Do CalWORKs recertification interviews require bank statements? Confused about new verification rules

They only ask for bank statements if you report having assets or if something doesn't match up with your income reporting. For CalWORKs recertification, they're mainly concerned with verifying your income, household composition, and that you're meeting your WTW (Welfare to Work) requirements. If the birthday money is under the resource limit ($10,211 for a family with one child in 2025), you're fine. Just be honest if they ask about assets. They don't automatically request bank statements from everyone - that would be overwhelming for both you and them!

they asked for mine last time!!!!! had to show 3 months worth and i almost got disqualified cuz i forgot about a side job i did. make sure u tell them EVERYTHING or they will say ur committing fraud

It depends on your specific situation. CalWORKs has property/resource limits ($10,211 for a family of 2 in 2025), so if they have reason to believe you might be over those limits, they could ask for bank statements to verify. Here's when they typically request bank statements: 1. If you've reported assets near the limit 2. If there are inconsistencies in your income reporting 3. If you've had unreported income found in previous verifications 4. Sometimes randomly as part of program integrity Birthday money is technically a gift and should be reported, but small amounts usually don't affect eligibility if you're under the resource limit. Just be honest during your interview. If you're worried about reaching your worker to ask before your appointment, try Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was stressing about similar verification questions and couldn't get through to my worker for days. Claimyr got me connected in about 10 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

Ughhh the verification process is RIDICULOUS!! My recert was in March and they demanded EVERYTHING - bank statements, birth certificates (again!), rent receipts, utility bills. My worker claimed it was part of some "verification initiative" they're doing. Took 3 extra weeks to process and my benefits almost got cut off while they "reviewed" everything. The system is designed to make us fail I swear.

I just did my recertification last month and they didn't ask for any bank statements. Just the usual stuff - paystubs, rent receipt, utility bill, and school verification for my kids. I think your friend might have been asked for bank statements because of their specific situation, not because it's a new rule for everyone. Honest advice - just bring whatever documents they listed in your recertification packet. If they need additional verification, they'll give you a form with 10 days to provide it. Don't stress about bringing extra documents they haven't asked for!

My recert was two weeks ago and they did ask for bank statements but I think it's because I just started a new job. They were trying to figure out if I reported the right start date because the paystubs didn't match what I initially told them (I got the start date mixed up). Each county seems to handle things differently though.

Update: I called my worker (finally got through!) and she said I don't need to bring bank statements to my recertification unless there's been a major change in my finances. She said as long as I'm under the resource limit and accurately reporting income, it shouldn't be an issue. The birthday money from my mom is considered a gift and since it's under $50 it doesn't even need to be reported. Thanks everyone for the help!