Do I need to report disability income to CalWORKs while still receiving Cash Aid?

YES! You NEED to report this to CalWORKs asap!! You have 10 days to report any income changes when you go above the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Even though you haven't received the payments yet, the approval for disability counts as a change that needs reporting. They DO NOT automatically know - the systems don't talk to each other like they should. I learned this the hard way and got hit with a $2,750 overpayment that I'm still paying back.

You absolutely need to report this to your CalWORKs worker. When you start receiving disability, it counts as income and will affect your Cash Aid amount. You should submit a mid-period report (called a "CW 3") as soon as you receive your first disability payment. Technically, you're right that you don't need to report until you actually receive the money. But it's always better to give your worker a heads-up that disability has been approved so they can note it in your case. The systems between EDD (who handles disability) and CalWORKs don't automatically share information, so your worker won't know unless you tell them.

I had this EXACT situation last yr! They dont know automatically, the systems are totally separate. You gotta tell them within 10 days of getting your first disability check. But heres the thing - disability usually pays more than CalWORKS so you might not even qualify for cash aid anymore once disability kicks in. My worker actually helped me figure out if I should stay on CalWORKS for the other benefits (like childcare) even tho my cash amount went to $0. Def call them!!

If you've been trying to reach your CalWORKs worker about this without success, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's been a lifesaver for me when dealing with benefit reporting issues. They basically call the county for you and get you connected to a real person instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE I used it when I had a similar situation with reporting my workers comp and needed to talk to someone right away to avoid problems. Got through to a worker in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying.

I'm going through almost the same thing!!! Also on CalWORKs and just got approved for disability in June but still no payments either!! What county are you in? I'm in Sacramento and they told me that I need to report the disability approval on a SAR 7 form, but only when I actually get paid. My worker said if I haven't received anything yet, there's nothing to report. But definitely DON'T wait longer than 10 days after you get your first disability check. Oh and the way disability affected my case: they counted my disability as unearned income, which gets deducted dollar for dollar from your CalWORKs after the first $90 disregard. So basically my cash aid went to almost nothing, but I still qualify for Medi-Cal and childcare benefits which is what I really need.

one other thing - when you report your disability income make sure you bring or upload the award letter that shows your weekly benefit amount. they wont just take your word for it and if you dont have documentation they might cut off your benefits for "failure to provide verification" which is a whole other nightmare!!!

every county is difrent tho. my sister in riverside county said they found out about her unemployment automaticly and reduced her CalWORKs without her telling them. so maybe they do know??

dont forget that if ur on calworks u might also be on calfresh and u gotta report the disability income for that too! they have different reporting rules sometimes its so confusing

Just wanted to update what others have said with the current Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) rules for 2025. For a family of 3, your IRT is $2,950 per month now. If your monthly disability payments plus any other income will put you over that amount, you MUST report within 10 days of receiving payment. If it's under that amount, you can wait until your next SAR 7 or recertification. But honestly, I always recommend reporting any income change right away just to be safe. Dealing with an overpayment is so much worse than just reporting properly from the start.