CalWORKs IRT reporting confusion - wait until month end to report husband's variable income?

You're actually supposed to report when your TOTAL monthly income goes over the IRT, not individual paychecks. So yes, you should wait until the end of the month to see if all paychecks combined exceed your IRT limit. If they do, then report within 10 days of receiving that last paycheck that pushed you over. And yes, when they recalculate, they will apply the earned income disregard and other deductions automatically. Just make sure you send ALL paystubs for that month when reporting, not just the last one. The county offices are swamped right now with the new fiscal year starting. Have you tried using BenefitsCal to upload the documents instead of calling?

i was in this EXACT situation last year!!! the whole IRT thing is so confusing. i ended up getting in trouble cuz i waited too long to report when we went over. make sure u keep ALL his paystubs and report AS SOON as u go over, not at the end of the month. u only have 10 days from when u KNOW u went over, not from the end of the month. learned that the hard way lol

The previous responses have some good points, but let me clarify the official CalWORKs policy on Income Reporting Threshold (IRT): 1. You need to report WITHIN 10 DAYS of when your TOTAL MONTHLY INCOME exceeds your IRT amount. 2. This means you don't need to report each paycheck, but you do need to keep track of the running total. Once you realize the combined income will exceed your IRT, the 10-day clock starts. 3. When reporting, you should submit ALL paystubs for that month, not just the one that put you over. 4. Yes, they will automatically apply the earned income disregard ($225 plus 50% of the remaining earned income) and any other applicable deductions when recalculating your grant. The fact that they didn't contact you after you submitted his paystub when he started working is concerning. They should have sent you a Notice of Action showing any changes to your cash aid amount.

wait so if ur husband gets like 4 paychecks a month do u add them ALL up before deciding if ur over IRT?? my worker told me to report ANY changes in income no matter what... this is all so confusing

I gave up trying to reach my caseworker by phone for MONTHS until another mom at my kid's school told me about Claimyr. It's this service where they wait on hold with the CalWORKs office for you and then call you when they get a real person. I was skeptical but I tried it at claimyr.com and they got me through to a worker in like 30 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Seriously made dealing with the IRT reporting so much easier once I could actually talk to someone who knew my case.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE PPL FAIL!!! They never explain the IRT rules clearly then PUNISH YOU when you don't follow them exactly!!! I reported my husband's overtime pay late by JUST 3 DAYS and they gave me a WELFARE FRAUD warning!!! Like we're supposed to be accountants while working full time and raising kids!!!

Here's a practical tip I used when my husband had variable income: I created a simple spreadsheet where I recorded each paycheck as it came in and had it automatically total the monthly amount. Then I wrote my IRT amount at the top in bold. As soon as that monthly total exceeded the IRT, I knew I had to report within 10 days. Another important thing to remember is that if you go over your IRT one month, your cash aid will be adjusted for that month, but it doesn't automatically mean you'll lose benefits completely. They recalculate based on the actual income and deductions.

I just went through this same situation a few months ago and it was so stressful! What really helped me was requesting my specific IRT amount in writing from my caseworker - they're supposed to tell you this number on your Notice of Action but sometimes it's buried in all the paperwork. One thing I learned is that you can also submit your income reports through the mail with a return receipt requested if you're worried about documentation. That way you have proof of when you submitted it if there are any questions later. Also, don't feel bad about the confusion - I've been on CalWORKs for 2 years and I'm STILL learning new things about how it all works. The system is incredibly complex and they really don't do a good job explaining it clearly to recipients.