Do CalWORKs recipients have to file taxes with no income besides Cash Aid? Will I get a refund with dependents?

Cash Aid (CalWORKs) is not considered taxable income, so if that and CalFresh are your only sources of income for the year, you're not required to file taxes. However, you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD file anyway because you could qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit even with no earned income for 2025. With two dependents ages 4 and 7, you could potentially get thousands back. The IRS has special provisions for families with children. Don't miss out on this money!

i dont file taxes cuz they say cash aid aint taxable income. been on it like 3 years no problems

I was on CalWORKs all last year and filed taxes even with no job. Got back almost $8,500 with my 3 kids!!! The Child Tax Credit and EITC are refundable even if you don't owe any taxes. Don't listen to anyone telling you not to file - you're leaving FREE MONEY on the table if you don't file! Used the free filing through GetYourRefund.org - they do it all online and it was super easy. Definitely file even with just Cash Aid!

Does anybody know if I have to report tax refunds to my CalWORKs worker if I do file and get money back? Will it affect my benefits? Last time I got a lump sum of money they cut my benefits for 2 months.

I tried calling my county worker to ask about this EXACT thing two weeks ago and couldn't get through to a live person at all. Spent 3 hours on hold and got disconnected twice. So frustrating because I need this info too! I finally used Claimyr.com to reach someone - it worked within 15 minutes. They have this thing where they wait on hold for you then call you when they get a worker. Used their video demo (https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE) to figure it out. The worker confirmed we should definitely file taxes even just on Cash Aid because of the tax credits for kids. She said it won't affect our benefits at all.

Be careful tho, my sister did her taxes last year and claimed EITC but she had been working under the table some and they flagged her for audit! Had to pay everything back plus penalties. The government dont play with taxes.

@OP - I only had 2 kids last year and got back about $5700 with no job income. And yes, literally ZERO earned income - just Cash Aid and CalFresh. The tax person explained that for 2025, the Child Tax Credit is like $2000 per kid and a lot of it is refundable even with no income. Plus there's a special provision for the EITC where families with kids can get it even with no earned income this year. Just make sure you go to someone who knows what they're doing with low-income tax situations. A lot of places offer free tax help for CalWORKs families.

my friend said she had to pay taxes on her cash aid last year but that dont sound right to me??

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I'm definitely going to file taxes now - can't believe I might get a refund even without working. I called 211 and they told me about free tax help through VITA that specializes in helping people on benefits. Going to make an appointment for next month when tax season starts. Is there anything specific I need to bring besides my ID and kids' social security cards? I have the CalWORKs approval letter showing when I started getting benefits if that helps.

Just wanted to add that I was in the exact same situation last year! Had been on CalWORKs for 8 months with no job income, just Cash Aid and CalFresh. I was so nervous about filing taxes because I'd never been in that position before either. I ended up using the free VITA program at our local library and got back $4,200 with my one child (age 6). The volunteer explained that the Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit are fully refundable, meaning you get the money even if you don't owe any taxes. With 2 kids you'll likely get even more! The whole process took about 45 minutes and was completely free. They even helped me set up direct deposit so I got my refund in like 10 days. Definitely file - it's literally free money that you're entitled to as a parent. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

I just went through this same exact situation last month! I was on CalWORKs for about 6 months with no job income, just Cash Aid and CalFresh. I was so scared to file taxes because I thought I might owe money or get in trouble somehow. But I ended up going to the free tax prep at my community center (through the VITA program) and WOW - I got back $6,200 with my two kids (ages 3 and 8)! The tax preparer explained that even with zero earned income, I qualified for the Child Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit, which are both fully refundable. The whole thing took maybe an hour and was completely free. I brought my ID, kids' social security cards, and my CalWORKs letter just to be safe, but they said I didn't even need the CalWORKs paperwork since those benefits aren't taxable income anyway. Definitely file! You're literally leaving thousands of dollars on the table if you don't. And don't worry about it affecting your benefits - the tax preparer confirmed that tax refunds are completely exempt from CalWORKs income calculations. It's money you're entitled to as a parent!

Hey everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how helpful all these responses have been. I'm in a really similar situation - been on CalWORKs for about 5 months now with my 3-year-old daughter, no job income, just Cash Aid and CalFresh benefits. Reading through all these comments has been eye-opening! I had no idea that we could get tax refunds even without working. I was actually dreading tax season because I thought I'd either owe money or just wouldn't need to file at all. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like I should definitely file and could potentially get a decent refund with my one child. I'm going to call 211 tomorrow to find the nearest VITA location. This could really help us get caught up on some bills and maybe even save a little for emergencies. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so reassuring to know other people have been through this exact situation and come out ahead! This community is amazing for sharing real, practical advice.

