Do CalWORKs recipients need to report Middle Class Tax Refund as income on SAR7?
I got that Middle Class Tax Refund back in December (the inflation relief payment from CA) and now I'm filling out my SAR7 for CalWORKs. Do I have to report this money as income??? I can't find any form or info about it and my reporting is due next week. My neighbor said its not income because its a tax thing but my cousin said her worker counted it and reduced her Cash Aid. I really can't afford to have my benefits cut right now with rent being so high. Has anyone else dealt with this on their semi-annual report??
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Javier Hernandez
No, you do NOT need to report the Middle Class Tax Refund on your SAR7. It's considered a disaster/emergency payment and is exempt from being counted as income for CalWORKs. I work with benefits advocacy and this question comes up a lot. CDSS (California Department of Social Services) sent guidance to all counties that these payments shouldn't affect your Cash Aid. If your worker tries to count it, you should request a supervisor review.
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Natasha Petrova
•Thank you sooo much!! I was stressing about this all week. Do you know if theres like an official document or something I can bring with me just in case my worker doesn't know? My office always seems confused about these things.
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Emma Davis
my worker counted it and cut my benefits by $120 las month!!! i didnt even kno why until i called and they said it was cuz of that payment!! now im wondering if i can get that money back somehow?
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Javier Hernandez
•You absolutely can and should request that back! File for a state hearing immediately (you have 90 days from when your benefits were reduced). The county made an error - these payments were specifically exempted from income calculations for public benefits including CalWORKs. Call the Fair Hearing Request line at 1-800-952-5253 to start the process.
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LunarLegend
If you're having trouble reaching your CalWORKs worker to get this clarified, I'd recommend using Claimyr. It saved me HOURS of waiting on hold when I had a similar issue with income reporting last month. You just go to claimyr.com, enter the CalWORKs office number, and they call and wait on hold for you. When someone finally answers, your phone rings and you're connected. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. It helped me get through to someone who could actually make a determination on my case rather than just getting disconnected over and over.
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Natasha Petrova
•I might try that because last time I called my office I waited 2 hours and then got hung up on! It's impossible to talk to anyone there. Does it work for all county offices?
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LunarLegend
•Yes, it works with any CalWORKs office phone number. Honestly it's been a game changer for me because my county office is ALWAYS backed up. Hope it helps!
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Malik Jackson
Just to add some extra info - the official policy is in All County Letter 22-109. The Middle Class Tax Refund is treated as a disaster payment and is exempt as income AND as a resource for CalWORKs, CalFresh, and other programs. I'd print that letter and bring it with you if you're worried. Here's what it says specifically: "The MCTR payments are excluded as income and as a resource in the month received and for 12 months following for the CalWORKs program.
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Natasha Petrova
•Thank you!!! This is exactly what I needed. I'm going to print this out and bring it with me when I submit my SAR7. My worker always seems confused about the rules so this will help a lot.
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Isabella Oliveira
Anyone else notice how they NEVER tell us these things?? My worker didn't even mention anything about the tax refund when I did my redetermination in January. It's like they WANT us to make mistakes so they can cut our benefits. I swear the system is designed to be confusing on purpose. 😡
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Malik Jackson
•It's frustrating for sure. The best approach is to always ask for policy citations in writing. Most eligibility workers are just overwhelmed with caseloads of 200+ families and don't always get updated on every policy change. It's not usually malicious, but it does harm families when mistakes happen.
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Isabella Oliveira
•yeah well it FEELS malicious when ur kids are hungry and ur benefits get cut over some BS technicality that wasnt even correct!! they should have to pay penalties when THEY mess up instead of us always suffering for their mistakes
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Ravi Patel
wait im confused now... are we talking about the regular tax return refund or that special california payment thingy from last year? cause i reported my tax refund on my last SAR7 and now im wondering if i didnt need to???
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Javier Hernandez
•There's a difference between: 1. Regular tax refund (from filing your taxes) - this IS countable for CalWORKs in the month received 2. Middle Class Tax Refund (the special one-time inflation relief payment CA sent out) - this is NOT countable So if you reported your regular tax refund, you did the right thing. But the special payment OP is asking about doesn't need to be reported.
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Freya Andersen
I got that middle class refund and didnt report it on my SAR7 last jan. no one said anything and my caseworker renewed my benefits like normal. i think they dont even look at that tbh
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Natasha Petrova
•Thanks for sharing your experience. This makes me feel better about it. I'm glad I asked before submitting my report.
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Emma Davis
this reminds me i still need to submit my SAR7 this month!!! when is the deadline again??? i always forget and then they threaten to cut me off lol
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Malik Jackson
•SAR7 is due by the 5th of your reporting month. If you miss that deadline, you still have until the end of the month to submit it, but your benefits might be delayed. Always keep a copy and get a receipt or confirmation number when you submit it!
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