including: 1. 20% earned income deduction (doesn't apply to unemployment) 2. Standard deduction ($200 for household of 2) 3. Excess shelter costs (rent + utilities - 50% of adjusted income) Your rent is relatively low for Riverside County, which means fewer deductions and thus lower benefits. Also, if you didn't provide actual utility bills, they might have used the Standard Utility Allowance which might not fully reflect your costs. I'd recommend contacting your caseworker to verify all your expenses were properly counted, especially if your utility costs are high.

When I was on unemployment in 2023 I was getting like $210 for just me with $2000 unemployment in Riverside County. So $150 for two people does seem low? Did you make sure they know your son is in the household? Sometimes they mess up household composition.

The most likely explanation is they might not have properly calculated your utility costs, which can make a big difference. In Riverside County specifically, make sure they applied the correct utility allowance. Also, I'd recommend checking if they accidentally included any one-time income in their calculations. Sometimes severance pay or PTO payouts can be incorrectly counted as ongoing income. Did you have any trouble getting through to your caseworker when you applied? When my benefits were miscalculated last year, it took me days to reach someone.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I'm a family of 3 in Riverside too and they keep changing our benefits every month with NO EXPLANATION! Last month $375, this month $280, who knows what next month will be??? They DEFINITELY should be giving you more than $150 for two people unless you have other income you didn't mention. CALL THEM BACK and DEMAND a full breakdown of their calculation! Don't let them brush you off!!

also dont forget to ask them about the heating and cooling standard utility allowance (HCSUA) which is worth like $450 of deductions in california even if your actual bills are less. sometimes they dont apply it automatically if u dont specifically mention it

Just to follow up on what others have mentioned - regarding your severance package, that should NOT be counted as ongoing income for CalFresh. It should be counted as a one-time resource in the month received. If they're spreading that amount across multiple months, that's incorrect calculation. Also, for a family of 2 in 2025, your maximum CalFresh benefit would be around $535 if you had zero countable income after all deductions. With unemployment of $2,250, expect your benefit to be reduced, but $150 does seem potentially low depending on your exact circumstances. One last thing - while you're putting together your documentation, also gather proof of any medical expenses for your son if applicable. For children, medical expenses over $35 can be deducted when calculating benefits.

did you update your address with the county? i moved to a cheaper apartment last year and forgot to update my address and they were using my old rent amount in the calculations which was higher

After using that Claimyr service I mentioned, I was able to get a breakdown of my benefit calculation from Riverside County. Here's what I learned that might help you: 1. Make sure they're applying the correct utility allowances 2. Check if they counted your severance as ongoing income (they shouldn't) 3. Ask if they applied the earned income deduction to any part-time work 4. Confirm they have the correct household size 5. Verify they're using your current shelter costs It took the caseworker about 20 minutes to recalculate everything properly, and my benefits increased by over $200 monthly.

let us know what happens! i had to bug my worker like 5 times before they fixed my benefits last year lol

UPDATE: You all were right! I finally got through to a worker who went through my case with me. Three issues: 1. They were counting my severance pay as ongoing income 2. They didn't apply the heating/cooling utility allowance 3. They didn't count my son's medication costs After fixing all three, my benefits are increasing to $387/month starting next month! They're also issuing a supplement for this month. Thanks everyone for your help - I never would have known to ask about these specific things without your advice.