Can I have a leased car on CalWORKs Cash Aid and CalFresh? Confused about vehicle limits

I was in this exact situation last year! Yes, you CAN have a leased car while on CalWORKs and CalFresh. For CalFresh, vehicle values don't count toward your resource limit at all anymore. For CalWORKs, leased vehicles aren't counted as an asset because you don't own them - the leasing company does. The lease payment amount matters for your budget, but there's no specific maximum. Just make sure the monthly payment is something you can handle with your income and benefits. What you DO need to be careful about is reporting the lease when you complete your SAR7 or recertification.

WRONG INFORMATION ABOVE!!! You absolutely MUST report the leased car right away as a change in property!!! Don't wait for your SAR7 or they could hit you with an overpayment! Any time you get a new vehicle (owned or leased) you have to tell your worker within 10 days. I learned this the hard way and ended up owing $620 back.

u can have any car u want on CalFresh they dont count vehicles at all anymore. for calworks its more complicated, something about equity value over $10k? but leased should be fine cuz u dont own it. just make sure u can afford the payment with ur budget

The previous responses have some good information, but I want to clarify a few things about vehicles and CalWORKs/CalFresh: 1. For CalFresh, vehicles are completely exempt as resources regardless of value or whether leased or owned. 2. For CalWORKs, leased vehicles are not counted as a resource because you don't own them. However, the monthly lease payment is considered in your budget as an expense. 3. For owned vehicles, CalWORKs exempts one vehicle per household completely. Additional vehicles have an equity exemption of $25,000 in 2025. 4. You should report the lease at your next SAR7 or recertification. Mid-period reporting is only required if your income goes above the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Hope this helps clarify things!

When I got a new car last year, my worker told me I had to include the car payment in my monthly expenses on my SAR7. They don't care about the total lease value, just how it affects your monthly budget. As long as you can still meet your basic needs with the lease payment, you should be fine. But definitely report it on your next SAR7 form.

I'm having a similar issue but with CalWORKs and trying to call my worker for DAYS with no answer. Has anyone else had trouble reaching their worker about vehicle questions? I keep getting put on hold for hours then disconnected. So frustrating!!

Thank you everyone for all this helpful info! To summarize what I understand now: 1. Leased cars don't count as resources for CalWORKs or CalFresh 2. I should report it on my next SAR7 but don't need to call immediately 3. The payment amount matters for my budget but not for eligibility This is such a relief because we really need reliable transportation and I was afraid we'd lose our benefits. Thanks again!

Great summary @Elijah Brown! You've got the key points down. Just one small addition - when you do get the lease, keep all your paperwork (lease agreement, payment records, etc.) organized for your case file. Some counties like to see documentation even though leased vehicles aren't counted as resources. Also, if your lease payment is pretty high, you might want to mention to your worker that it's necessary transportation for work/school - they're usually understanding about that. Hope you find a good reliable car!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been on CalWORKs for 3 years - the advice here is spot on! I've had both owned and leased vehicles during my time on benefits and never had issues. One thing that helped me was when I got my lease, I brought a copy of the lease agreement to my next appointment just to be proactive. My worker appreciated that I was being transparent about it. Also, don't stress too much about the monthly payment amount - as long as you can show you're still meeting your family's basic needs (housing, food, utilities, etc.), they're generally supportive of transportation expenses since they know you need a car to maintain employment. The key is just being honest about your expenses on your forms. Good luck with your car search!

I'm so glad to see this thread! I was literally just researching this same question yesterday. My car died last week and I've been panicking about whether getting a lease would affect my CalWORKs benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here is incredibly reassuring. One question - has anyone dealt with the insurance aspect? I know leased cars usually require full coverage which can be more expensive. Does that higher insurance cost factor into anything with benefits, or is it just another regular expense like the lease payment itself? I'm trying to budget everything out before I go car shopping this weekend. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for helping each other navigate these complicated situations!

I've been on CalWORKs for about 2 years and just went through this process myself! Everyone's advice here is really solid. One thing I learned that might help - when you're looking at lease deals, some dealerships are more familiar with customers on benefits than others. I found that being upfront about my situation actually helped because the finance person was able to explain exactly what paperwork I'd need for my case file. Also, if you're worried about affording the lease payment, remember that having reliable transportation often leads to better job opportunities and fewer missed work days, which can actually improve your overall financial situation in the long run. My worker even mentioned that when I was stressing about the monthly cost. The insurance thing someone mentioned is real though - definitely get quotes for full coverage before you commit to anything. But like others said, it's just another expense to budget for, not something that affects eligibility. Hope you find something perfect for your family's needs!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar boat - my car just broke down and I've been on CalWORKs for about 6 months now. Reading everyone's experiences really puts my mind at ease about getting a lease. One thing I wanted to add from my research - I called the CalWORKs customer service line and they confirmed that leased vehicles don't count toward the resource limit since you don't technically own the car. They also mentioned that if you're using the vehicle for work or school (which most of us are), it's considered a reasonable and necessary expense. For anyone still worried about this, I'd suggest calling your county office directly if you can get through. Having that confirmation from an official source gave me the confidence to move forward. Now I just need to find a good deal and figure out the insurance situation like others mentioned. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is such a lifesaver!

This whole thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm a newcomer to both CalWORKs and this community, and I was honestly terrified about making any financial moves that might jeopardize our benefits. My situation is almost identical - single mom, car died, need reliable transportation for work and kids' school. What really stands out to me from everyone's responses is how the system actually seems designed to support people maintaining employment and stability, not to trap us in impossible situations. The fact that leased vehicles don't count as resources makes total sense when you think about it - we don't own the asset, we're just paying for transportation. I'm planning to follow the advice here: get quotes for both lease payments and full coverage insurance, make sure it fits our budget, and then report it on the next SAR7. The tip about bringing lease paperwork proactively to show transparency is brilliant. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and not just speculation. It's so much more helpful to hear from people who've actually been through this process successfully. This community really is a lifeline for navigating these complex systems!