Does new spouse's income disqualify kids from previous relationship for CalWORKs Cash Aid?

Yes, when you marry, your new spouse's income will be considered in the CalWORKs eligibility determination for your children, even if they're from a previous relationship. This is called step-parent deeming. The county will count a portion of your new husband's income as available to the assistance unit (your household). They don't count 100% of it though - there are deductions like for his own needs and any child support he pays for other children. But the remaining countable income could put you over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) and make your kids ineligible.You need to report the marriage to your worker within 10 days of it happening. Be prepared that your benefits might be reduced or discontinued depending on exactly how much he makes after deductions.

That's exactly what I was afraid of. Do you know if there's any way around this? It seems unfair that my children could lose support just because I'm getting married, especially when their biological father doesn't pay the child support he's supposed to.

my sister went thru the same thing last year when she got married!!! her kids lost there CalWORKS after she reported getting married.... her new husband only makes like $20/hr at amazon but apperantly thats to much. they didnt even care that the biodad never pays childsupport or that her new husband has his own bills to pay. the system is so messed up they punish u for trying to have a stable family!!!

This system literally TRAPS WOMEN in poverty! How are we supposed to improve our situations when getting married means losing benefits our children need? The bio fathers don't pay support but we're expected to instantly rely on a new partner?? It's a broken system designed to keep families dependent. My cousin faced the exact same thing and ended up having to DELAY her marriage for 6 months while they figured out how to manage without the cash aid. RIDICULOUS!

I went through this exact situation in 2024. The previous responses are correct - stepparent income is counted, but it's not as simple as

How long did it take for them to make the changes to your benefits after you reported getting married? I'm in a similar situation but I'm getting married in 2 weeks and I need to prepare if there's going to be a gap in my benefits.

@WorriedMama5 They processed mine in about 2 weeks but I've heard it can take up to 30 days. The changes aren't supposed to take effect mid-month though. So if you report early in the month, changes typically start the following month. I'd suggest calling your worker directly to ask about the timeline in your county specifically. That's the best way to know exactly what to expect.

good luck getting thru to a worker directly lol. i had to call 27 times last month because they kept disconnecting me! when i finally got to talk to a person they were rude af and said they cant tell me anything until i actually report the change. like how am i spossd to plan???

Try using Claimyr if you need to reach someone by phone! I wasted DAYS trying to get through to my CalWORKs worker about a similar income change situation. A friend told me about this service (claimyr.com) that gets you through the phone maze and holds your place in line. You just watch their video (https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE) to see how it works - basically they wait on hold for you and call when a real person picks up. Saved me literally hours of hold time. Might be worth it to get clear answers about exactly how your fiancé's income will affect things BEFORE you get married.

Thank you! I hadn't heard of this before. I'll check it out because I've been trying to call my worker all week with no luck. I definitely need some clear answers before we finalize our wedding plans.

Might be worht looking into the child support situation more too? If the biodad is supposed to be paying but isnt, the county can help enforce that and it might offset some of what you'll lose from the CalWORKs? You have to cooperate with child support enforcement anyway when your on CalWORKS right?

Yes, I've been working with DCSS but my ex moved to Nevada and they're having trouble enforcing it. He's supposed to pay $450/month for both kids but I haven't seen a payment in over a year. I'll definitely follow up with them again though.

One important thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - even if your CalWORKs Cash Aid is reduced or eliminated after marriage, your children should still qualify for Medi-Cal regardless of your new husband's income. The stepparent deeming rules are different for Medi-Cal than for CalWORKs.Also, you should check if you'd still qualify for CalFresh (food stamps) after marriage. The income limits are higher than for CalWORKs, and they calculate household composition differently.Lastly, be sure to ask about the transitional benefits that might be available when Cash Aid ends due to increased household income:- Transitional CalFresh (up to 5 months)- Transitional Medi-Cal (up to 12 months)- Transitional childcare assistance (up to 24 months)These programs can help ease the transition as your household adjusts to the new financial situation.

This is really helpful information, thank you! I was so focused on the Cash Aid that I hadn't even thought about how it might affect their Medi-Cal. My youngest has asthma so keeping their healthcare is absolutely essential. I'll definitely ask about all these transitional benefits.

My cousin just dealt with this. His wife has 3 kids from before they met and when they got married last year her CalWORKs got cut by like 60% but didn't go away completely. Think it depends on exactly how much he makes and how many kids you have. If your kids dad doesn't pay the child support that's supposed to be required for CalWORKs anyway how are you still getting benefits?

You can still receive CalWORKs even if the absent parent isn't paying child support. The requirement is that you cooperate with DCSS (Department of Child Support Services) in establishing paternity and pursuing support. As long as the recipient is cooperating with DCSS, they remain eligible for CalWORKs even if DCSS hasn't successfully collected support from the absent parent. There are also good cause exemptions from the cooperation requirement in certain circumstances (domestic violence situations, for example).

Thanks everyone for all this helpful info. I'm going to try using that Claimyr service to get through to my worker and get specific numbers for our situation. I'll also talk to my fiancé about how we might need to adjust our budget once we're married. We may need to postpone the wedding a few months until we figure out a better plan. I appreciate all the advice, especially about the transitional benefits I hadn't considered!

