CalWORKs income limits for family of 4 - how much can I earn before losing benefits?

CalWORKs has an Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) that depends on your family size. For a family of 4 in 2025, your IRT should be around $3,400-$3,600 monthly (varies slightly by county). You need to report if your income goes above that amount. But that's just reporting! The actual CUTOFF is different - it's based on your Maximum Aid Payment (MAP) and a formula where they don't count all your earnings. With 3 kids, you can generally earn significantly more than your current benefits before losing them completely. At $18/hr for 30hrs/week, that's about $2,160/month before taxes. You'll definitely see a reduction in cash aid, but shouldn't lose benefits entirely. Your SAR7 form shows your exact IRT limit. Check the last one they sent you!

congrats on the job!! they don't cut u off completely right away. they do that thing where they dont count like the first $225 of ur income and then take away 50 cents for every dollar u earn after. so u still keep some cash aid with the new job plus ur earning more overall. its called the earned income disregard i think

Take the job!!!! I was scared 2 when i started working but my worker told me I would MAKE MORE MONEY WORKING even with lower cash aid. And u still get childcare assistance for like 2 years after CalWORKs if ur still working. Just make sure u report the job on time. They give u 10 days after u start.

Just to add some important info: When you start working, make sure you submit your childcare forms ASAP. You'll qualify for CalWORKs Stage One childcare while on cash aid, then transition to Stage Two when your income increases. Your childcare coverage should remain the same, just different funding sources. Another benefit: You'll qualify for more CalFresh (food stamps) as your cash aid decreases, so you won't lose food assistance either. Also, working hours count toward your Welfare to Work (WTW) requirements, so you'll be fulfilling that obligation with your job.

I was in your exact situation last year. Had 3 kids, got a job at Target making about $17/hr. My cash aid went down but my total monthly income was like $800 more than before! The benefits phase out gradually, they don't just cut you off. My caseworker explained something about the EITC too - earned income tax credit. When you file taxes next year, you'll get a big refund because of your kids and having earned income. It's like thousands of dollars extra. The ONLY annoying thing was trying to reach my worker to update everything. Took me 3 days of calling and getting disconnected before I finally got through.

be carefull though if u go over the IRT and dont report it within 10 days they can hit u with an overpayment and make u pay it back. happend to my sister when she didnt tell them about overtime pay. but yeah at ur income level ur totally fine ur not even close to the cutoff

Thank you everyone for all this amazing info! I'm definitely taking the job now. I was so worried about losing benefits but it sounds like I'll actually be in better financial shape. Will report the new job right away and make sure to keep track of my income for the IRT limit. Really appreciate all the help!

This is such great advice everyone is giving! I went through the same thing 2 years ago and was terrified of losing benefits. One thing that really helped me was asking my new employer if they could start me at slightly fewer hours the first month while I got everything sorted with CalWORKs - that way I could ease into it and make sure all my paperwork was processed correctly. Most employers are understanding about this kind of situation. Also, once you start working, you might be eligible for the CalEITC (California Earned Income Tax Credit) on top of the federal one, which can be a nice bonus at tax time. The transition period can feel overwhelming but you're making the right choice for your family's future!

Miguel, congratulations on the job offer! Everyone here has given you excellent advice. I just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - make sure to ask your caseworker (when you finally reach them) about any other support programs you might qualify for as a working parent. Sometimes there are local programs for things like transportation assistance or work clothing vouchers that can help with the transition. Also, if your job offers health insurance later on, don't feel pressured to drop Medi-Cal right away - you can often keep both for a while to make sure the employer coverage is good for your kids. The CalWORKs system is actually designed to support people transitioning to work, even though it doesn't always feel that way. You're taking a great step for your family's future!