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!

I'm going through something very similar right now! Got a small raise about 6 weeks ago and completely spaced on reporting it. Just found this thread while frantically googling what happens with late income reporting. Reading everyone's responses is making me feel so much better - I was convinced they were going to kick me off CalFresh entirely. @Hunter Brighton thanks for asking this question, and thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. I'm going to check my IRT right now and report through BenefitsCal like you did. It's such a relief to know this is more common than I thought and that they understand people make honest mistakes. The CalFresh system is already confusing enough without having to stress about every little reporting detail!

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation about 8 months ago. I got a new job with better pay and completely forgot about the 10-day reporting rule - didn't realize until almost 3 weeks later when I was doing my monthly budget. I was terrified they'd terminate my benefits since my family really depends on CalFresh. Turns out the county was actually pretty understanding about it. My caseworker explained that they see honest mistakes like this frequently, especially when people are transitioning to new jobs and dealing with all the stress that comes with that. They recalculated my benefits based on the new income, and yes, I did have a small overpayment that they deducted from my monthly benefits over several months, but it was manageable. The key thing that helped me was being proactive about reporting it once I realized the mistake, just like you did. I also kept detailed records of all my attempts to contact them and when I finally got through. Having that documentation really helped show I was trying to do the right thing. One tip: after they adjust your benefits, double-check the math on your new benefit calculation. Sometimes there are errors in how they input the new income information, and you have the right to request a hearing if something doesn't look right. Overall though, you handled this perfectly by self-reporting - that goes a long way with the county workers.

As someone who's been on CalFresh for about 3 years now, I just want to say how awesome this community is! Reading through all these responses really shows how much people care about helping each other navigate this complicated system. @Hunter Brighton I'm so glad you got this resolved! Your situation is exactly why I always keep my approval letter with the IRT info somewhere I can find it easily. I learned the hard way that the CalFresh rules are way more nuanced than they first appear - like how you only have to report certain changes within 10 days, not everything. For anyone else reading this thread, one thing that really helped me was setting phone reminders whenever I get any kind of income change, even small ones. I check it against my IRT right away so I don't forget later. The BenefitsCal app also lets you upload documents really easily, which is so much better than trying to get through on the phone. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - threads like this are exactly what makes this community so valuable for people trying to figure out the system!

I'm a CalFresh recipient and wanted to add something that might help others in similar situations. If you're having trouble reaching your caseworker by phone, you can also try visiting your local county office in person during their walk-in hours. I know it's not always convenient, especially with work and kids, but sometimes it's faster than waiting on hold forever. Also, when you do get through to report a late income change, ask them to note in your case file that you self-reported the change as soon as you realized the mistake. This creates a paper trail showing your good faith effort to comply with the rules, which can be helpful if any issues come up later. One more thing - if your income change means you're no longer eligible for CalFresh, you might still qualify for other programs like WIC (if you have young kids) or reduced-price school meals. Your caseworker can usually give you information about other resources, so don't be afraid to ask. Hang in there - the system is complicated but there are people who want to help!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been a CalFresh recipient for about a year and I had no idea about the IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) rules until reading all these responses. I always thought ANY income change had to be reported within 10 days, which stressed me out constantly since I do gig work and my hours vary week to week. The explanation about Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) really cleared things up for me. It makes so much more sense now that you only have to report certain specific changes during your SAR period, not every little fluctuation in income. I'm definitely going to dig out my approval letter and find my IRT so I know what my actual reporting requirements are. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know that honest mistakes happen and the county workers understand that people aren't trying to commit fraud. The BenefitsCal reporting option is a game-changer too. I've been dreading having to call if I ever needed to report a change, but knowing I can do it online makes this so much less intimidating!

This entire thread has been incredibly educational! I'm also a CalFresh recipient and reading through everyone's experiences has taught me so much about the actual reporting requirements versus what I thought they were. Like several others mentioned, I had no idea about the IRT system and thought every income change had to be reported immediately. @Hunter Brighton I'm really glad you were able to get this sorted out through BenefitsCal! Your proactive approach to self-reporting once you realized the mistake was exactly the right thing to do. It's clear from all the responses that the county workers deal with these situations regularly and understand that people make honest errors. One thing I wanted to add for future reference - I've found it helpful to take screenshots of any online submissions through BenefitsCal, including the confirmation page. That way you have documentation that you reported the change on a specific date, which could be useful if there are any questions later about when you notified them. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences here. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating these complex systems so much more manageable!

