What happens if I exceed my CalWORKs IRT and don't report within 10 days? Penalties?

You need to report it ASAP, even though it's past the 10-day reporting window. When you go over your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold), you're required to report it within 10 days from when you received the income. Since you didn't report in time, a few things could happen: 1. Your Cash Aid will be recalculated for the month you went over IRT and any following months 2. You'll likely get an overpayment notice for any excess benefits you received 3. They probably won't discontinue your case completely, but your benefits will be reduced based on the new income The county can also assess a penalty for not reporting on time, but they usually don't unless they think it was intentional fraud. The sooner you report, the better it looks. Call them today if possible.

samee thing happened to me last month lol. I went like $600 over my IRT and didnt report til they caught it at my SAR7 review. They hit me with an overpaymnt but didnt stop my cash aid completely. Just make sure u report it before they catch it themself!!

Going over your IRT without timely reporting can have several consequences: - For Cash Aid: They'll recalculate your grant amount based on your actual income - Your benefits will likely be reduced for the month you went over and possibly future months - You'll get an overpayment notice for the difference between what you received and what you should have received - They'll typically recover the overpayment by reducing future benefits by 10% What's important is that you report it now, even though it's late. The county uses a "recipient error" classification for late reporting, which is less severe than withholding information intentionally. If this is your first time, they're usually understanding. Also, check if you're close to your IRT or significantly over - the exact consequences can depend on by how much you exceeded the threshold.

when i went over my IRT they punished me by cutting my benefits for like 3 months, it was awful!!! they said i committed "intentional program violation" because i waited too long!!! DONT TRUST THE COUNTY they will try to say you did fraud!!!

Have you tried calling your caseworker? I spent 3 days trying to get through to my county office about a similar issue last month. The wait times were insane and I kept getting disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me skip the phone queue. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE showing how it works. It was worth it because I needed to talk to someone directly about my late reporting situation rather than just submitting a form.

One thing to know is that the consequences depend on whether this is considered an "Administrative Error" (AE) or "Inadvertent Household Error" (IHE). Since it's your first time and you're reporting it (even though late), it'll likely be IHE. The county will calculate how much you were overpaid and send you a Notice of Action (NOA). They'll recover the overpayment by reducing your future Cash Aid by up to 10% of your monthly grant. If you're no longer on CalWORKs when they discover the overpayment, they might send you a demand letter for repayment. If your new income makes you ineligible for CalWORKs, they'll discontinue your case, but you might still qualify for CalFresh and Medi-Cal, so make sure to check those programs too.

dont forget to check if the extra money actually puts u over IRT! your IRT should be on your last approval notice, its usually 130% of your MAP (maximum aid payment). if your gross income for the month is still under that number, you dont even need to report it until your next SAR7

Update: I called the county office (finally got through!) and reported the income. They said since I came forward myself before they discovered it, they're treating it as an inadvertent error. My Cash Aid will be reduced for the next 2 months to recover the overpayment, but my case won't be discontinued. They're sending me a Notice of Action with the exact calculations. Thanks for all your help - I was panicking over this!

make sure u ask them exactly how they calculated ur overpayment!!! they made a mistake on mine and i had to appeal! im serious the county workers make mistakes all the time and u need to check there math!!

Great to hear it worked out! For anyone else reading this thread, Alexander's experience shows how important it is to self-report even when you're late. The county really does treat self-reporting more favorably than discovering unreported income during reviews. Just a few additional tips for others in similar situations: - Keep documentation of when you received the income and when you reported it - Ask for a case note or reference number when you call to report - If you're having trouble getting through by phone, you can also report income changes through your county's online portal or by visiting the office in person The fact that they're only doing a 2-month reduction to recover the overpayment is actually pretty reasonable - it shows they recognized this was an honest mistake rather than intentional fraud.

