Does federal work study count as income for CalWORKs? Caseworker gave conflicting info

Your caseworker is incorrect. Federal work study is EXEMPT income for CalWORKs. It should not be counted and should not reduce your Cash Aid amount at all. This is directly from the California Department of Social Services Manual of Policies and Procedures Section 44-111.24. You should request a supervisor review of your case if your worker is trying to count it. I went through this exact same issue last year. My worker tried to count my work study and reduced my benefits for two months before a supervisor fixed it and issued me retroactive payments for what I should have received.

not all caseworkrkers know the rules right my worker said the same thing til i showed her the paperwork from financial aid office that said FEDERAL WORK STUDY on it. bring that paper and tell them to check the regulations. some of them get confused with regular student employment which DOES count.

I remember when I was in your exact position 3 years ago. The county KEPT counting my work study as income despite it being exempt! I had to call them every month for 4 months straight to get it fixed. The worst part was getting through to a real person - I'd be on hold for hours and often got disconnected. I finally discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at the CalWORKs office in minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I actually reached someone who knew the rules, they fixed everything and gave me back pay for all the months they incorrectly reduced my benefits. Don't give up - work study is DEFINITELY exempt!

Federal work study is 100% exempt income under CalWORKs regulations. It's considered financial aid, not earnings. Your caseworker might be confusing it with regular student employment. Make sure you get something in writing from your school's financial aid office that clearly states it's federal work study. Then ask your worker to review MPP Section 44-111.24 which specifically lists work study as exempt. If they still try to count it, immediately request a state hearing. You have 90 days from when they take action to request the hearing, and you can continue getting your current benefit amount while waiting for the hearing if you request the hearing within 10 days of getting a Notice of Action.

they always do this!!! the county workers dont know there own rules half the time smh. my sister had same problem. they counted her workstudy for 5 months before she got it fixed and she had to fight HARD to get backpay. bring your financial aid award letter and DEMAND to speak with a supervisor if ur worker doesnt listen

Hi there! I work in financial aid at a community college and help many students with this exact issue. Federal Work Study is definitely exempt income for CalWORKs purposes. When students start their work study positions, we provide them with a letter stating: 1. This is Federal Work Study (not regular employment) 2. It's part of their financial aid package 3. It's for educational purposes Ask your financial aid office for a similar letter. Also, make sure you're reporting it correctly on your SAR7 - there should be a section for exempt income where you can list it separately from regular earnings. If your worker still insists on counting it, request a supervisor review and cite MPP Section 44-111.24.

my caseworker tried 2 count my workstudy 2 and i had to fight about it. the supervisr finally fixed it but they never gave me back the money they took in the first place. still mad about that lol

Update: I called my caseworker this morning and told her about MPP Section 44-111.24 that says work study is exempt. She checked with her supervisor and called me back to say I was right! Thank you all SO MUCH for the advice. She's going to make a note in my case that my work study income should not be counted. I'm bringing my award letter to my next appointment just to be safe. So relieved!

So glad you got it resolved! This is such a common issue and it's frustrating that so many caseworkers don't know the rules about work study. Your story will definitely help other students who run into the same problem. Good luck with your studies and your work study position - it's great that you're working toward your educational goals!

This thread is such a perfect example of why peer support is so important! As someone who went through college while on CalWORKs about 5 years ago, I can't tell you how many times I had to educate my own caseworkers about the rules. It's honestly ridiculous that this is such a common problem when the regulations are crystal clear. For anyone else reading this who might face similar issues - always ask for the specific MPP section number when a caseworker tells you something that doesn't sound right. Most of the time they'll actually look it up and realize their mistake. And if they don't, having that regulation number makes it much easier to escalate to a supervisor. Skylar, I'm so happy you got this resolved quickly! Your work study income is going to be such a help with school expenses, and you shouldn't have to stress about it affecting your basic needs. Best of luck with your studies - getting that education is going to be so worth it!

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm starting college next semester and was worried about how work study might affect my benefits. It's really frustrating that caseworkers aren't consistently trained on these rules - seems like every office interprets things differently. I'm definitely going to save that MPP Section 44-111.24 reference and make sure to get documentation from my financial aid office before I even start working. It's amazing how much easier it is to navigate this stuff when you have a community of people who've been through it. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm just starting my CalWORKs application process and this thread is incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that caseworkers might not always know the rules correctly. It's both reassuring and concerning to see how common this work study issue seems to be. I'm planning to start community college next fall and will likely need work study to help with expenses, so I'm taking notes on everything you all have shared. The MPP Section 44-111.24 reference, getting documentation from financial aid, asking for things in writing - this is all so valuable to know ahead of time. It's really inspiring to see people like Skylar successfully advocating for themselves and getting issues resolved. And Omar, hearing that you completed college while on CalWORKs gives me so much hope! Sometimes the system feels overwhelming when you're new to it, but having a community like this where people share real experiences and practical advice makes it feel much more manageable. Thank you all for being so generous with your knowledge!