Can I apply for CalWORKs Cash Aid for only some of my children but not my newborn?

Unfortunately, no - you can't pick and choose which children to include on your CalWORKs case. When you apply for Cash Aid, you MUST include all children who live in your household as part of your assistance unit. The regulations require that all siblings living together be included (with very few exceptions). The newborn's father's income won't count against your case if he doesn't live with you and isn't married to you, but you still need to list the baby on your application.

omg i tried to do the same thing last year!!! didn't work lol. they made me add my baby even tho his dad was paying support. somethin about the baby being part of the "household unit" or whatever

The previous responses are correct. CalWORKs requires you to include all children in your household on your application. This is called the "mandatory inclusion rule" for assistance units. However, there's something important you should understand - if your newborn's father is providing financial support, you'll need to report that income on your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7), but it might not necessarily reduce your benefits by much. Here's why: The first $250 of child support income is exempt each month (as of 2025). So if he's providing more than that, only the amount above $250 counts as income. Additionally, adding another child to your case actually increases your potential maximum grant amount. You will need to provide paternity information for all children, including your newborn, as part of the child support cooperation requirement (unless you have good cause for not cooperating).

I've been on CalWORKS for 3 years now and they ABSOLUTELY make you list all your kids!!!! The county will probably find out anyway through birth records or hospital reports. I tried leaving my youngest off once and they found out when they did some kind of database check and then threatened to charge me with FRAUD!!! Don't risk it!!! Just list all your kids and then report whatever support the baby's dad gives you on your SAR7. If its not a ton of money you might still qualify for a decent amount.

When I applied last summer they told me all family members in the household have to be included on the application no matter what. But I remember the worker saying something about being able to exclude certain income depending on who it's for? Maybe ask about that when you do your interview.

CalWORKs eligibility worker here! To clarify a few things: 1. You must list ALL household members on your application, including your newborn 2. Child support payments received need to be reported, but remember the first $250 is disregarded 3. Adding your newborn actually INCREASES your potential maximum grant 4. You'll need to provide paternity info for all children (child support cooperation requirement) The only way a child can be excluded from your assistance unit is if they receive SSI, foster care payments, or in very specific other circumstances that don't apply to your situation. Apply through BenefitsCal.com and make sure to request an expedited determination if your situation is urgent.

I was having the EXACT same problem trying to reach somebody at the CalWORKs office to ask questions like this before applying. Hold times were like 3+ hours and I kept getting disconnected! I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available. Totally worth it - got through in about 45 minutes instead of waiting all day. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

One more thing to consider - if the baby's father is providing substantial support (like over $1000/month), you might want to consult with a benefits counselor about whether applying for CalWORKs makes financial sense for your family. In some cases, the income might reduce your grant significantly. You can always apply for CalFresh (food stamps) separately, which has higher income limits than Cash Aid.

Just wanted to add that even though you have to include your newborn on the application, you might actually come out ahead financially! With $800/month support, after the $250 disregard, only $550 would count as income. But adding a 4th child to your assistance unit increases your maximum grant by quite a bit - potentially more than the $550 reduction. Plus you'd get increased CalFresh benefits too. Definitely run the numbers with a benefits counselor, but don't assume you'll be worse off including the baby!

Hey Eve! I just wanted to share my experience since I was in a similar situation a few months ago. I have 4 kids and my youngest's dad was helping out financially, but I still needed to apply for CalWORKs for all of them. The caseworker explained that even though it seems counterintuitive, including all your kids is actually required AND it usually works out better financially. In your case with $800/month support, you'd only "lose" $550 after the disregard, but adding that 4th child increases your grant by way more than that. Plus you get more CalFresh benefits too. The whole process was way less scary than I thought it would be - just be honest about everything and you'll be fine. Good luck with your application!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share something that might help! I went through a similar situation last year with my twins - one had a father who was providing support and the other didn't. The caseworker explained that CalWORKs looks at your household as a unit, so even though the circumstances are different for each child, they all have to be included. What really helped me was using the BenefitsCal.com calculator before applying - it showed me exactly how the child support would affect my grant amount. In my case, even with $600/month in support, I still qualified for a decent amount because the additional child increased my maximum grant. The key is being completely transparent about all income sources during your application and ongoing reporting. Don't stress too much about the paternity cooperation stuff either - if the father is already providing support voluntarily, that actually makes the process smoother!

I'm going through something really similar right now! I have 2 older kids and just had a baby whose dad wants to help financially. Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful - I had no idea about the $250 disregard or that adding another child actually increases your maximum grant amount. I was also worried about the fraud concerns that Rudy mentioned, but it sounds like as long as you're honest about everything from the start, you should be fine. Eve, definitely check out that BenefitsCal calculator that Alexander mentioned - I just tried it and it really helps you see the actual numbers instead of just guessing. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, this community is amazing for getting real answers to these confusing situations!

