Do I need to report higher income from new job to CalFresh immediately? Over IRT limit
I just got a way better job last month and my income went up quite a bit (from about $2,100 to $3,400 monthly). I'm still getting CalFresh benefits based on my old income. Do I need to report this change right away or can I wait until my next SAR7? I think I remember something about an 'income reporting threshold' but not sure if I'm over it or how that works. Don't want to get in trouble for fraud but also don't want to lose benefits if I don't have to yet. Anyone know the rules about this?
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Amina Diop
Yes, you need to report this change ASAP! You're required to report mid-period if your income goes over your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Your IRT should be listed on your last approval letter or SAR7 form - it's usually around 130% of the poverty level for your household size. With that big of an increase, you're almost certainly over your IRT and need to report within 10 days. You can report on BenefitsCal online or call your worker. They'll recalculate your benefits based on your new income.
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Paolo Moretti
•Thanks for the info. Just checked my paperwork and my IRT is $2,900 for a household of 2, so I'm definitely over. Will report it today. Do they completely cut off benefits once you go over or just reduce them?
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Oliver Weber
Hey congrats on the new job! I had something similar happen last year. You def need to report if you're over your IRT (the income threshold thing). Its on your approval notice. If your not over that amount u can wait for your SAR7. But honestly its better to just tell them either way so you dont end up with an overpaymnt they make you pay back later!!!
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Paolo Moretti
•Thank you! I found my IRT amount and I'm over it, so I'm definitely reporting. Good point about the overpayment - don't want to deal with that headache.
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Natasha Romanova
THIS SYSTEM IS RIGGED!! The minute you start doing better they snatch away your benefits. I got a $1.50 raise last year and reported it like I was supposed to and they cut my CalFresh from $429 to $112!!! FOR A LOUSY $1.50 RAISE!!! Then my car broke down and I couldn't even afford to fix it with the reduced benefits. They don't care if you're still struggling!
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Amina Diop
•I understand your frustration, but the benefit reduction is based on a federal formula that calculates how much a household needs. The good news for the original poster is that CalFresh doesn't just stop immediately when you go over IRT - they recalculate based on the new income. So you might get reduced benefits rather than losing them completely, depending on your household size and expenses.
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NebulaNinja
Make sure you report it right away, but also make sure to report all your expenses when you do! Many people forget to update their rent, utilities, childcare costs, etc. when reporting income changes. Higher expenses can offset some of the income increase. Also, if you're in CalWORKs too, the rules are different than for CalFresh alone.
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Paolo Moretti
•That's really good advice - my rent actually went up recently too and I'm now paying more for gas to get to the new job. I'm only on CalFresh, not CalWORKs, so hopefully those expenses will help offset the reduction a bit.
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Javier Gomez
i tried calling my worker for 3 days when i needed to report a new job last month and couldnt get through at all!!!! ended up using this service called claimyr that got me through to a person in like 10 mins. it was at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE saved me so much frustration
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Emma Wilson
•Does that actually work? I've been trying to reach my worker for a week about my SAR7 and keep getting disconnected.
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Javier Gomez
•yea it really worked for me! way better than sitting on hold all day or getting disconnected. they called and waited on hold for me then connected me when they got through to a real person
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Malik Thomas
Technically your supposed to report when your over the IRT. But honestly no one ever knows what there IRT is cause the county dosent explain it well lol. I just always wait for my SAR7 to come in the mail every 6 months and report everything then. Been on CalFresh 3 years and never had a problem. But i guess it depends how much your income changed if thats risky.
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Amina Diop
•This is really dangerous advice. The IRT is clearly listed on approval notices and SAR7 forms, and not reporting when you go over it can result in an overpayment that you'll have to pay back. In serious cases it could even be considered fraud. Always report when you go over your IRT within 10 days - it's not worth the risk.
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Paolo Moretti
Update: I called the county and reported my income change. The worker said my benefits will be reduced but not completely cut off. They're sending me a notice with the new amount. Thanks everyone for the help! And they did say I was right to report since I was over the IRT.
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NebulaNinja
•That's great! Glad you were able to get through and report it properly. Just make sure to keep all your paperwork showing you reported on time in case there are any questions later. And congratulations again on the better job!
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Natasha Romanova
•Lucky you still get something! They completely cut me off when my income went up. The whole system is broken.
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Elijah Brown
Great that you reported it and everything worked out! For anyone else reading this thread, I want to add that if you're having trouble finding your IRT amount, it's usually printed right on the front page of your CalFresh approval notice under a section that says something like "You must report if your income goes over $X.XX per month." You can also find it on your SAR7 form. If you can't locate either document, you can always call and ask your worker what your current IRT is - they should be able to tell you right away. Better to ask than risk an overpayment later!
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Lena Kowalski
•This is really helpful info! I'm new to CalFresh and honestly had no idea what IRT even stood for until reading this thread. I've been so confused about when I'm supposed to report changes vs waiting for the SAR7. Going to dig out my approval notice now and find that number. Thanks for breaking it down in simple terms!
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