Do I have to report tax refunds to CalWORKs? Worried about going over IRT

Tax refunds are NOT counted as income for CalWORKs as long as the refund comes from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, or other tax credits. So your $3,500 EITC refund doesn't need to be reported and won't affect your IRT calculation. However, if you keep that money beyond the month after you receive it, then it DOES count toward your resource limit ($10,000 for a family). So you don't need to worry about your Cash Aid being reduced due to income limits, but don't save it for too long.

nope dont report it, its excluded!! my worker told me tax stuff doesnt count and i got almost 5k last year and kept all my benefits. they only care about regular paychecks n stuff for the IRT

I had this exact situation last year. My refund was around $4,200 and my worker said I didn't need to report it because tax refunds don't count as income for CalWORKs. BUT! Make sure you spend it within the month after you get it or at least get your bank balance below the resource limit ($10,000 for families). Here's what I did - I used mine to: 1. Pay off some old bills 2. Buy new clothes and shoes for my kids 3. Fix my car 4. Pay a few months of my cell phone bill in advance That way the money was "spent" and not sitting in my account where it could potentially cause problems. Better safe than sorry!

Just to clarify about tax refunds and CalWORKs rules: 1. Tax refunds (EITC, Child Tax Credit, etc.) are EXEMPT from income reporting requirements 2. You do NOT need to report them on your SAR7 3. They do NOT count toward your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) 4. HOWEVER, they DO count as a resource/asset if kept beyond the month after receipt 5. Your resource limit is $10,000 for a family So you don't have to worry about your Cash Aid amount changing due to income, but don't let your bank account go over the resource limit. And remember, they CAN check your bank statements during recertification, so be prepared to explain any large deposits.

OMG i got kicked off calworks last year cuz i didnt know this rule!!! i got like $3200 tax refund and didnt report it cuz nobody told me i had to. then they saw it in my bank account at recertification like 3 months later and said i was over resources!!! took me forever to get back on and had to do all new paperwork. so frustrating!!!!!

When I was trying to find information about this same question last year, I kept calling my county office for DAYS and couldn't get through. Always disconnected or 2+ hour wait times. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a worker in like 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE The worker I talked to confirmed tax refunds don't count as income for IRT reporting, but like others said, they do count toward your $10k resource limit if not spent. Just sharing in case anyone else is struggling to get through to their worker with questions.

One thing I would add - if your tax refund pushes your bank account over the resource limit, make sure you document how you spend it. I keep a folder with receipts for any major purchases just in case they ask during recertification. Better to have too much documentation than not enough!

my cousins friend got her benefits canceled for not reportin taxes but I think it was cuz she had a side job she didnt tell them about and they found out from her taxes

I want to add one more thing - make sure you're not confusing CalWORKs and CalFresh rules. They're similar but not identical. For CalFresh (food stamps), tax refunds don't count as income OR resources for 12 months after receipt. But for CalWORKs, they only don't count as income - they DO count as resources after a month. It's easy to get the programs mixed up since many of us have both.

Just wanted to share my experience from this year - I got a $4,100 refund (mostly EITC) and was panicking about the same thing! Called my worker and she confirmed what everyone here is saying - tax refunds don't count as income for CalWORKs so no need to report on SAR7 and won't affect your cash aid amount. BUT she also warned me about the resource limit thing. I made sure to spend it all within 30 days on necessities - paid rent ahead, bought groceries in bulk, got my kids school supplies and clothes, and fixed some things around the apartment. Kept all my receipts just in case. The key is understanding the difference between "income" (which affects your monthly benefit amount) and "resources" (which is just about how much you can have saved up). Tax refunds don't count as the first but do count as the second after a month. Hope this helps ease your worry!