Hey Eve! I just wanted to jump in here because I'm actually a CalWORKs case manager and see this situation pretty frequently. Everyone's given you great advice, but I wanted to add a few practical tips for when you actually apply: 1. When you do your intake appointment, make sure to bring documentation of the $800/month support your baby's father is providing (bank statements, receipts, etc.) - this helps establish the pattern early 2. Ask your worker to walk you through the exact grant calculation with your newborn included. They can show you how the $250 disregard works and what your actual monthly benefit would be 3. Consider applying for WIC too if you haven't already - having a newborn makes you automatically income-eligible, and it won't affect your CalWORKs benefits at all The mandatory inclusion rule exists partly to protect families from exactly the kind of financial uncertainty you're worried about. Even if circumstances change with the baby's father later, you'll have consistent support for all your children. You're doing the right thing by including everyone from the start!

I'm a single mom who went through this exact situation about 8 months ago! I was so confused about whether I could exclude my youngest since her dad was helping out, but like everyone said, you absolutely have to include all kids in your household. What I wish someone had told me earlier is that you should also think about applying for Medi-Cal at the same time - it has higher income limits than CalWORKs and your newborn will definitely qualify for healthcare coverage regardless of the support from dad. The whole process was actually way more straightforward than I expected once I stopped trying to overthink it. Just be upfront about everything, bring all your documentation, and let the system work the way it's designed to. You've got this!

As someone who's been helping families navigate CalWORKs applications for years, I wanted to add one more important point that hasn't been mentioned yet - timing! Since you just had your newborn 6 weeks ago, you're still within the postpartum period which can actually work in your favor for expedited processing. Make sure to mention this during your application as it may qualify you for faster determination, especially if you're facing immediate financial hardship after losing your job. Also, don't forget that if you're breastfeeding, you'll have slightly higher CalFresh allotments too. The key thing everyone's emphasized is absolutely correct - include ALL household members from day one. The system is designed to account for situations exactly like yours where different children have different support circumstances. Good luck with your application!

Hey Eve! I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I was in almost the exact same situation about a year ago. I had 2 older kids and a newborn whose father wanted to provide support without government involvement. Like everyone here has said, you absolutely cannot exclude your newborn - I learned this the hard way when I initially tried to leave my baby off the application and the intake worker immediately corrected me. What really helped me was understanding that CalWORKs views your household as one economic unit, regardless of different support arrangements for individual children. The $250 child support disregard that McKenzie mentioned is crucial - with your baby's father providing $800/month, only $550 would actually count against your benefits. Meanwhile, adding that 4th child to your assistance unit could increase your maximum grant by $200-300 or more (depending on your county), plus you'll get higher CalFresh benefits. I'd definitely recommend using that BenefitsCal calculator before applying and maybe even calling ahead to ask about expedited processing since you're postpartum and recently lost income. The whole process ended up being much more supportive than I expected. You're making the right choice by including everyone from the start!

I'm really grateful for all the detailed responses here! As someone who's been working in social services for over a decade, I wanted to add that your situation is actually quite common and the system handles it well. The mandatory inclusion rule might seem frustrating at first, but it's designed to protect families from exactly the kind of income volatility you might face if circumstances change with your baby's father later on. One thing I'd strongly recommend is requesting a pre-application consultation with a CalWORKs eligibility worker. Many counties offer these informal meetings where they can walk you through scenarios and show you exactly how your benefits would be calculated with all four children included. This takes the guesswork out of the process and helps you make an informed decision. Also, since you mentioned losing your part-time job last month, make sure to apply for unemployment benefits if you haven't already - that income won't disqualify you from CalWORKs but needs to be reported. The combination of partial unemployment, CalWORKs with the child support disregard, and increased CalFresh benefits might actually provide more stability than your previous part-time income alone. Don't let the complexity discourage you - you're doing exactly what these programs were designed for, which is helping families during temporary hardships while maintaining the best interests of all your children.

Hey Eve! I'm a mom of 4 and went through CalWORKs application process twice - once when I tried to be "selective" about which kids to include (spoiler alert: didn't work!) and again when I did it properly. Everyone here has given you spot-on advice, but I wanted to share one more practical tip that really helped me. When you do apply and include your newborn, make sure to ask your caseworker about the "good cause" exceptions for child support cooperation. Since your baby's father is already voluntarily providing support and wants to be involved, this might actually make the paternity establishment process smoother rather than more complicated. In some cases, voluntary support can even count more favorably in your calculations than court-ordered support. Also, I noticed you mentioned feeling confused about "messing things up" - that anxiety is so normal! But honestly, the worst thing you can do is leave someone out or not report income. The CalWORKs system has seen every possible family configuration and they're really good at helping you navigate it correctly. Take advantage of all the resources people mentioned here (especially that pre-application consultation Tyrone suggested) and you'll be fine. The fact that you're asking these questions and wanting to do everything properly shows you're already on the right track!