I'm also new to CalWORKs and this whole situation! Started receiving Cash Aid about 3 months ago with my two kids (ages 5 and 9) after my partner left. I've been so stressed about money and had no idea about these tax credits everyone's talking about. Reading through all these comments is giving me so much hope! I was actually avoiding thinking about taxes because I assumed I'd either owe money or there'd be no point in filing. But hearing that people are getting back thousands of dollars even with just CalWORKs benefits is incredible. I'm definitely going to look into the VITA program - sounds like that's the way to go for free help. Does anyone know if they help with direct deposit setup too? I don't have a regular bank account right now, just a prepaid card from when I was working. Would that work for getting a refund deposited? Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community has been more helpful than any government website I've tried to navigate! Feeling much more optimistic about our financial situation now.

I'm also pretty new to CalWORKs (started about 2 months ago with my 6-year-old son) and had no clue about any of this tax stuff! Been reading through everyone's comments and honestly I'm shocked that we can get money back even without working. I was literally just complaining to my neighbor yesterday about how I was dreading tax season because I thought I'd have nothing to file or would somehow owe money. Now I'm finding out I could potentially get thousands back?? This is incredible news! Going to call 211 first thing Monday morning to find a VITA location near me. Has anyone had experience with the ones at community colleges? There's one about 10 minutes from my apartment and wondering if they're as good as the library ones people mentioned. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to Google this stuff on my own. Finally feeling like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel financially!

I'm new to CalWORKs too (just started 2 months ago with my twin 4-year-olds) and this whole thread has been a revelation! I had absolutely no idea we could get tax refunds without any job income. Like many others here, I was actually avoiding thinking about taxes because I assumed there'd be nothing to file or I might somehow owe money. Reading everyone's experiences has me so hopeful - it sounds like with my two kids I could potentially get back several thousand dollars, which would be absolutely life-changing right now. We're still struggling to get back on our feet and this could really help us catch up on rent and maybe even put a little aside for emergencies. I'm definitely going to call 211 tomorrow to find the nearest VITA location. One question though - has anyone dealt with having twins on their taxes? Do I just treat them like two separate children for the Child Tax Credit, or is there anything different I need to know? They're both 4 years old so same age, just want to make sure I don't miss anything. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and advice. This community is amazing and has given me so much hope during a really tough time. Can't wait to get this process started!

I'm also new to CalWORKs (been receiving Cash Aid for about 4 months now with my 8-year-old daughter) and this thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I had no idea we could get tax refunds without working - I was actually dreading tax season because I thought I'd have nothing to file or might owe money somehow. Seeing everyone's experiences with getting thousands back even with just CalWORKs benefits is giving me so much hope. Money has been really tight since I lost my job, and a tax refund could help us catch up on some bills and maybe even get ahead a little bit for the first time in months. I'm definitely going to call 211 tomorrow to find a VITA location near me. One question - for those who've gone through this process, about how long does the whole appointment usually take? I'm trying to plan childcare and want to make sure I give myself enough time. Also, is it better to go earlier in tax season or does timing not really matter for getting the refund amount? Thank you all for sharing your stories - this community has been more helpful than any government website I've tried to navigate. Finally feeling optimistic about our situation!

I'm also new to CalWORKs (started about 6 weeks ago with my 5-year-old son after going through a rough divorce) and honestly had no clue about any of this! I was actually stressing about tax season because I thought since I haven't worked since August, I'd either have nothing to file or somehow end up owing money. Reading through everyone's experiences here is blowing my mind - I had no idea we could get thousands back even with just Cash Aid and CalFresh! This could literally be the difference between staying afloat and going under for us right now. I'm definitely calling 211 first thing tomorrow to find a VITA location. Quick question for those who've been through this - do I need to bring anything showing when I stopped working, like a termination letter or final paystub? I did work part of the year before getting on CalWORKs, but stopped in August. Want to make sure I have everything they need! This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing your real experiences. Finally feeling like there might be some hope on the horizon financially!

I'm also new to CalWORKs (just started about 6 weeks ago with my 7-year-old daughter) and reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening! I had absolutely no idea that we could get tax refunds without any job income. Like so many others here, I was actually dreading tax season because I assumed I'd either owe money or have nothing to file at all. Hearing everyone's real experiences with getting back thousands of dollars even with just Cash Aid is giving me so much hope right now. We've been really struggling financially and this could be exactly what we need to get caught up on bills and maybe even start a small emergency fund. I'm definitely going to call 211 tomorrow morning to find the nearest VITA location. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like with my one child I could potentially get back $3,000-4,000 which would be absolutely life-changing for us. Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your experiences and advice - this community is incredible and has given me more useful information than hours of trying to navigate government websites on my own. Finally feeling like there's some light at the end of the tunnel!