Reporting gig income (DoorDash/Uber) for CalFresh - how often to submit proof?

You don't need to report every week! California uses a Semi-Annual Reporting system for CalFresh, meaning you only need to report significant income changes on your SAR7 form (every 6 months) or if your income goes above the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Your IRT should be listed on your approval letter. For gig work, just keep track of all your earnings through the apps, save screenshots of your weekly earnings, and track your expenses like gas and car maintenance since those are deductible business expenses. When you complete your SAR7, you'll report the average monthly income from the previous months. You should also keep documentation of your expenses since those reduce your countable income.

i also do doordash and i just average my income wen filling out the sar7. been doing this for like 18 months with no problems so far. just take ur total earnings for the month and divide by however many weeks. they dont ask for proof every week thats crazy lol

The system is DESIGNED to make it impossible for gig workers!!! I did Instacart for 8 months and they kept telling me different things every time I called. First they said report monthly, then they said only on SAR7, then they said I needed to report when I went $200 over my "normal" income... whatever that means when every week is different!!! Then they hit me with a $890 overpayment because I "failed to report timely" even though I did EXACTLY what the worker told me to do. The whole system is broken and they don't understand gig work AT ALL.

I deliver for UberEats and DoorDash too. Here's what my worker told me: 1) Track ALL income weekly, 2) Keep track of ALL miles driven for work (I use the Stride app), 3) Only report if you go over your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) for the month, 4) On your SAR7, report the average monthly income after expenses for the reporting period. Don't forget your expenses! They make a HUGE difference. Like if I earn $1200 in a month but spend $300 on gas and put 1000 miles on my car (which is like $500+ in deductions at the IRS rate), my actual countable income for CalFresh is WAY lower.

If you're having trouble reaching someone at the county to clarify this, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. It helped me get through to a CalFresh worker in about 10 minutes after I spent days trying to get through on my own. Their service calls the county for you and then calls you when they reach a real person. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. Check out their video demo here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or their website claimyr.com. I used it when I had a similar issue with reporting my freelance income.

wait you guys are reporting doordash income? lol

I'm in a kinda similar situation - I do freelance graphic design and my income changes all the time. My caseworker explained that with the SAR7 system, I only need to report if my MONTHLY income goes above my IRT (Income Reporting Threshold). So I actually keep a simple spreadsheet where I track my weekly income, and then at the end of the month I check if I'm over the threshold. For your SAR7 every 6 months, you need to provide info about the past 30 days, plus any expected changes for the coming months. That's when I submit proof of all my income and expenses. Don't forget about the "self-employment deduction" too - you can either track all your actual expenses OR take a standard 40% deduction from your gross income. Sometimes the 40% is easier if you don't want to track every little expense.

my freind got in big trouble for not reporting doordash she had to pay back like $2000 and got band from calfresh for a year so dont listen to ppl saying dont report

Thanks everyone for the help! So it sounds like I should: 1. Track my weekly earnings from both apps 2. Track my expenses (gas, maintenance) and/or mileage 3. Only report mid-certification if I go over my IRT for the month 4. Provide all income and expense details on my SAR7 5. Consider the 40% standard deduction vs. actual expenses I'm still confused about whether I need to average my income or report it exactly as is on the SAR7, but I'll try to reach a worker again to clarify. This is way more complicated than when I just had a regular job!