CalFresh income reporting deadline missed - will my benefits get cut completely?

You should definitely report it ASAP rather than waiting. The 10-day reporting requirement is for income that puts you over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT), which is listed on your last approval letter. If your new income is still under your IRT, then you technically don't have to report until your next SAR7. But if it puts you over, then yes, you need to report it within 10 days. Either way, calling your worker now is better than waiting. They might reduce your benefits based on the new income calculation, but reporting late is WAY better than not reporting at all. Fraud cases usually involve intentional misrepresentation, not honest mistakes.

the same exact thing happnd to me last year when i got a promotion. i panicked to but nothing bad happened. they just adjusted my benefit amount going forward. no fraud charges or anything like that as long as u report it now. they understand ppl make mistakes

I work as an eligibility worker and can give you some insight. First, check your last approval notice for your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold). If your new gross income is below that amount, you actually don't need to report until your next SAR7. If your new income DOES exceed your IRT, then yes, you should have reported within 10 days. But don't panic! The system is designed for human error. The most common outcome is: 1. Your benefits will be recalculated based on your new income 2. You MAY have an overpayment for the months you received more benefits than you were eligible for 3. They'll set up a repayment plan if needed Don't worry about fraud charges - those are reserved for intentional program violations where someone deliberately deceives the county. Your situation sounds like an honest mistake, which is handled very differently.

The County NEVER answers their phones!! I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone about my recertification last month. The whole system is designed to make us give up!!!! They probably won't even care about your income change until the SAR7 anyway. The caseworkers are too busy to follow up on every little change. Just document that you TRIED to call - write down dates and times when you called and how long you were on hold. That way if they try to claim you never reported it, you have evidence you tried!!!!

Have you tried using Claimyr? I had the exact same problem trying to reach my CalFresh worker last month about an income change. Claimyr basically waits on hold for you and calls you back when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or their website claimyr.com. I was skeptical but it actually worked after I had spent days trying to get through the normal way.

U can also report changes on the BenefitsCal website or app btw. Thats what I always do instead of calling. There's a section for reporting changes and you can upload pay stubs there too.

Yes, BenefitsCal is an excellent way to report changes! You can upload your paystubs directly there. Just be sure to include a note explaining that you're reporting an income change that puts you over your IRT, and mention when the change occurred. Even though it's a bit late, documenting that you're self-reporting once you realized the error is important. One thing to keep in mind: after you report online, your benefits might not adjust immediately. The worker still needs to process the change. So don't be surprised if your next month's benefits are the same amount. The adjustment will likely happen for the following month.

I had something similar happen with CalFresh last year but it was because I started a second job. They didn't charge me with fraud but I did have to pay back some benefits which they took out of my monthly amounts until it was paid off. The county worker was actually pretty nice about it and said it happens all the time. Just make sure you keep your pay stubs for verification!

Just as a follow-up note for anyone reading this thread in the future - the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) is really important to understand. California uses Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) for CalFresh, which means you normally only have to report changes twice a year on your SAR7 form. The ONLY changes you must report within 10 days during your SAR period are: 1. If your income goes above your IRT 2. If you move 3. If someone moves in/out of your household 4. If you're an ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents) and your work hours drop below 20 hours per week Knowing these rules can save you a lot of stress about what needs to be reported when.

@Hunter Brighton I'm glad you got this sorted out through BenefitsCal! Just wanted to add that you might want to ask your caseworker about setting up a new IRT based on your current income level. Sometimes after an income change, they'll adjust your threshold so future smaller increases won't trigger the 10-day reporting requirement. Also, if you do end up with an overpayment, you can request a compromise (reduction) of the amount if paying it back would cause financial hardship. The county has some flexibility on this, especially for unintentional overpayments like yours. You handled this exactly right by self-reporting once you realized the mistake!