CalFresh benefits suddenly reduced by $129 with no notice - what's going on?

yep happened to me too!! mine went down by $75 last month. turns out they did an income verification with my employer without telling me and found out i had picked up a few extra shifts. check ur income reporting threshold (IRT), if u went over it even by a little they can reduce benefits mid-certification period

They are required by law to send you a Notice of Action (NOA) before reducing your benefits. The notice should explain exactly why your benefits are being reduced and by how much. It's possible the notice got lost in the mail or was sent to an old address. Check your BenefitsCal account messages if you have online access - sometimes they post electronic notices there too. If you didn't receive proper notice, you have the right to appeal the reduction. You need to contact your county office and ask specifically why your benefits were reduced and request they send you a copy of the NOA. If you file an appeal within 10 days of receiving the NOA, you can also request continued benefits at the previous amount until the hearing.

THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!!! The county workers make "administrative errors" and we're the ones who suffer! Last year they suddenly cut my benefits by $200 claiming I didn't turn in my SAR7 when I HAND DELIVERED IT to the office and got a receipt! Took me THREE WEEKS of daily calling to get someone to fix it. And then they had the nerve to only restore benefits going forward, not retroactively. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate us into giving up!!

I had a similar issue back in December. Have you checked if there was a change in the deductions being applied to your case? For my situation, my childcare costs weren't being counted properly anymore. When I called, they said I needed to provide new verification for my childcare expenses because the previous documentation had "expired" - but they never told me this was needed! Also, if anyone in your household is getting medical benefits or other assistance, changes in those programs can sometimes affect your CalFresh calculation. There was a big recalculation of benefits that happened for many households in January 2025 too.

when this happened to me last year i spent 3 days trying to get through to the county office it was impossible!!!! i finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a person in like 20 minutes. they call the county for you and when they get a real person, they connect you. saved me hours of waiting on hold. their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 totally worth it when you need to actually talk to a human

Just to provide some clear information based on California's current CalFresh policies: Benefit reductions should always be accompanied by a Notice of Action at least 10 days before the reduction takes effect. There are a few possible explanations for what happened: 1. Your household size may have been adjusted in the system 2. Your reported income may have been recalculated or verified against employment records 3. A deductible expense (like childcare or medical expenses) may have expired or been removed 4. The standard utility allowance or other deductions may have changed for 2025 5. There could genuinely be a system error The best approach is to request a detailed explanation in writing. When you call, ask specifically for a "breakdown of benefit calculation" so you can see exactly what changed. If you request this information and they refuse, note the worker's name and time of call, then request a supervisor.

did u have any increase in income in last 3 months? even temporary? my cousin got a christmas bonus and it messed up her benefits for 2 months even tho it was just a one-time thing. so stupid how they punish ppl for making a little extra money!!

One other thing to check - did you report a change in housing costs recently? If your rent/mortgage decreased or if you moved to a place with lower housing costs, that can affect your benefit calculation. Also, sometimes utility allowances change seasonally based on your climate zone. If you received the utility allowance during winter and now it's being calculated differently for spring/summer, that could explain part of the reduction.

OP, please update us after you get through to someone! I'm dealing with a similar issue (though mine was only reduced by $47) and would love to know what you find out. The whole system is so frustrating and inconsistent. I've had three different workers tell me three different things about income reporting requirements.

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone at the county office! Turns out they DID send me a notice, but it went to my old address even though I updated my address with them 6 months ago. The reduction is because I worked overtime during December holiday rush and January inventory, which pushed me over my IRT (Income Reporting Threshold). They're counting it as unreported income even though it was just temporary. The worker said my benefits should go back to normal in two more months once those higher-income months fall off my calculation. She's sending me a new NOA to my correct address and also made a note about updating my address in all their systems. Thanks everyone for the advice and support!

Thanks for sharing the update! This is such a perfect example of how confusing the CalFresh system can be. The fact that they were still using your old address after 6 months is ridiculous - that's a basic administrative error that shouldn't happen. And the IRT rules are so poorly explained to recipients. Most people have no idea they need to report temporary income increases, especially seasonal work like holiday overtime. It's almost like the system is designed to catch people off guard. At least you know what happened now and that your benefits will return to normal. Definitely keep that IRT number handy for future reference!

Wow, thanks for the detailed update! This is such a frustrating but all-too-common situation. The fact that they were still using your old address after 6 months is a major system failure on their part. And you're absolutely right about the IRT reporting requirements - they really don't make it clear that you need to report temporary income increases like holiday overtime. It feels like they set people up to fail by not properly explaining these rules upfront. I'm glad you finally got answers and that your benefits will return to normal in a couple months. Your experience is going to help a lot of other people who might be dealing with similar reductions. It's a good reminder for everyone to double-check what their IRT is and to report any income over that threshold, even if it's just temporary work. Thanks for taking the time to share what you learned!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm going through something similar right now - my benefits dropped by $85 last month and I had no idea why. Reading through everyone's experiences, I think it might be related to some extra shifts I picked up in December too. I never knew about the IRT reporting requirement either. @Brianna Schmidt thanks for sharing your update! It's really helpful to see the whole process you went through. I'm going to call my county office tomorrow and specifically ask for a breakdown of my benefit calculation and check if they have my correct address on file. The fact that they were still using your old address after 6 months is insane but unfortunately not surprising. Has anyone else had issues with address updates not going through properly? I updated mine online through BenefitsCal but now I'm worried it didn't actually update in all their systems.

