Reporting divorce on CalFresh - when to update my household size?

You should report this change right away since you're no longer purchasing and preparing food together. That's what CalFresh considers a "household" - not just living under the same roof. Call your county office and tell them you need to report a household composition change. If you're the one with the kids and buying their food, you'd report as a household of 3. Your spouse would need to apply separately as a household of 1 if they want benefits.

omg i went through this EXACT situation last yr!!! yes report it NOW dont wait. if u wait they'll say u were overpaid and you'll owe $ back. as long as ur buying food separate ur considered separate households for calfresh even at same address

This is one of those situations where the CalFresh rules are actually more flexible than people think. For CalFresh purposes, a household is defined as people who buy and prepare food together, not by marital status or living arrangements. If you're separated in terms of food purchasing, you're separated for CalFresh purposes - regardless of divorce status. When you report, be prepared to explain your current living situation clearly. They might ask for a statement describing your separate food purchasing arrangements. Each adult can then be considered the head of their own CalFresh household with any dependents they're feeding. Just make sure to report this before your next SAR7 or recertification to avoid any potential overpayment issues.

i dont get why the govt needs to know EVERY detail of our lives!!! first they want to know who lives with you, then who eats with you, then if ur still sleeping in the same bed?? what's next?? this is why i hate the system so much.

when I got divorced last year I tried calling my county office for WEEKS to report the change and kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the county in like 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 - seriously saved me so much stress during an already stressful time.

Just to add some specifics - when you report this change, make sure to mention: 1. The date you and your spouse stopped purchasing/preparing food together 2. Which household members (your children) are part of your CalFresh household 3. Your current income situation, especially if it's changed since separation The county will recalculate your benefits based on a household of 3 instead of 4. This will change your income limits and potentially your benefit amount. For a household of 3 in 2025, the maximum monthly benefit is around $780, but the actual amount depends on your income and deductions.

Correct - you would only report your income for your household of 3. With $2,800/month for a household of 3, you're still likely eligible but the benefit amount would be recalculated based on the household reduction and your income. Don't forget to report any child support you might be receiving (or paying) as that affects the calculation as well.

i forgot to mention they made me sign a "household separation statement" saying when we separated food budgets and they mailed it to me after i called. just a heads up! u dont need any legal docs tho

One more important thing - be sure to update your address with CalFresh once you do physically move to separate residences. Each change should be reported within 10 days. And when you eventually get the final divorce decree, you should provide that too, but the most important thing for your benefits is reporting the food purchasing separation now.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works with CalFresh applications - you're absolutely doing the right thing by asking about this upfront! The key thing to remember is that CalFresh defines "household" based on who purchases and prepares meals together, not legal relationships or living arrangements. Since you and your spouse have stopped sharing food costs and meal prep, you should report this change ASAP to avoid any overpayment issues down the line. Your county worker will likely ask you to provide a simple written statement explaining when you separated your food budgets and how you're handling meals for the kids. Don't stress too much about "proving" the separation - they're more concerned with getting an accurate picture of your current food purchasing situation than investigating your personal life.

I went through something similar about 6 months ago and wanted to share what worked for me. I called and reported the separation right away even though we were still in the same house. The worker was really understanding and just had me explain that we weren't buying groceries together anymore. They sent me a simple form to fill out about our living situation and food arrangements - nothing too invasive. The whole process took about 2 weeks to get my benefits adjusted. My advice is definitely don't wait - I know someone who waited months to report and ended up owing back a bunch of money. The county workers deal with this situation all the time so they know how to handle it. Good luck with everything!

I'm going through a similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea that CalFresh cared more about who buys food together than legal marital status. My ex and I have been separated for about 3 weeks now but still living in the same apartment (different rooms), and I've been so confused about when to report this. Reading everyone's experiences makes me realize I need to call ASAP before I get in trouble for not reporting. It's such a relief to know that other people have successfully navigated this without having to wait for court paperwork. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it really helps to know you're not alone in dealing with these complicated situations during an already stressful time.

I'm a CalFresh eligibility worker and want to emphasize that you're absolutely right to report this change immediately. The 10-day reporting rule applies here - you have 10 days from when your household composition changed (when you stopped buying/preparing food together) to report it. Don't worry about not having legal divorce papers yet - we see this situation frequently and household separation for CalFresh purposes is based entirely on food purchasing arrangements, not marital status. When you call, just be ready to explain: 1) the date you stopped sharing food costs, 2) how you're handling meals for the kids, and 3) your current income situation. The county will likely send you a household composition change form to complete, but the phone call starts the process. Better to report now and have your benefits correctly calculated than risk an overpayment later!

I just wanted to add that it might be helpful to keep receipts or some kind of record showing that you're buying groceries separately now. When I reported my household change, the worker didn't ask for receipts at the time, but having that documentation gave me peace of mind in case any questions came up later. Also, if you're using EBT for groceries, they can probably see from your transaction history that you're the one using the card for food purchases, which helps support your case that you're the one feeding the kids. The whole process really isn't as scary as it seems - the workers are used to these situations and just want to make sure your benefits are calculated correctly for your actual household situation.

I'm currently going through a similar situation and this entire thread has been so incredibly helpful! I've been separated from my husband for about two weeks now - we're still in the same house but completely separate with groceries and cooking. I was terrified about calling the county office because I thought they'd want all sorts of legal paperwork and make it super complicated. Reading everyone's experiences, especially hearing from the actual eligibility worker, makes me realize this is way more straightforward than I was making it in my head. I'm definitely calling first thing Monday morning to report the change. It's such a relief to know that CalFresh focuses on the actual food situation rather than getting into all the messy legal stuff. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - knowing other people have successfully navigated this exact situation makes me feel so much less alone and anxious about the whole process!

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I want to echo what everyone else has said - report it NOW! I made the mistake of waiting a few months thinking I needed the divorce papers first, and ended up with a $400 overpayment that took forever to sort out. The county really doesn't care about your legal marital status, just who's actually buying and cooking food together. When I finally called, the worker was super understanding and just had me explain when we stopped sharing groceries. They sent me a simple form to fill out about our living arrangement and food situation - nothing invasive or complicated. The whole thing was resolved in about 10 days. Trust me, it's way less stressful to deal with this now than to worry about owing money back later. You're being smart by asking these questions upfront!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! As someone who's new to navigating CalFresh rules, this has been incredibly educational. The distinction between legal separation and CalFresh household separation based on food purchasing is something I never would have understood without reading all these real experiences. It's really reassuring to see how supportive this community is - people sharing their actual experiences, an eligibility worker taking time to provide official guidance, and everyone encouraging prompt reporting to avoid overpayments. This is exactly the kind of practical information that's so hard to find elsewhere. I'm bookmarking this thread in case I or anyone I know ever faces a similar situation. Thanks again to everyone for being so generous with your knowledge and experiences!