CalFresh reporting rules for part-time income vs annual recertification - need urgent clarification

You need to understand your reporting requirements which depend on whether you're on Simplified Reporting (SR) or Change Reporting (CR). Most CalFresh households are on SR, which means you only have to report income changes mid-certification period if your total household income goes above 130% of the Federal Poverty Level for your household size (this is your Income Reporting Threshold or IRT). Your approval letter should include your specific IRT amount. If your monthly income stays below that amount, you don't need to report until your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) or at recertification. One day of work per month probably won't put you over your IRT, but check the number to be sure. However, you DO need to report the income on your SAR 7 form which comes at the 6-month mark between recertifications.

I just went thru almost the same thing! I started working at the flea market on weekends and didn't report it right away. Then got a letter saying I was over my IRT and had to provide paystubs. They reduced my benefits a little but I didn't get in trouble because I honestly didn't know. The worker said we have to report within 10 days if we go over our IRT amount for the month. Check your approval papers for that number - for me and my 2 kids it was like $2800 or something.

This is actually a really common question! The key thing to know is that CalFresh in California uses Semi-Annual Reporting, which means you need to report income changes in two situations: 1. If your TOTAL monthly income goes over your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) - which should be listed on your approval letter 2. On your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) which you'll need to submit halfway between recertifications For your specific situation with very limited part-time work, you likely don't need to report it right away IF it doesn't push you over your IRT. However, you absolutely must report it on your SAR 7 which will come around the 6-month mark. If you don't receive your SAR 7 form when expected (about 5 months after approval), contact your county office immediately - missing this deadline can cause your benefits to stop.

Just wanted to add that it's always safer to report income changes, even if small. I didn't report a side job thinking it was too small to matter and ended up with an overpayment that I had to pay back. The CalFresh system is so complicated and every county seems to handle things differently. If you're ever unsure, you can try calling the county but good luck getting through! I spent days trying to reach someone at my county office last month about a verification issue and kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours.

i think evryones making this too complicated tbh. the rule is basically if u make a lot more money than normal, report it. if its just a little bit extra dont worry about it until recert. thats what my worker told me. and make sure u save ur paystubs for EVERYTHING cause they always ask for them later. better safe than sorry!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I found my approval paperwork and it does list an IRT of $2,435 for my household size (just me). Since I'll only be making about $150-180 per month from this one-day job, it sounds like I don't need to report it immediately. I also found info about the SAR 7 form which is due in July 2025 according to my paperwork. I'll definitely report this income then and keep all my paystubs organized for both the SAR 7 and my recertification in October. It's confusing because my friend on another program had to report every single dollar she earned right away, so I thought CalFresh worked the same way. Thanks for clearing this up!

be careful!! my cousin got an overpayment notice bcuz she didnt report a side job and now they take money out of her benefits every month to pay it back. its better to just tell them everything even if u dont have to