Reading through this entire thread has been such an eye-opener! I'm currently on CalFresh and had a similar panic moment about 6 months ago when I picked up some extra shifts at work and wasn't sure if I needed to report it immediately. What really strikes me is how the actual CalFresh rules are so different from what most of us think they are. The IRT system makes so much sense once it's explained properly, but I feel like the county offices could do a much better job explaining these thresholds when you first get approved. I probably spent months stressing unnecessarily about minor income fluctuations. @Hunter Brighton you handled this perfectly by self-reporting through BenefitsCal! The fact that so many people here have gone through similar situations and had positive outcomes really shows that the system does account for honest mistakes. It's also great to see how supportive this community is - everyone jumping in with practical advice, real experiences, and even specific tips like documenting phone calls and taking screenshots of online submissions. For anyone else who might find this thread in the future: keep your approval letter handy, know your IRT, and remember that BenefitsCal is way easier than playing phone tag with the county office. This community is proof that we can help each other navigate these complicated systems!

This whole thread has been incredibly valuable for understanding how CalFresh reporting actually works! I've been a recipient for about 8 months and honestly had no clue about the IRT system until reading through everyone's experiences here. Like so many others mentioned, I thought EVERY income change had to be reported within 10 days, which was causing me constant anxiety since I work retail and my hours fluctuate seasonally. @Hunter Brighton your situation really resonated with me because I had a similar panic when I got a small promotion last fall. Turns out my new income was still well under my IRT, so I didn't even need to report it until my SAR7! But I had already stressed myself out for weeks thinking I was going to lose my benefits. The practical tips everyone shared here are gold - using BenefitsCal instead of calling, documenting everything, understanding what actually triggers the 10-day rule. It's sad that we have to learn this stuff from each other instead of getting clear guidance from the county, but I'm so grateful for communities like this where people share real experiences and help each other out. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain how this all actually works!

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm a new CalFresh recipient (just got approved last month) and I've been absolutely terrified about the reporting requirements. I kept seeing references to "10-day reporting" but had no idea what that actually meant or when it applied. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been more educational than any of the official materials they gave me at enrollment. @Hunter Brighton I'm so glad you got this resolved! Your approach of self-reporting through BenefitsCal once you realized the mistake was exactly right. It's really reassuring to see how understanding the system can be when people make honest errors and take responsibility for fixing them. The explanations about IRT vs SAR reporting have been incredibly helpful. I had no idea that most income changes don't need immediate reporting as long as you stay under your threshold. I've been keeping my approval letter in a folder by my computer so I can quickly check my IRT if anything changes with my job. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences and practical tips - especially about using BenefitsCal instead of the phone system and documenting everything. This community makes navigating CalFresh so much less intimidating for newcomers like me!

This thread is absolutely incredible - thank you all for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! As someone who's been on CalFresh for about 2 years, I thought I understood the reporting requirements but clearly I was missing some key details about the IRT system. I've always been paranoid about reporting every tiny income change immediately, which has led to so many unnecessary calls to the county office. Learning that the 10-day rule only applies when you exceed your Income Reporting Threshold is honestly life-changing information for me. I do freelance work on top of my regular job, so my monthly income varies quite a bit, and I've been stressing myself out constantly thinking I needed to report every fluctuation. @Hunter Brighton you absolutely did the right thing by self-reporting through BenefitsCal! The fact that you took responsibility once you realized the oversight shows good faith, which really matters to the county workers. And everyone's advice about documenting calls, taking screenshots of online submissions, and keeping your approval letter accessible is so practical and smart. What really stands out to me is how much more educational this community discussion has been compared to any official CalFresh materials. The county really needs to do a better job explaining these nuances during the application process. Until then, we're lucky to have communities like this where people share real knowledge that actually helps! Thanks everyone for making the CalFresh system feel so much more manageable.