Do I need to report tax refund as income for CalFresh? Will it affect my benefits?
Hey everyone, just filed my taxes last week and expecting a refund of about $1,800. I'm currently receiving CalFresh benefits for me and my two kids, and I'm paranoid about doing something wrong that could jeopardize our food assistance. Do I need to report my tax refund as income? It's not regular income right? But it's still money coming in... Will this put me over the income limit and make me lose my benefits? I really need them to feed my kids. Last time I didn't report something (a one-time gift from my mom) I almost got in trouble for fraud. Anyone know the actual rules on tax refunds for CalFresh in CA?
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Zane Gray
Good news! Tax refunds are NOT counted as income for CalFresh purposes. They're considered a non-recurring lump sum payment. You don't need to report it on your SAR7 or include it in your income calculations. This is true for both federal and state tax refunds. The county calculates your eligibility based on your regular monthly income, not one-time payments like tax refunds. Just keep documentation of your refund in case there are any questions, but you should be fine. It's smart you're asking though - always better to be cautious than risk an overpayment!
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Aileen Rodriguez
•Oh thank goodness! That's such a relief. I was stressing about this for days. So I don't need to call my caseworker or mark it on my next SAR7 form at all? It just doesn't count period?
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Maggie Martinez
I think ur wrong!! Last yr my cousin got a refund and didnt report it and they cut her benifits!! She had to pay back like $600 to calfresh. Better report evrything or they come after u later
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Zane Gray
•There might be something else going on with your cousin's case. According to CalFresh regulations, tax refunds are specifically excluded from countable income. Was she perhaps close to the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) and something else pushed her over? Or maybe she received Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which is treated differently depending on when you received it? The rules changed a few years ago.
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Alejandro Castro
just went through this exact thing!! my tax refund was $2300 this year and i was freaking out too. called my worker and waited on hold FOR-EVER but she told me tax refunds don't count!! she said its a "resource" not "income" and only affects you if it puts you over the resource limit which is like $4250 for most households. so unless your bank account is already close to that limit after you deposit the refund you're totally fine!!
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Monique Byrd
•This is exactly right! And just to add some clarity - the resource limit in 2025 for CalFresh is $4,250 for most households and $5,500 if at least one household member is disabled or age 60+. But remember, resources only matter at application and annual recertification, not for your SAR7 reports in between. Tax refunds are considered non-recurring lump sums and don't count as income. Don't confuse this with CalWorks though, which has slightly different rules!
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Jackie Martinez
It's frustrating how UNCLEAR they make all these rules!!! I've been on CalFresh for 3 years and STILL don't know what I'm supposed to report sometimes. I got a $2000 tax refund last year and stressed for WEEKS about whether I needed to report it. Called the county SEVENTEEN TIMES and kept getting disconnected. Finally got through and they told me exactly what others are saying - tax refunds don't count as income. But WHY don't they make this clearer in their paperwork?? The SAR7 form just says "report all income" without explaining exceptions!
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Lia Quinn
•If you're having trouble reaching your caseworker, try using Claimyr.com - it helped me get through to my CalFresh worker after trying for days. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then connect you when a real person answers. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Solved my verification issue in one call instead of wasting hours on hold. Way better than getting disconnected over and over.
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Haley Stokes
my tax guy told me that tax refunds dont count for calfresh but the EITC (earned income tax credit) part DOES count if you keep it for more than 12 months. so just spend that money within a year and youre fine lol. i always use mine to catch up on bills anyway... its gone in like 2 weeks
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Aileen Rodriguez
•Thanks for mentioning the EITC part - I do get that in my refund. So you're saying even that part doesn't count unless I somehow manage to save it for over a year? That's good to know. And yeah, realistically the money will be gone quickly... car needs repairs, kids need clothes, been putting off dental work. Sigh.
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Asher Levin
ok but what about if you own a business? i file schedule C and my "refund" is really just estimated tax payments i made during the year coming back to me because my business didn't do as well as expected. different situation maybe?
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Zane Gray
•That's still considered a tax refund for CalFresh purposes, not income. The source of the refund doesn't matter - whether it's from excess withholding from a W-2 job or estimated tax payments from self-employment. The important thing is that it's a return of money you already earned (and may have already reported as income to CalFresh when you earned it). If you reported your net self-employment income accurately throughout the year, the refund is just giving back tax payments, not new income.
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Aileen Rodriguez
Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful answers! This group is amazing. I feel so much better knowing I don't have to report my tax refund. One less thing to stress about. I'm going to bookmark this thread in case I need to remind myself next year too. And @commenter7 - yes, it's crazy how long the hold times are. I'll definitely check out that service you mentioned next time I need to reach someone at the county.
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Maggie Martinez
•just remember we're not lawyers or nothin so if ur really worried maybe still ask ur caseworker. better safe than sorry!!
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Evan Kalinowski
Hey everyone! I'm new here but had to jump in because I went through this exact same panic last month. My tax refund was $2,100 and I was terrified it would mess up my CalFresh benefits for me and my daughter. After reading all the conflicting info online, I finally called my caseworker directly (took 3 tries to get through) and she confirmed what everyone here is saying - tax refunds are NOT counted as income for CalFresh! She even sent me a copy of the policy that shows tax refunds are excluded from countable income. I kept all the documentation just in case, but my benefits stayed the same. It's such a relief to know other people have been through this stress too. This community is so helpful for figuring out these confusing rules!
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Yara Sabbagh
•Welcome to the community! It's so reassuring to hear from someone who just went through this exact situation. That's really smart that you got your caseworker to send you a copy of the actual policy - having that documentation gives such peace of mind. I think a lot of us stress about these things because the rules seem so complicated and the consequences feel so scary when you're depending on these benefits to feed your family. Thanks for sharing your experience, it really helps newcomers like me feel more confident about navigating all this!
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Javier Morales
This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - just got my tax refund of $1,600 and was panicking about whether I needed to report it. Reading everyone's experiences really puts my mind at ease. It's frustrating how the system makes us all so anxious about potentially losing benefits when we're just trying to follow the rules and take care of our families. I'm definitely saving this thread for future reference. Does anyone know if there's an official CalFresh handbook or resource that clearly lists all these income exclusions? It would be nice to have something official to reference instead of having to stress and guess every time something like this comes up.
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Liam Mendez
•Hey Javier! You can find the official CalFresh handbook on the California Department of Social Services website - it's called the "CalFresh Handbook" and it has all the detailed income exclusions listed out. There's also a really helpful "Income and Eligibility" section that breaks down what counts and what doesn't. I wish they made it easier to find though! Another good resource is the CalFresh Income Guidelines document that gets updated yearly. Having these official sources really helped me feel more confident about understanding the rules instead of just worrying all the time.
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Madison Allen
I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a single mom with three kids and just received my tax refund of $2,400. I was literally losing sleep over whether this would mess up our CalFresh benefits. Reading everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief - it sounds like tax refunds really don't count as income for CalFresh purposes. I've been on benefits for about 8 months now and I'm still learning all the rules. It's scary when you depend on these benefits to feed your children and you're constantly worried about making a mistake that could jeopardize everything. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences. This community is such a lifesaver for people like us who are just trying to navigate the system and do right by our families!
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Omar Farouk
•Madison, I totally understand that anxiety! As a fellow newcomer to this community, I've been amazed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone is here. It's such a relief to find people who actually understand the stress of navigating these systems while trying to care for our families. I'm also still learning all the rules and it can feel overwhelming, but threads like this really help build confidence. It sounds like you can breathe easy about your tax refund - the consensus from everyone's experiences seems pretty clear that it won't affect your CalFresh benefits. Welcome to the community!
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