CalWORKs and EDD reporting confusion - do I need to report weekly unemployment income on SAR7?

Yes, you absolutely need to report your EDD/unemployment income on your SAR7 for CalWORKs! They are two completely different programs. EDD reporting is just for your unemployment benefits, while the SAR7 is for your Cash Aid. If you don't report that unemployment income on your SAR7, it will be considered unreported income and you could get an overpayment or even be discontinued for withholding information.

I went thru this exact situation last year. You def need to report your unemployment on your SAR7. Keep in mind that unemployment income counts as UNEARNED income for CalWORKs purposes (not earned income like a job). There should be a specific box for unearned income on the form. Also make sure you're saving proof of all your EDD payments because they might ask for verification.

you need 2 report both places!! EDD is seprate from cash aid. my friend didnt report her EDD and got a huge overpayment notice and now they take money from her cash aid every month to pay it back!!

What's really important is that you report when your income goes OVER the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Your approval letter should tell you what your IRT amount is. If your EDD payments plus any other income goes above that amount during the SAR period, you have to report within 10 days even if it's not SAR7 time. Don't wait until your next regular report!

Why r u getting both EDD and CalWORKs? When I applied for cash aid they told me I couldn't get both at same time and had to choose one or the other. Did the rules change or something?

Has anyone tried calling the CalWORKs office to get clarification on this? I had a similar issue last month and spent DAYS trying to get through to my worker. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a person at the county office in like 15 minutes. They have this video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Solved my confusion about reporting income from multiple sources right away instead of stressing for days.

Another important thing to know: when you report your EDD income on the SAR7, make sure you're using the ACTUAL payment dates - not just the weeks the payment is for. CalWORKs counts income in the month you receive it, not when you earned it. So if you get an EDD payment on March 3rd for the previous week in February, it counts as March income for CalWORKs purposes.

when i was on both i had so many problems!!!! the county kept saying i was over income but they were counting my EDD wrong. make sure ur worker knows the right dates & amounts cuz they mess up ALL THE TIME

It's also important to know that once you start reporting your EDD income correctly, your Cash Aid amount will likely go down. For every dollar of unearned income (which includes unemployment), your CalWORKs grant is reduced dollar-for-dollar after a $90 disregard. So if you get $450/week in unemployment, that could significantly reduce your Cash Aid. Just be prepared for that change.

The $90 disregard is per month, not per payment. And yes, if your unemployment benefits are high enough, you could become financially ineligible for Cash Aid. But even if that happens, you'll likely still be eligible for Medi-Cal and possibly CalFresh. And remember - if your EDD stops or decreases, report that right away so your Cash Aid can be adjusted back up if you're still eligible.

Just want to add - keep really good records of everything! I learned this the hard way. Save screenshots of your EDD payment history, keep copies of all your SAR7 forms, and document any phone calls with your worker (date, time, who you talked to, what was discussed). When I had issues with my case, having all that documentation saved me from a huge headache. Also, if your EDD gets delayed or you have weeks with no payment, make sure to report that too on your SAR7 - zero income is still income reporting! The key is being completely transparent about everything.

I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who responded! This has been so helpful. I was really stressed about messing up my benefits and now I feel like I have a much clearer understanding. The main takeaways I'm getting are: 1) Yes, I definitely need to report EDD income on SAR7 as unearned income, 2) Report based on actual payment dates not benefit weeks, 3) Keep detailed records of everything, 4) Watch out for the IRT threshold, and 5) My Cash Aid will probably go down but that's normal. I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to my worker and confirm my IRT amount. Really appreciate this community - you all probably saved me from a major overpayment situation!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I just wanted to add one more thing that my worker told me - if you're getting both CalWORKs and EDD, make sure you understand how the "prospective budgeting" works. Basically, they use your reported income to calculate your benefits for the NEXT month, not the current month. So if you report a big change in your EDD income on your SAR7, it won't affect your current month's Cash Aid, but it will affect the following month. This caught me off guard when I first started reporting my unemployment income. Also, if you have any weeks where EDD is delayed or you don't certify for some reason, those "$0" weeks still need to be reported as income changes. The system is definitely confusing but everyone's advice here about keeping detailed records and being completely transparent is spot on!

I'm new to this community but this thread has been incredibly valuable! I'm currently receiving CalWORKs and just started getting EDD benefits after being laid off. Reading everyone's experiences has really opened my eyes to how important accurate reporting is. One question I have - does anyone know if there's a specific form or documentation that EDD provides that makes it easier to report to CalWORKs? Like a monthly summary or something? I've been trying to piece together the weekly payment info but it would be great if there was an official document that showed all payments for a given month. Also, I see people mentioning keeping screenshots of EDD payment history - is there a particular section of the EDD website that shows the best summary for CalWORKs reporting purposes? Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge - it's clear this community is a lifesaver for navigating these complex systems!

I'm new to this community and just went through this exact situation! Want to share what worked for me - I created a simple spreadsheet to track both my EDD payments and CalWORKs reporting. I have columns for: EDD payment date, amount received, which SAR7 period it falls into, and whether I've reported it yet. This has been a lifesaver for staying organized! Also, something I learned the hard way - if you get any retroactive EDD payments (like if there was a delay in processing), those count as income in the month you actually receive them, not the original benefit period. Make sure to report those right away since they can be large amounts that might put you over your IRT. One more tip - keep your EDD debit card statements too, not just screenshots. Having multiple forms of documentation has saved me when my worker questioned the timing of certain payments. Everyone's advice here about being completely transparent is so important - it's better to over-communicate than risk compliance issues!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm new to this community and currently receiving CalWORKs for my family. I haven't had to deal with EDD yet, but reading through everyone's experiences has given me such valuable insight into what to expect if I ever need unemployment benefits. The complexity of coordinating between these two programs is honestly overwhelming, but seeing how supportive and knowledgeable this community is gives me confidence that there are resources and people to help navigate these challenges. I'm definitely bookmarking this discussion for future reference and will be sure to follow all the advice about detailed record-keeping and transparent reporting. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's clear that helping each other understand these complicated systems is so important for protecting our benefits and avoiding costly mistakes!