Forgot to report investment income on CalFresh application - worried about penalty

You need to report this ASAP!!! Its not worth risking fraud charges over $480. The county WILL find out when tax seasons comes. I had a similar thing happen when I didnt report some side gig money and they made me pay back ALL my benefits plus a 30% penalty. they can even press criminal charges if they think you did it on purpose.

Take a deep breath - this is a pretty common mistake and you're clearly trying to fix it, which counts for a lot. Since you're attempting to report it voluntarily before they discover it, that shows good faith. Here's what you should do: 1) Document your attempts to report it (screenshots of calls, BenefitsCal login attempts, etc) 2) Write a dated letter explaining the situation and keep a copy for yourself 3) Deliver the letter in person to your county office and get a receipt or confirmation 4) If you can't go in person, send it certified mail so you have proof they received it The stock income might affect your benefit amount, but voluntary reporting before they discover it usually just results in an adjustment going forward, not penalties or fraud accusations. CalFresh looks at monthly income, so they'll calculate how that $480 breaks down monthly.

same thing happened to my cousin last year he forgot to put his doordash income and they made him do a phone interview to explain. they were pretty understanding since he called them first before they caught it. just keep trying to report it

I think you're overthinking this. CalFresh has something called the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) - they give you this number on your approval letter. As long as your TOTAL income doesn't go over that IRT, you don't have to report income changes until your next SAR 7 or recertification. So check what your IRT is before panicking. Also $480 over 3 months is only like $160/month which probably won't even impact your benefits that much tbh.

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach someone at the CalFresh office? I was in a similar situation last month and couldn't get through on the regular line - kept getting disconnected after waiting forever. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually calls and waits on hold for you, then connects you when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE This way you can explain directly to a worker, get it documented in their system right away, and have peace of mind. Much better than stressing about whether your letter got lost or something.

Be carful u don't get some1 who just wants to cause troble. My friend reported extra income and the worker was having a bad day or somthing and decided to do a full investigation on her case and found other small mistakes and gave her a ton of overpaymant notices! Sometimes its better to just wait till ur next SAR7 to report it.

Everyone has given good advice here. I just want to add that CalFresh does distinguish between honest mistakes and intentional fraud. The fact that you're actively trying to report this shows you're acting in good faith. Technically, since this was income that existed when you applied, you should have reported it on your application. However, stock income can be confusing since it's not like regular paychecks. When you do connect with a worker, explain that you didn't understand it counted as reportable income. If your stock earnings plus your other income still keeps you within the eligibility limits, they'll likely just adjust your benefit amount going forward. If it would have made you ineligible, they might calculate an overpayment that you'd need to repay. For future reference, the SAR 7 form (Semi-Annual Report) that you'll need to submit every 6 months requires you to report ALL income received in the report month, including investment income. Make sure to include everything on that form to avoid these issues going forward.

I'm so glad you were able to get through and resolve this! Your experience is a perfect example of why it's always better to report voluntarily rather than wait. A $42 reduction in benefits is definitely manageable compared to the stress and potential penalties you were worried about. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation - Mei's story shows that county workers are generally reasonable when you're upfront about honest mistakes. The key things that worked in her favor were: 1) trying multiple ways to report it immediately after realizing the error, 2) documenting her attempts to reach them, and 3) explaining it was an oversight rather than intentional. Thanks for updating us on how it turned out - it's really helpful for the community to see these real outcomes rather than just speculation about what might happen!

This is such a helpful thread! As someone new to CalFresh, I really appreciate seeing how this situation played out. It's reassuring to know that the county workers are understanding when you're honest about mistakes. I'm still learning about all the different types of income that need to be reported - like Fatima mentioned, investment income can definitely be confusing since it's not like regular wages. Mei, I'm so glad you got it sorted out with just a small benefit adjustment! Your experience will definitely help others who find themselves in similar situations.

As someone who works in public benefits advocacy, I want to emphasize how well you handled this situation, Mei! Your approach - immediately trying to report the error once you realized it, documenting your attempts, and being completely transparent with the county worker - is exactly what we recommend to clients. For future reference and for others reading this, here are a few key takeaways from your experience: 1) Investment income includes dividends, capital gains, and interest - even from small accounts. It all counts toward your total monthly income for CalFresh calculations. 2) The "good faith" factor really matters. Counties have discretion in how they handle reporting errors, and voluntary disclosure before discovery almost always results in better outcomes. 3) Keep records of EVERYTHING - your documentation of phone attempts and using the call service probably helped demonstrate your genuine effort to correct the mistake. 4) Don't let fear prevent you from reporting. The anxiety of not knowing is usually worse than the actual resolution. Your $42 monthly reduction is very reasonable for $160 in additional monthly income, and you avoided any fraud allegations or repayment demands. This thread is going to be incredibly valuable for others who find themselves in similar situations!

This is such an important thread for our community! As someone who's helped family members navigate CalFresh applications, I can't stress enough how common these types of oversights are - especially with investment income that people don't always think of as "regular income." Mei, you absolutely did the right thing by reporting this immediately. Your experience perfectly demonstrates why transparency and persistence pay off. The fact that you got it resolved with just a minor benefit adjustment shows the system can work fairly when you approach it honestly. For anyone else reading this who might have similar concerns, here's what I learned from helping my sister through a comparable situation: - Screenshot or write down every attempt you make to contact them (call logs, website visits, etc.) - If possible, bring someone with you to the office as a witness when reporting in person - Ask for the worker's name and get any adjustments in writing - Remember that most county workers understand these are complex applications and honest mistakes happen The anxiety around potentially making errors on these forms is so real, but threads like this show that there are reasonable paths forward when you handle things transparently. Thanks for sharing your outcome - it's going to help so many people!

What a relief to see this story end well! As someone who's been on CalFresh for about two years now, I've always been paranoid about making mistakes on my paperwork. Your experience really shows that the county workers are more reasonable than we often expect them to be. I had a similar scare last year when I realized I might have miscalculated some irregular babysitting income, but I was too scared to report it thinking they'd assume I was trying to cheat the system. Reading about how you handled this - especially the part about documenting your attempts to reach them - gives me confidence that I should have just been upfront about it. The advice about using that call service is gold too. I've wasted so many hours on hold just to get disconnected. Definitely going to bookmark that for future reference. Thanks for being brave enough to share both your mistake and the resolution. Stories like this make this community invaluable for those of us trying to navigate these systems honestly!