My CalWORKs worker miscalculated my earned income on SAR7 - what to do?

omg this happns ALL THE TIME with calworks!! my worker did this to me twice last year. they do something wierd where they average ur income or something. did u just start a new job or change hours? thats usually when they mess it up

Yes! I just started this job 2 months ago. My hours change week to week so some paystubs are higher than others. Maybe that's why they're calculating it wrong? But still doesn't explain such a big difference.

This is definitely something you need to address right away. When CalWORKs workers calculate your income, they sometimes use a method called

Thank you so much for this detailed answer. I didn't know I could request an income calculation worksheet! That would really help me understand what's going on. How do I request the state hearing? Is there a form I need to fill out?

Yes, there's a form to request a state hearing. It should have been included with your notice of action letter (it's usually on the back). You can also request one online through the CDSS website or by calling the state hearing division directly at 1-800-743-8525.For the income calculation worksheet, you can submit a request in writing to your county office. Make sure to keep a copy of all your requests and documents. Include your case number and clearly state that you're requesting the detailed income calculation used to determine your recent CalWORKs benefit amount.

ive gone thru this whole process before and let me tell you its gonna take FOREVER to get anyone to respond. the state hearing is a good idea but it takes months to schedule sometimes. best thing is try to talk to ur worker directly and explain the mistake but good luck getting thru on those county phone lines lol

Just wanted to add something about the income calculation - if you get paid bi-weekly (every 2 weeks), the county sometimes converts this to a monthly amount by multiplying your bi-weekly amount by 2.167, not just 2. This is because some months you'll get 3 paychecks instead of 2. Could that be part of the discrepancy?Also, when they do income averaging, they might be looking at a longer period than just your last 3 paystubs. They sometimes look back 3-6 months to get a better average if your income fluctuates.I had this exact issue last year and after weeks of trying to reach someone at the county office with no luck, I finally used Claimyr.com to get through. It basically calls the county for you and when someone answers, it calls your phone to connect you. You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Saved me hours of being on hold just to get disconnected.

That makes so much sense about the bi-weekly calculation! I do get paid every 2 weeks, but I didn't realize they'd calculate it that way. Still seems like the number is off though. I'll check out that Claimyr service - at this point I'm willing to try anything to actually talk to someone. Thanks!

same thing happened to my sister last month!!! the caseworker counted her overtime twice somehow and it took WEEKS to fix even tho it was clearly their mistake!!! the whole calworks system is set up to make everything as difficult as possible i swear

There's another really important thing you need to know. If you file the state hearing request within 10 days of receiving your notice of action, you can request \

I just checked and I got the notice 8 days ago, so I still have time for the \

Wanted to add one more consideration - are you reporting your GROSS income (before taxes) on your SAR7? The county uses gross income for calculations, not take-home pay. If you're looking at your net pay on your paystubs but reporting gross income, that could explain some of the difference.Also, if you recently stopped a job and started a new one, sometimes they include income from both until you verify the old job ended with a termination letter. Just another possibility to consider.

I definitely reported gross income on my SAR7. I've been on CalWORKs for almost 2 years now so I know that part. And I haven't changed jobs, just started this one 2 months ago after being unemployed for a while. That's why I'm so confused about where they got these numbers from!

just an update - any luck getting through to ur worker? i had a similar issue get resolved last month but only after i went IN PERSON to the office and refused to leave until someone looked at my paystubs right then and there. sometimes thats the only way to get action unfortunately

I tried using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and it actually worked! Got through to a worker this morning after trying for days. They're reviewing my case now and said they'll have an answer within 3 business days. I also filed for the state hearing just in case. I'll update once I hear back about whether they fix it.

did they explain why the income was wrong? was it the bi-weekly thing someone mentioned?

The worker I spoke to said there might have been a data entry error when my caseworker entered my income. Apparently, they entered one of my paystubs twice! She said she's correcting it and I should get an updated notice in the mail within 10 days. So relieved!

That's great news that you got it resolved! Data entry errors are unfortunately pretty common with CalWORKs cases. I'm glad that Claimyr service worked for you - I've been hesitant to try it but your experience makes me feel better about using it if I need to. Hopefully your corrected benefit amount will be backdated to when the error started so you don't lose out on any money you were entitled to. Thanks for updating us on what happened - this whole thread will be really helpful for other people dealing with similar income calculation issues!