What proof of cash income is accepted for SAR7 in LA County? Submitted W2s but CalFresh wants more

u need to get a letter from ther employrs saying how much they make each week. my cousin had same issue last yr

For cash income, LA County accepts several types of verification: 1. A signed statement from the employer (on company letterhead if possible) showing the monthly income amount, hours worked, and pay frequency 2. Self-employment ledgers if they're working for themselves 3. A signed affidavit from the person paying them 4. Bank statements showing cash deposits (if they deposit the money) 5. Your own written statement explaining the situation as a last resort, though this is less preferred The county wants verification for the Semi-Annual Report that reflects the most recent 30 days, which is why W2s from last year aren't sufficient. They need current income documentation to calculate the correct benefit amount.

I work for LA DPSS and deal with this situation frequently. The verification forms don't need to be fancy - what we need is something that shows: - Name of employer and contact information - How many hours worked - Rate of pay - How often they get paid - Signature of the employer If an employer absolutely refuses to provide documentation (which happens often with cash jobs), we can accept a detailed written statement from your mother-in-law as a last resort. This should include all the information above, plus an explanation of why employer verification isn't available. Just be aware that the eligibility worker might follow up with a phone interview to confirm details.

when my sister had this issue the worker made her go back and get a stamtent from jobs. didnt accpt her own letter AT ALL. maybe depends on which worker u get in LA??? sistem is so random sometimes lol

I had similar issue but I'm in San Bernardino. My friend does landscaping for cash and what worked was getting his clients to write simple notes stating how much they paid him each week. Since your in-laws work regular jobs though, definitely try to get something from their employers first. One thing to watch out for - make sure the income they report on CalFresh matches what they report on taxes. My cousin had a huge headache when his cash income on benefits was way less than his tax return showed. CalFresh can check that stuff and it caused him problems.

Try reaching CalFresh directly to ask what they'll accept in your specific case. I wasted TWO WEEKS gathering documentation only to find out they wanted something completely different. But good luck actually reaching someone - I spent 3 days getting disconnected and waiting on hold. Finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual person at LA County within 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration and the worker I spoke with was super clear about exactly what documents they needed for cash income.

I think everyone is mistaken here!!! SAR7 is DIFFERENT from Recertification. For SAR7 you only have to report if your income goes OVER the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). You should have gotten a letter stating what your IRT is. Check if their income exceeds that number. If it doesn't, you might not even need to provide verification! I learned this after stressing about verification for months unnecessarily!!!

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your help! I called using Claimyr (thanks for that tip!) and got through to an eligibility worker who was super helpful. She said since both employers won't provide letters, we could submit a combination of: 1) A detailed written statement from each of them explaining their work situation 2) Bank statements showing cash deposits when they do deposit some of the money 3) A monthly expense breakdown showing how they manage on their income We're putting this together today and I'll upload it to BenefitsCal. The worker also extended our deadline by 10 days which is a huge relief! Will update if we run into any other issues.

Great to hear you got it sorted out! For anyone else reading this thread who might face similar issues, I want to add that when writing those detailed statements, it's super important to be as specific as possible. Include exact dates of employment, daily/weekly schedules, and even describe the type of work being done. I went through this exact situation with my dad last year (he does handyman work for cash) and the eligibility worker told me that detailed statements actually carry more weight than vague employer letters. She said they can tell when someone is being thorough and honest versus just trying to get by with minimal info. Also, keeping copies of everything you submit is crucial - I learned that the hard way when documents got "lost" in the system. Good luck with your submission!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact same situation with my grandmother in LA County last month. The combination approach that Raul mentioned works really well - we did the detailed written statements plus bank deposit records and it was approved within a week. One thing I'd add is to make sure you document WHY employer verification isn't available in the written statement. We wrote something like "Employer operates small cash business and is unable to provide written documentation due to informal payroll system." The eligibility worker appreciated the transparency. Also, if you have any regular customers or clients who can vouch for the work being done (even informally), that can help strengthen the case. My grandmother cleans houses and we got a simple note from one of her regular clients confirming she works there weekly. Every little bit of documentation helps paint the complete picture! The stress of these deadlines is real but LA County workers are generally understanding when you're being proactive and thorough like you're doing.

As someone who just went through this process with my elderly uncle in LA County, I want to emphasize how important it is to submit everything at once if possible. We made the mistake of sending documents piecemeal and it delayed the whole process. One additional option that hasn't been mentioned - if your mother-in-law and father-in-law do any regular shopping at the same stores, sometimes those receipts can help show a pattern of living expenses that supports the income they're claiming. It's not primary verification but it can be supporting documentation. Also, make sure to write down the name of any worker you speak with and reference numbers from calls. LA County processes a huge volume of cases and having specific details helps when you need to follow up. The fact that they gave you a 10-day extension shows they're working with you, which is a good sign! One last tip - if you end up needing to visit the office in person, try to go early in the morning or right after lunch. Those tend to be the least busy times and workers have more bandwidth to help explain exactly what they need.