When can I include my 8-month-old in CalFresh benefits? Already eating full meals

There's no minimum age requirement for CalFresh! You can and should add your baby to your household immediately. Children of any age count as household members for CalFresh calculation purposes. Call your LA County worker ASAP or log into your BenefitsCal account and report a household change. Your benefits should increase once you add your child. Make sure you have their birth certificate or other proof of identity ready for verification.

Adding to what was said above - not only can you add your baby immediately, but your benefits will likely increase significantly. For a household of 2, you could potentially get up to $535/month in 2025 (depending on your income and expenses). When you report this change, also make sure to report any childcare expenses you have if someone watches your baby while you work/study, as those are deductible and can increase your benefit amount.

you should of been told this when u applied!! my baby was 2 months when i first got calfresh and she was included from day 1. they count everyone in your house who eats together no matter how old. even newborns.

I had the EXACT same situation with my first baby back in 2023! Nobody told me I could include him and I was struggling for months before a friend mentioned it. When I finally called, they added him and my benefits went from $240 to $459 at that time. But they wouldn't give me retroactive benefits even though it was their mistake for not telling me! Make sure you explain that you didn't know you could include your baby - maybe you'll have better luck than I did getting some back benefits.

Trying to reach LA County CalFresh by phone can be a nightmare - I spent 3 weeks trying to add my daughter to my case after she was born. If you're having trouble getting through, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that calls CalFresh for you and connects you directly to a worker, saving hours of hold time. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. I was skeptical at first but it got me through to a real person in about 20 minutes after I'd been trying for days on my own.

why are you only getting $250 for yourself? thats low even for a one-person household in 2025. do u have income? because even with income u should get more i think

One more important tip - when you add your baby, also ask about the child tax deduction. They should count this for CalFresh calculations which might further increase your benefits. And definitely report those childcare costs! Many people don't know about income deductions that can significantly increase their CalFresh benefits.

To clarify some confusion I'm seeing in the comments: there is absolutely NO minimum age requirement for including children in your CalFresh household. Even a 1-day-old newborn should be counted. The confusion sometimes happens because some parents think babies don't count until they eat regular food, but CalFresh eligibility is based on household membership, not eating patterns. LA County should have specifically asked about ALL household members when you applied. When you call to add your baby, if they try to give you any difficulty about backdating the change, ask to speak with a supervisor and cite the CalFresh handbook section 63-402.1 which defines household composition.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in a similar situation - I'm also in LA County and had to add my daughter when she was 6 months old. The worker I spoke with was really helpful and processed the change within 2 days. My benefits went from $194 to $465 for a household of 2. One thing that helped me was having all my documents ready before I called: baby's birth certificate, proof of my income, and receipts for childcare expenses. Also, don't let them tell you that you need to wait for your next recertification - household composition changes should be processed immediately! Good luck mama, your baby definitely deserves to be counted for those benefits.