How to voluntarily terminate CalWORKs benefits due to income increase - proof required?

First, congrats on the new job! To properly terminate your CalWORKs, you should submit a written statement to your county office requesting voluntary discontinuance. You can do this through BenefitsCal.com or by submitting a signed letter/statement. While technically you don't HAVE to provide income verification when voluntarily terminating, I strongly recommend you do anyway. Without proof, they might just mark it as 'failure to cooperate' which could potentially cause problems if you ever need assistance again in the future.

just call ur worker n tell them u want 2 stop ur case. thats what i did last year. they didnt even ask for proof but i gave it anyway just 2 be safe. they closed my case the same day no problems

When I had to stop my Cash Aid, I tried calling for THREE DAYS and couldn't get through to anyone!!! So frustrating! I ended up having to take time off work to go in person which was a huge hassle with my new job. The system is so broken it's ridiculous. They make it nearly impossible to do the right thing! Even when you're TRYING to save them money by stopping benefits you don't qualify for anymore!

make sure u report ur income change within 10 days even if ur terminating!!! i didnt know that rule and got hit with overpayment that i still paying back. they still expect u to report income changes even when ur trying to stop ur benefits cause of the Income Reporting Threshold rules. its stupid but thats how they do it.

My cousin terminated her CalWORKs when she got a job at Amazon and they still sent her an overpayment notice six months later! Said she didn't provide proper documentation or something. She's still fighting it. The whole system is rigged to trip people up I swear.

Make sure you think carefully about the timing. If your new income won't put you over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) immediately, you might actually be eligible for partial benefits for a month or two during your transition. CalWORKs has averaged income calculations that sometimes allow you to receive partial benefits while starting a new job. Check your most recent Notice of Action which should list your specific IRT amount. Only report if you'll go over that amount.

they want the gross income for reporting! not what u actually bring home after taxes!!! thats how they got me with an overpayment lol

also think about ur medi-cal!! when u stop calworks ur medi-cal should continue but sometimes they mess up and terminate that too. make sure u tell them u still want medi-cal reviewed separately if u need it!!

Great advice from everyone here! Just want to add - when you submit your voluntary termination request, also ask them to send you a written confirmation letter stating the exact date your benefits ended. This saved me when the county tried to claim I didn't properly terminate my case a year later. Having that official letter with their letterhead made all the difference when I had to dispute it. Also, don't forget about any remaining CalFresh (food stamps) benefits - those have different income limits and you might still qualify even if your CalWORKs cash aid stops!

Hey Megan, congratulations on the new job! Just wanted to share my recent experience with voluntary termination - I went through this exact situation 3 months ago. I submitted my termination request through BenefitsCal along with my job offer letter and first paystub as proof. The key thing I learned is to submit your termination request to be effective the day BEFORE your first paycheck, not after. This way there's no overlap period that could cause issues. Also, definitely keep screenshots of your BenefitsCal submission confirmation page - I printed mine out and it came in handy when I had questions later. The whole process took about 10 business days for them to process, and I got my confirmation letter in the mail 2 weeks after that. One more tip - if you have any pending SAR7 reports due, still submit those even after you request termination, because the case isn't officially closed until they process your request. Better to over-document than under-document with these folks!

Megan, congratulations on the new job! You're absolutely doing the right thing by being proactive about this. Just wanted to add one more important point that I learned the hard way - when you submit your termination request, make sure to specifically state in writing that you want your benefits to END on a specific date (like the day before your first paycheck as Charlotte mentioned). Don't just say you want to "report" your new income, because sometimes workers will just adjust your grant amount instead of closing the case entirely. I made that mistake and ended up getting a small CalWORKs payment I wasn't expecting, which then created an overpayment situation. Also, if you have any CalWORKs-related expenses like childcare assistance or transportation, make sure to ask about the timeline for those benefits ending too, since they sometimes have different termination procedures. The fact that you're being so careful about this process shows you'll handle it perfectly!

Megan, congratulations on your new job! You're being so responsible by planning ahead like this. I went through a similar situation last year and here's what worked for me: I submitted a written request through BenefitsCal stating "I request voluntary discontinuance of my CalWORKs case effective [specific date]" along with my job offer letter. The key is being crystal clear about wanting to TERMINATE, not just report income changes, because like others mentioned they might just reduce your grant instead of closing the case. I also called the same day I submitted online just to give them a heads up, and my worker actually appreciated that I was being proactive. One thing that really helped was asking my worker to email me a confirmation that they received my termination request - having that email timestamp proved invaluable later. Also, don't forget to ask about any work-related expenses or supportive services you might still be eligible for during your transition period. The whole process took about 2 weeks for me, and having everything documented made it completely smooth. You've got this!

Congratulations on the new job, Megan! You're being really smart about handling this proactively. I just wanted to add something that helped me when I went through this process - make sure to keep a detailed log of every interaction you have with the county office, including dates, times, and the names of anyone you speak with. I created a simple spreadsheet tracking my submission date, confirmation receipts, phone calls, and any follow-up communications. This documentation trail was incredibly helpful when I had questions later about my case closure. Also, once you get that written confirmation that your benefits have ended, keep it somewhere safe permanently - not just for a few months. I've heard stories of people needing to reference their termination documentation years later for various reasons like tax purposes or if they ever need to reapply for assistance. The fact that you're asking these questions ahead of time shows you're going to handle this perfectly!

Congratulations on your new job, Megan! You're absolutely doing the right thing by being proactive. I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago. Here's what I learned: definitely submit everything in writing through BenefitsCal rather than just calling. Use the specific language "I request voluntary discontinuance of my CalWORKs case effective [date]" - not just "reporting income change" because they might just reduce your benefits instead of closing the case. Include your job offer letter or first paystub as proof, and make sure your termination date is the day BEFORE your first paycheck to avoid any overlap. Also, ask them to confirm in writing (email is fine) that they received your request and what the expected processing timeline is. Don't forget that your Medi-Cal might continue even after CalWORKs ends, and you might still qualify for CalFresh with the higher income limits. Keep copies of everything and take screenshots of your BenefitsCal submission! The whole process took about 2 weeks for me and having everything documented made it completely smooth. You've got this!