CalFresh benefit reduction after reporting farm stand job - still eligible with seasonal income?

You definitely shouldn't quit your job! The county should be calculating your income correctly. For seasonal work, they're supposed to "anticipate" your income, not just average it across the whole year. Did you clearly indicate on your SAR7 that this is seasonal work with a specific end date? If not, you should contact your worker and clarify this ASAP. They might need to adjust your calculation. Also, make sure you're reporting all your deductions - housing costs, childcare expenses, and any medical expenses. Those all affect your benefit amount calculation.

omg the SAME exact thing happened to me last year when i was doing door dash!! they cut my benefits way down and i had to wait till my next SAR7 to fix it. so frustrating.

The CalFresh system is DESIGNED to punish people for working, I swear. Every time someone tries to better their situation by getting even a little part-time work, they slash benefits so dramatically you end up WORSE OFF than before! I've been through this 3 times now with seasonal jobs and each time the county workers act like they've never heard of seasonal employment before. It's completely ridiculous that they can't figure out how to properly calculate benefits for anyone with inconsistent income.

did u tell them exactly when the job ends? thats important for them to know cuz then theyll know when to expect ur income to change again

I had so much trouble getting through to my CalFresh worker about my seasonal fishing job. Kept calling for weeks and either waiting forever or getting disconnected. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the county office in like 15 minutes! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. They basically call for you and then connect you when they reach a human. Totally worth it when you need to fix something important like benefit calculations.

You should definitely request a recalculation. Here's what to do: 1. Contact your worker (call, email or visit in person) and specifically ask for a "recalculation based on anticipated income" for your seasonal work 2. Provide documentation of the seasonal nature of the job - maybe a letter from your employer stating the job end date 3. If the worker still doesn't adjust it correctly, ask to speak with a supervisor 4. If that doesn't work, request a "state hearing" - you have 90 days from when you received the Notice of Action that reduced your benefits The income reporting threshold (IRT) for a household of 3 in 2025 should be around $3,450/month. As long as your total monthly income stays below that, you shouldn't see such a dramatic benefit reduction.

Just wanted to add that when I was reporting my seasonal landscaping income, my worker told me I needed to provide something in writing from my employer stating the exact start and end dates of the season. Once I gave them that, they calculated my benefits correctly for just those months. They also told me I'd need to report when the job actually ends by submitting a "Change Report Form" so they can adjust my benefits back up. Hope that helps!

wait so do you still hav to report the income every month on SAR7 or just once at the beginning? im confused about how much paperwork this takes

Even WITH all the proper documentation they STILL mess it up half the time!!! I provided all the required paperwork for my seasonal retail job last holiday season and they STILL calculated my benefits wrong. Took THREE MONTHS to fix and by then the season was over!! The system is broken and the workers don't care because it's not THEIR food security at stake.

One thing that really helped me was keeping a detailed income journal with exactly how much I earned each week and having my boss sign off on it. The county worker said this was really helpful for them to see the pattern of my seasonal work. Also, if you have any work expenses like transportation to the farmers market or supplies you have to buy, make sure to document those as they can sometimes be deducted from your income calculation.