Do I have to pay back CalWORKs when my child gets approved for SSI?
So stressed right now. My 14-year-old daughter has been going through the SSI application process for almost a year due to her disability. We've been on CalWORKs this whole time (just the two of us in the household). Her SSI approval letter finally came yesterday and says payments will start next month. The backpay is also being processed. My question is: will I have to repay CalWORKs for the months we've received cash aid while waiting for her SSI? I heard somewhere that SSI and CalWORKs can't be received for the same person. I don't want to get hit with an overpayment notice when she starts getting SSI. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I report the SSI approval right away or wait until she actually gets paid? Really confused about what to do next.
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Noah Irving
Yes, you absolutely need to report this change to your CalWORKs eligibility worker within 10 days of receiving the SSI approval letter. Your daughter will need to be removed from your CalWORKs case once she starts receiving SSI since you can't get both benefits for the same person (though you can still receive CalWORKs for yourself if you qualify). As for repayment - technically the county has the right to recover Cash Aid paid for your daughter during the same months she receives SSI backpay for. This is called "interim assistance reimbursement." Usually what happens is that SSI will pay the county directly from the backpay amount before sending the remainder to your daughter. The good news is you're not personally responsible for paying it back - it comes out of the backpay automatically.
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Katherine Ziminski
AuthorThank you for explaining! I'll call my worker tomorrow. Do you know if my CalWORKs benefit will be reduced immediately or will it happen when she actually gets her first SSI payment? Just trying to budget for next month.
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Vanessa Chang
I went thru this last year with my son. DONT WAIT to report it!!!! They'll find out anyway and then ur in trouble. they took the backpay from his SSI but i didnt have to pay anything myself. my cash aid went down after he got approved but i still get some for myself. just make sure u report it right away
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Katherine Ziminski
AuthorThanks for sharing your experience! That helps a lot. Did you have to go through a whole recertification when this happened or did they just adjust your case?
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Madison King
When your child receives SSI approval, you need to report this to CalWORKs immediately. The county will recalculate your household size and benefits. Your daughter will be removed from your CalWORKs case, but you can continue receiving benefits for yourself if you meet eligibility requirements as a household of one. Regarding repayment: There's an agreement between Social Security and county welfare departments called "interim assistance reimbursement." This means SSA will withhold some of your daughter's backpay to reimburse the county for CalWORKs benefits paid during the same period. You personally don't have to pay anything back - it's handled between those agencies. This is actually good news because your daughter's ongoing monthly SSI payment (around $1,121 in 2025) is higher than what CalWORKs provides for a child. Plus, you might still qualify for some CalWORKs for yourself.
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Katherine Ziminski
AuthorThank you! This is really helpful. So basically her SSI will be reduced by whatever CalWORKs she received, but just for the backpay amount, not ongoing? That makes sense. And good to know I might still get something for myself.
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Julian Paolo
omg everyone is giving u different answers lol... from what i know when my nephew got SSI after being on calworks they didnt take ANY of his backpay but my sister had to report it and her calworks went down after. i dont think they can take money from disabled kids thats so wrong
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Noah Irving
They absolutely can and do take interim assistance reimbursement from SSI backpay - it's federal law and standard practice. Your sister's situation might have been different if the backpay period didn't overlap with CalWORKs receipt, or if there was some other unique circumstance. But the standard procedure is that SSI does reimburse the county for overlapping benefits.
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Ella Knight
Been calling my county worker all day about updating my SAR7 and no one picks up. This is the third day I've tried. Phones are a nightmare... worried I'll get cut off because I can't get through. I feel your pain about reporting changes!
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William Schwarz
Have you tried using Claimyr? It's this service that connects you to a CalWORKs worker without waiting on hold for hours. I used it last month when I couldn't get through about my WTW hours and it saved me so much stress. It got me through to a real person in about 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - definitely worth checking out if you're struggling to reach someone.
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Lauren Johnson
Yup they gonna take it. Its called offset. My sons ssi got approved last year and they took like $3400 from his backpay for the calworks we got. make sure u ask for an accounting of exactly what they took tho. I found a mistake where they counted an extra month and had to fight to get that money back.
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Katherine Ziminski
AuthorThat's a good tip about asking for an accounting. I'll make sure to request that. How long did it take from when you reported the SSI approval until they actually processed everything and made the changes?
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Noah Irving
To answer your follow-up question: Your CalWORKs will likely be adjusted the month following your report of the SSI approval. The county should send you a Notice of Action showing your recalculated benefit amount based on a household size of 1 instead of 2. For budgeting purposes, expect your CalWORKs to decrease significantly once your daughter is removed from the case. If you're not working or have very low income, you might still qualify for approximately $550-600 per month as a household of 1. Your daughter's SSI (around $1,121/month) should more than make up for the decrease in total household income. Also, your CalFresh benefits might change too, so be prepared for adjustments there as well.
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Katherine Ziminski
AuthorThanks so much for the detailed info. I work part-time so I'll probably still get some CalWORKs. It's just the transition period I'm worried about. Really appreciate all the help!
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Jamal Carter
Congratulations on your daughter's SSI approval! I know how stressful that whole process can be. Just wanted to add that when you call to report the SSI approval, make sure you have the approval letter handy with the exact start date and monthly amount. The worker will need those details to process the change correctly. Also, don't panic about the interim assistance reimbursement - it's totally normal and happens automatically between SSI and the county. Your daughter will still receive a substantial backpay amount even after the offset, and her monthly SSI will be much higher than what CalWORKs was providing for her portion. One more tip: keep copies of everything! The approval letter, any notices you get from CalWORKs about the case changes, etc. It'll help if there are any questions later. You're doing great advocating for your daughter - this approval is going to make such a difference for your family's financial stability.
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