so wait a minute.... if ur on welfare and never worked at a real job are u even eligible to file taxes? i thought u needed a w2 or something??

You definitely should file taxes! I was in almost the exact same situation last year - getting CalWORKs and doing babysitting on the side. I was so scared about the whole thing but it turned out to be totally worth it. Here's what I learned: You can file with just self-employment income (that's what babysitting counts as). I used the free tax software through IRS Free File and it walked me through everything. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are HUGE - I got back over $3,000 with two kids! About the CalWORKs reporting thing - I was honest with my worker about some unreported side income and they were actually pretty understanding. They calculated an overpayment but let me pay it back slowly through small deductions from my monthly grant. The tax refund I got was way more than what I had to pay back, so it was still a win. My advice: file your taxes and get that money, then be more careful about reporting going forward. Keep track of your babysitting income in a little notebook or your phone. You got this!

Btw has anyone notice that the CalWORKs worker never seem to know the answers wen u ask them stuff?? Last time I recertified the lady told me I had to bring my kids school records but then when I got there another worker said that wasn't necessary at all and I wasted time getting all that paperwork for nothing 🙄

Hey Camila! I'm new to this community but I'm also in Sacramento County and went through my first annual recertification a few months ago. I was SO nervous too but it ended up being way less scary than I thought! Everyone here has given great advice already. One thing that really helped me was making a checklist of all the documents I needed and gathering everything early. I put everything in a folder organized by category (income, housing, utilities, etc.) so when I had my phone interview I could easily find whatever they asked for. Also wanted to add - if you're still working at Walmart, they should be able to print you a verification of employment letter if the county asks for one. I had to get one from my job and HR was super helpful about it. You got this! The fact that you're asking questions and preparing ahead of time shows you're going to do great. And it sounds like you have plenty of time since your cert doesn't end until April. 😊

Thanks everyone for all your help! I was finally able to reach my worker today and file the paperwork for the stolen benefits. She confirmed I can get my Cash Aid through direct deposit (thanks for the form name @helpful_person!) but CalFresh has to stay on EBT. I'm filling out the direct deposit form today and also filed a police report. Fingers crossed I get the stolen money back soon, but at least I know how to prevent this from happening again!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! EBT theft is unfortunately way too common. I just wanted to add that when you do switch to direct deposit for your Cash Aid, keep your EBT card in a safe place at home as a backup - sometimes there can be delays with direct deposits and having the card as a fallback can be helpful. Also, once you get your replacement benefits, consider splitting them between your bank account (Cash Aid) and keeping just a small amount on the EBT card for emergencies. Stay strong mama, you're doing everything right by being proactive about this!

Same thing happened to me! I was panicking this morning when my deposit didn't show up at the usual time. Mine finally came through around 6:15pm, so definitely seems like it was just a holiday delay. For anyone still waiting, keep checking throughout the evening - they seem to be processing in batches. Really stressful when you're counting on that money for bills though. Glad to see others got theirs too!

This whole thread has been so helpful! I'm new to CalWORKs (just got approved last month) and had no idea that holiday delays were a normal thing. When my deposit didn't show up this morning I thought maybe my case got closed or something went wrong with my paperwork. Reading everyone's experiences really put my mind at ease. I'll definitely keep that Claimyr service in mind for future issues - sounds way better than sitting on hold for hours. And good to know about the emergency payment option too, though hopefully I'll never need it. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and helping us newcomers understand how this all works!

Congratulations on your new baby! I went through this exact same process about 6 months ago when I had my son. From my experience, the CalFresh increase usually shows up pretty quickly - within 1-2 weeks on your regular issuance date. The Cash Aid took a bit longer for me, about 2 weeks, but like others mentioned you should get backpay from the baby's birth date. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything - screenshots of when I submitted documents online, confirmation numbers, dates of phone calls, etc. When there were delays, having that documentation made it much easier to escalate. Also, if you're really struggling with rent being due next week, you might want to ask about emergency assistance programs. Some counties have emergency rental assistance that can help while you're waiting for the benefit increase to process. Your worker should be able to tell you what's available in your area. Hang in there - I know it's stressful waiting for the extra help when you need it most!

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm actually going through something similar right now - I had my second child about 6 weeks ago and just got all his paperwork sorted out last week. I submitted everything through BenefitsCal too and have been anxiously waiting to hear back. Reading through all these responses is so helpful! I had no idea about the pending changes section in BenefitsCal - I'm definitely going to check that out. And the tip about Claimyr sounds like a game changer since I've been having the same problem getting through to anyone on the phone. One thing my friend mentioned is that sometimes the system glitches and doesn't properly link the uploaded documents to your case, so it might be worth calling just to confirm they actually received everything even though your worker called you. She had to re-upload her baby's birth certificate twice because of some technical issue. Also, if you're breastfeeding, make sure you ask about the nursing mother food package increase for WIC when you update them with the new baby info. It's not automatic and you have to specifically request it, but it gives you extra food benefits while you're nursing. Hope everything processes quickly for you! The financial stress while waiting for benefits to adjust is so real, especially with a newborn.