One last thing to consider - timing your marriage strategically might help. If you report the marriage near the end of your current certification period, there's sometimes less disruption. For example, if you're due for redetermination in September, getting married in August might be better than getting married in May, as they'll review everything at redetermination anyway. Just a thought to help with your planning. Wishing you all the best with your marriage regardless of when you decide to do it!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress right before what should be a happy time! I went through something similar when I got married 3 years ago. The stepparent deeming rules are real, but there's hope - my benefits were reduced rather than eliminated completely. Here's what helped me: 1) Get the exact calculation from your worker BEFORE the wedding so there are no surprises, 2) Make sure DCSS knows your ex moved to Nevada - they have interstate enforcement tools that can help, and 3) Consider if your fiancé can adjust his work schedule temporarily (like going part-time for a few months) while you increase your own hours. It's not ideal, but some couples do this strategically. Also, don't forget that your household will have more total income after marriage even if CalWORKs is reduced - sometimes the math still works out better overall. Hang in there and congratulations on your upcoming marriage! ❤️

I'm new here but wanted to share that I just went through this exact situation last month! My husband and I got married in February and I was terrified about losing my kids' CalWORKs benefits. What actually happened was more manageable than I expected - yes, they do count stepparent income, but the calculation isn't as harsh as people make it sound. They deducted $90 for my husband's personal needs, plus his car payment and health insurance costs. After all the deductions, only about 60% of his remaining income counted toward our household. Our Cash Aid went from $723 to $385 monthly, but we didn't lose it completely. The key is being proactive - I called using that Claimyr service someone mentioned (it really works!) and got exact numbers before the wedding. Also make sure to ask about the Earned Income Disregard if your fiancé is working - they don't count the first $225 of earned income plus half of the rest. Don't let fear ruin your happiness! Get the real numbers and plan accordingly. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! 💕

I understand how overwhelming this must feel! I'm a CalWORKs recipient myself and went through a similar situation when I moved in with my partner last year. While the stepparent deeming rules are real, I wanted to add that you should also ask your worker about the "deprivation" requirements for CalWORKs. Sometimes when you marry someone who isn't the biological parent, it can actually complicate the eligibility in ways that might work in your favor - the kids need to be "deprived" of support from a parent, and if your new husband has no legal obligation to them, there might be some protections. Also, definitely document everything about your ex not paying child support - that $450/month he owes could be a significant factor in your case. DCSS has interstate enforcement tools, and sometimes getting married actually motivates them to work harder on collecting from deadbeat parents because they see the family is trying to stabilize. Don't give up hope! The system is frustrating but there are often more options than the initial scary warnings suggest.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress right before your wedding! I went through something very similar when I got married two years ago. My situation was almost identical - two kids from my previous relationship and my new husband working full-time making about $18/hour. What I learned is that while stepparent deeming is real, it's not an automatic disqualification. The county has to calculate his "countable income" after various deductions. In my case, they deducted $90 for his basic needs, his car insurance, and part of our rent since he became responsible for housing costs. After all the deductions, only about half of his income actually counted against our eligibility. Our CalWORKs went from $689 to $420 monthly - a significant reduction but not elimination. We had to adjust our budget, but it was manageable especially since our overall household income increased. My advice: Call your worker ASAP to get the exact calculations for YOUR situation. Every case is different based on expenses, number of kids, and other factors. Also, make sure you understand the timing - changes usually don't take effect until the month after you report, so you have some time to plan. Don't let this fear overshadow your happiness! With proper planning, you can make it work. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! 💕

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this anxiety right before what should be such a joyful time! I've been reading through all these responses and wanted to add something that might help ease your worries a bit. While everyone's correctly mentioned that stepparent income does get counted, I noticed something important - you mentioned your fiancé makes about $19/hour at a warehouse. Depending on whether that's full-time (40 hours) or not, and what your county's current Income Reporting Threshold is, you might not be as close to losing benefits as you think. The IRT varies by county and family size, and with two kids, it's typically higher than people expect. Also, warehouse work often has variable hours - if his income fluctuates month to month, that could actually work in your favor during the calculation process. I'd definitely recommend getting those exact numbers from your worker like others suggested, but don't panic yet! The stepparent deeming calculation has so many deductions built in (his personal needs allowance, work expenses, etc.) that the "countable" income is often much lower than his gross pay. Wishing you the best with both your wedding and navigating this system! 💕

I just wanted to reach out because I'm in almost the exact same situation! I'm getting married in about 6 weeks and have been absolutely terrified about what will happen to my 3 kids' CalWORKs benefits. My fiancé works in construction making around $20/hour, and like you, he has no legal relationship to my children from my previous marriage. Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful - especially hearing from people who actually went through this and didn't lose their benefits completely. I had no idea about things like the Earned Income Disregard or all the deductions they make before calculating the "countable" income. I'm definitely going to use that Claimyr service to get through to my worker and get exact numbers for our situation. It's such a relief to know that getting married doesn't automatically mean losing everything, even though the system is definitely frustrating. Thank you for asking this question - you've helped more people than just yourself! Wishing you all the best with your wedding and hoping everything works out with the benefits! 💕

I'm so sorry you're going through this stressful situation right before your wedding! As someone who works with families navigating CalWORKs, I can confirm that stepparent deeming is real, but the situation isn't always as dire as it initially seems. When you marry, your husband's income will be considered, but the calculation involves many deductions that can significantly reduce the "countable" income. Here's what typically gets deducted from his gross income: $90 monthly personal needs allowance, work-related expenses (transportation, uniforms, tools), health insurance premiums he pays, and any child support he pays for other children. They also apply the Earned Income Disregard - the first $225 of his monthly earnings plus 50% of the remainder is excluded from the calculation. At $19/hour, if he works 40 hours weekly, that's roughly $3,040 gross monthly. After all the standard deductions and disregards, the actual "countable" income could be substantially lower - possibly around $1,200-1,400, depending on his specific expenses. With two children, you might see a reduction rather than complete elimination of benefits. I'd strongly recommend calling your worker immediately to get the exact calculation for your specific situation. Don't let fear overshadow this happy time - with proper planning, many families successfully navigate this transition. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! 💕