This whole thread is so eye-opening! I had no idea about the IRT reporting requirements either - they really don't explain this stuff clearly when you first apply. It's crazy that working extra holiday hours can mess up your benefits for months afterward. I'm dealing with a similar situation where my benefits got reduced by $95 last month with zero explanation. Based on what everyone's shared here, I'm thinking it might be related to some overtime I worked during the busy season at my retail job. I had no clue I was supposed to report temporary income increases! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially @Brianna Schmidt for the detailed update. I'm going to call tomorrow and ask for that benefit calculation breakdown that @Isabella Tucker mentioned. Fingers crossed I can actually get through to someone without waiting hours on hold!

This whole situation really highlights how broken the notification system is. I went through something similar last year where my benefits were cut by $110 and I never received the required Notice of Action. When I finally got through to someone, they claimed it was mailed but "must have gotten lost." The worst part is that while you're fighting to get answers, you're still stuck with reduced benefits and have to somehow make ends meet. It's like they expect us to be mind readers about policy changes and reporting requirements. For anyone else dealing with this, definitely document everything - dates you called, who you spoke with, what they told you. I had to escalate to a supervisor three times before someone finally looked into my case properly. And always ask for things in writing! They're much more responsive when they have to put their explanations on paper. @Brianna Schmidt I'm so glad you got it sorted out, but it shouldn't have taken all that work just to get basic information about your own benefits!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a new CalFresh recipient and had no idea about the IRT reporting requirements. Reading about everyone's experiences with sudden benefit reductions is really eye-opening - it sounds like the system has some serious communication issues. @Brianna Schmidt thank you so much for sharing your update! It's frustrating that you had to go through all that just to find out about the address issue and overtime income affecting your benefits. The fact that temporary holiday work can impact benefits for months seems really counterproductive. I'm going to make sure I have my IRT number written down and understand exactly when I need to report income changes. Does anyone know if there's an official resource that clearly explains all these reporting requirements? It seems like a lot of people are getting caught off guard by rules that aren't well communicated during the application process. Also noting down that tip about Claimyr for getting through to county offices - hopefully I won't need it but good to know it exists!

Just wanted to add that if anyone is still having trouble getting through to their county office, try calling right when they open (usually 8 AM) - that's when you have the best chance of getting through before the phone lines get jammed. I learned this trick after spending way too many hours on hold! Also, if you're dealing with a benefit reduction and didn't receive proper notice, don't forget that you can file a complaint with the state if your county office isn't responsive. The California Department of Social Services has an ombudsman program specifically for CalFresh issues. Sometimes just mentioning that you're considering filing a state complaint can get local workers to take your case more seriously. Thanks @Brianna Schmidt for sharing your experience - it's going to help so many people who are dealing with similar situations!

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation - my benefits dropped by $156 last month and I had no clue why. After reading through everyone's experiences, I'm pretty sure it's related to the extra shifts I picked up during Black Friday and the holiday season at my retail job. Like so many others here, I had absolutely no idea about the IRT reporting requirements. Nobody explained during my application process that temporary income increases could affect my benefits for months afterward. It feels like such a trap - they want us to work and be self-sufficient, but then penalize us when we actually do work extra hours! @Brianna Schmidt your update was incredibly helpful, especially the part about the address issue. I updated my address online months ago but now I'm wondering if it actually went through in all their systems. Going to call first thing tomorrow morning (thanks @Brandon Parker for the tip about calling right when they open!) and specifically ask for a benefit calculation breakdown and verify my address is correct everywhere. This whole system really needs better communication and education for recipients. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's made me feel way less alone in dealing with this frustrating situation!

This thread is incredibly eye-opening and frustrating at the same time. I'm a social worker who helps clients navigate benefit systems, and I see this exact scenario play out constantly. The lack of clear communication about IRT reporting requirements is a systemic problem - most people have no idea they need to report temporary income increases like holiday overtime. @Brianna Schmidt thank you for sharing your detailed update! Your experience perfectly illustrates how the system fails recipients. The address issue after 6 months is inexcusable, and the fact that temporary holiday work can reduce benefits for months afterward is counterproductive to encouraging employment. For anyone else dealing with similar issues, here are a few additional tips: 1) Always get confirmation numbers when reporting address changes, 2) Take screenshots/photos of any documents you submit online, and 3) If you're told something verbally, ask for it in writing via email or mail. The burden shouldn't be on you to navigate a broken system, but unfortunately that's the reality right now. I really hope the state addresses these communication and notification issues soon - no one should have to become a benefits expert just to avoid surprise reductions!