CalWORKs SAR7 due March 1st - What happens if I'm late?

The SAR7 is your Semi-Annual Report, and it's SUPER important! You need to get it in by March 1st or your benefits could be discontinued at the end of March. You need to report all income from the prior month (February), any changes in your household, and any changes to your property or resources. You have a few options for submitting: 1. Upload through BenefitsCal website (fastest) 2. Fax it to your county office 3. Mail it back (but make sure it arrives by the deadline) 4. Drop it off in person Don't wait until the last minute! If you miss the deadline, you'll have to reapply all over again which is a much bigger headache.

same thing happened to me and i forgot to turn it in. they cut me off and i had to reapply. took liek 6 weeks to get my cash aid back and was late on rent. dont mess around with the sar7 its important

You absolutely need to report ALL income, even if it was just temporary extra hours! They look at the income for the specific report month. If you don't report it all and they find out later (which they will through employer reporting), you could get hit with an overpayment and potentially even accused of fraud. The SAR7 is basically the county's way of checking that you're still eligible and nothing major has changed in your case. Better to over-report than under-report.

They gona send u a discontinuance notice on like the 15th if u don't turn it in, and then ur benefits stop end of month. But even if u miss the deadline u got until end of next month to submit a "cured" SAR7 and get benefits restored without having to reapply. but then u might miss a payment depending on when u submit the cured form. sucks but better than reapplying from scratch

If you're having trouble submitting your SAR7 or worried about it being processed on time, I'd recommend calling your county worker directly to confirm they received it. I had issues getting through to my worker for WEEKS and ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE that shows how it works. Saved me from losing my benefits when I needed to verify they got my paperwork. Just make sure you have all the required verification documents attached to your SAR7 - paystubs, childcare receipts, etc. Missing verification is the #1 reason they return them as incomplete.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but what exactly counts as "property" that we have to report on the SAR7? I never know what to put in that section. Does my car count? It's a 2012 Honda worth maybe $6,000.

Just to add to what everyone's saying, you need to report the GROSS income before taxes and deductions from February. And report ALL income sources - CalWORKs, wages, child support, etc. They use this info to calculate your benefits for the next 6 months (April-September). And yes, the extra hours in February could affect your upcoming benefits if it puts you over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Your IRT amount should be listed on your last Notice of Action. If your income goes over that amount, your benefits will reduce or stop depending on how much over you are.

One more IMPORTANT thing - if you have childcare expenses for your 2 kids while you work, MAKE SURE to report those on your SAR7! Many people forget this part. CalWORKs will deduct those expenses from your income calculation which could mean higher benefits. You'll need receipts or a signed statement from your childcare provider showing what you paid in February.

Yes, have your neighbor write a statement with: - Her name, address, phone number - The children's names and ages - Exactly what days/hours she watched them in February - How much you paid her ($100/week) - Her signature and date This is absolutely worth doing because it could significantly impact your grant amount! Every $100 in verified childcare costs can make a difference.

Good luck with your SAR7! Just wanted to add one more tip - when you submit through BenefitsCal, make sure to save or screenshot the confirmation page that shows your submission was received. That way you have proof you submitted it on time if there are any issues later. Also, if you have any problems with the website (it can be glitchy sometimes), don't panic - you still have the fax and mail options as backup. The most important thing is getting it submitted by March 1st with all your income and childcare expenses properly reported. You've got this!

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - DO NOT mess around with the SAR7 deadline! I've been on CalWORKs for 3 years and I've seen so many people get their benefits cut because they thought they had more time or didn't take it seriously. One thing I didn't see mentioned - if you're struggling to get all your paperwork together by March 1st, you can submit the SAR7 form itself by the deadline and then you usually have 10 days to provide any missing verification documents. But don't rely on this - it's better to get everything in at once. Also, since you mentioned your caseworker didn't explain much when you got approved, I'd suggest asking them (or the eligibility worker) to walk you through the SAR7 process step by step. They're supposed to help you understand what's required. If they won't help, ask to speak to a supervisor. You have the right to get clear information about your case! The BenefitsCal website is definitely your best bet for submitting. I always submit mine there and get the confirmation right away. Just make sure all your documents are clear scans or photos - blurry documents get rejected.

Hey Jamal! I just wanted to add something that might help with your Walmart income reporting. Since you mentioned getting extra hours around Valentine's Day, make sure you're looking at your actual February paystub dates, not just when you worked the hours. Sometimes if you work extra hours at the end of January, that income might show up on a February paystub and needs to be reported on your SAR7. Also, if Walmart gave you any holiday pay or bonuses in February, that all counts as income too. I work retail and learned this the hard way when I forgot to report a small bonus and got questioned about it later. One more thing - if you're having trouble accessing your paystubs, most big employers like Walmart have online portals where you can download them. That might be easier than waiting for paper copies. You've got great advice from everyone here, so you should be all set! Just don't stress too much - as long as you report everything honestly and get it in by March 1st, you'll be fine.