CalWORKs payment amount suddenly dropped from $300 to $23 - what happened to my Cash Aid?

this exact thing happened 2 me in april. they cut mine from $513 to $29 with NO notice. turns out i went over the IRT (income reporting threshold) the month b4 and didnt report it within 10 days. even tho i put it on my SAR7, they said i reported late so they cut my benefits as penalty. check your last approval letter, it shows your IRT amount on it

This is almost certainly an Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) issue. For CalWORKs, you need to report income that exceeds your IRT within 10 days, even between regular SAR7 reporting periods. When you added your DoorDash income to your household income, it likely pushed you over your IRT limit. The $23 payment is probably a partial month calculation based on when your income was counted. Your approval letter should list your specific IRT amount - it's usually around 130% of your maximum aid payment for your family size. Call your eligibility worker and ask for an explanation of the calculation. They should be able to tell you exactly why the reduction happened and whether it will continue.

Your benefit should adjust based on your actual income for each month. If your income goes back down below the IRT, your CalWORKs grant should increase again, though there might be a one-month lag depending on when you report the change. For future reference, there are three important reporting requirements for CalWORKs: 1. The Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) every 6 months 2. The Annual Recertification (SAWS2) 3. Mandatory 10-day reporting when your income exceeds your IRT The county is supposed to clearly explain these to you when you apply, but many workers skip over the details.

The EXACT same thing happened to me last year and I was FURIOUS!!!! I went from $542 to $38 with NO WARNING and couldn't pay my bills! The system is DESIGNED to trip us up so they can cut our benefits. My worker NEVER explained IRT reporting to me either until AFTER they cut my benefits. Then suddenly it was all MY FAULT for not following rules nobody told me about!!! 😡😡😡 And guess what? When I finally got through to my worker, she said I had to wait until the following month to get my regular amount back. They REFUSE to fix their mistakes when it's THEIR FAULT for not properly explaining the rules!!

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to CalWORKs? I was in the same situation last month - benefit dropped without explanation and couldn't get through on the phone. A friend told me about this service at claimyr.com where they wait on hold for you and call you back when they reach a person. Saved me hours of hold time. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I finally talked to my worker, they explained my payment dropped because my son's father paid child support that month and they count that as income. Might be worth checking if that applies to your situation too.

When you get your CalWORKs approval notice, there's a section that lists your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold). This is the maximum total monthly income your household can have before you must report it to the county within 10 days - even if it's not SAR7 time. For a household of 2 (you and your daughter), the IRT is usually around $2,600-2,800 currently. So if your regular income plus the DoorDash money went over that amount, you'd need to report it right away. If you didn't know about this requirement, you can request a hearing and explain that you weren't properly informed of the reporting rules. Call your county office and ask for a detailed explanation of the benefit reduction. They should be able to tell you exactly what happened and how long the reduction will last.

maybe u forgot to turn in verification they asked for? sometimes they send notices that get lost in mail and then cut benefits when u dont respond. happened to my cousin last year

Based on your income details ($1,800 regular job + $175 DoorDash), it's very unlikely you hit the IRT limit. Some other possibilities for the sudden reduction: 1. Missing verification documents (pay stubs, school attendance, immunization records) 2. Change in household composition they think occurred (maybe they think someone moved in/out) 3. Child support enforcement cooperation issues 4. Time on aid limit approaching (48-month lifetime limit) 5. WTW (Welfare to Work) participation sanctions 6. Simple calculation error on their part You really need to speak directly with your worker to find out. If you can't get through on the phone, try sending a secure message through BenefitsCal or going in person to your county office.

update us when u find out what happened! ive been on calworks for 3 years and theres always some new rule they never told me about lol

my sister had her calworks drop to like $15 last month and it was because her kid's father finally paid child support after like 2 years of nothing. they count that as income and reduce your benefit by almost dollar for dollar. did your child's other parent maybe pay support recently?

This might seem random but did you receive a tax refund recently? I learned the hard way that tax refunds can count as income for CalWORKs in the month received if they include Earned Income Credit. That threw me off one year when my benefits suddenly dropped after I got my tax refund. Just another possibility to consider when you talk to your worker.

I'd suggest preparing for your call with your worker by gathering: 1. Recent pay stubs from both your regular job and DoorDash 2. Your most recent approval notice showing your benefit amount 3. Bank statements showing the reduced deposit 4. Any mail you've received from the county in the last 2-3 months Also, ask specifically about: - Whether they processed your address change correctly - If they're missing any required verification documents - Whether there was a change in your reported household composition - If there are any sanctions or penalties being applied It's much easier to resolve these issues when you have documentation ready.