Just wanted to add that if you're worried about future situations like this, you can also report income changes through the BenefitsCal website or mobile app - sometimes it's faster than calling. The system will automatically calculate whether you've exceeded your IRT and guide you through the reporting process. Also, if you know you're going to have irregular income from side work, you might want to ask your caseworker about reporting it prospectively when possible. Some counties allow you to report expected income increases before you receive them, which can help you avoid the 10-day reporting deadline stress. Glad everything worked out for you! Your experience will definitely help other people who find themselves in similar situations.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who's been through this exact situation multiple times. The key thing everyone's mentioned is absolutely true - self-reporting, even when late, makes a huge difference in how they handle it. One thing I learned the hard way is to always ask for written confirmation when you report income changes over the phone. Sometimes there can be miscommunication about dates or amounts, and having that documentation saved me during an appeal once. Also, if you're doing any kind of gig work or side jobs, it's worth setting up reminders on your phone for the 10-day reporting window. I use a simple calendar alert that goes off every time I get paid to remind me to check if I need to report anything. The fact that your case worker was understanding about this being your first time shows that most county staff recognize these situations happen to good faith recipients. It's when people repeatedly fail to report or seem to be hiding income that they get really strict about penalties.

I'm so glad you got this sorted out! Your experience is really valuable for others who might find themselves in the same boat. It's reassuring to see that being proactive and honest about reporting late income changes really does make a difference in how the county handles things. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation - don't let fear of penalties stop you from reporting. As Alexander's case shows, the consequences of self-reporting (even late) are much more manageable than what happens if they discover unreported income during a review. A temporary reduction to recover overpayments is way better than facing potential fraud allegations. Also worth noting that this thread has some great practical advice - from checking your actual IRT amount on your Notice of Action, to using online reporting tools, to setting up reminders for the 10-day window. These are all things that can help prevent this situation from happening again. Thanks for sharing your update and helping the community learn from your experience!

This is such a helpful thread! As someone who's also dealing with irregular income from freelance work, I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and practical advice. Alexander, I'm so glad you got this resolved without major penalties - it gives me hope that the system can be reasonable when people are honest about their mistakes. I wanted to add one more tip that my caseworker mentioned to me: if you're expecting to have ongoing irregular income, you can ask about getting your reporting requirements changed. Some people with fluctuating income can get approval to report monthly instead of just when they hit the IRT threshold. It might be worth asking about if your side job is going to continue. Also, for anyone who's nervous about calling the county office (like I was), most counties now have walk-in hours where you can report changes in person without an appointment. Sometimes it's easier than dealing with long phone wait times, especially if you have documents to show. Thanks again to everyone who shared their knowledge here - this community is so valuable for navigating these complex benefit rules!

Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really eye-opening! I'm currently on CalWORKs and do some occasional babysitting for extra money, so this whole discussion about IRT and reporting requirements is super relevant for me. Alexander, I'm really glad everything worked out for you - it sounds like being upfront about the late reporting made all the difference. The fact that they treated it as an inadvertent error rather than something more serious shows that honesty really does pay off. I had no idea about so many of these details, like the difference between recipient error and intentional program violations, or that you can sometimes get modified reporting requirements for irregular income. The practical tips people have shared are gold - especially the phone reminders for the 10-day window and asking for written confirmation when reporting over the phone. One question for anyone who might know: if you're doing cash babysitting jobs (like $50-100 here and there), do those count toward your IRT the same way as regular employment income? I've been keeping track of everything just in case, but I'm not totally clear on how cash payments from informal work get calculated. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - this thread is going to help so many people navigate these situations!

This entire thread has been incredibly valuable! As someone who's relatively new to CalWORKs, I had so many misconceptions about income reporting and penalties. Alexander, your situation really highlights how important it is to report changes even when you're late - the difference between self-reporting and having them discover it during a review seems huge. What really stands out to me is how the community here has shared so many practical strategies that you just don't get from the official materials - things like setting phone reminders for the 10-day window, asking for reference numbers when reporting by phone, and even requesting modified reporting schedules for irregular income. I'm especially grateful for the clarification about cash work counting toward IRT. I do some occasional tutoring and wasn't sure how strictly that needed to be tracked, but now I understand it all counts the same way. The tip about keeping detailed records of cash payments is something I'm definitely going to start doing. It's also reassuring to see that county workers can be understanding when people are acting in good faith. Reading everyone's experiences gives me confidence that if I ever make a mistake with reporting, being honest and proactive is the way to go. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences here!

This whole discussion has been so educational and reassuring! I'm currently receiving CalWORKs benefits and do some part-time cleaning work that varies month to month, so understanding IRT reporting has been really stressful for me. Alexander, I'm so glad you shared your experience and that it worked out well - it really shows that being honest and proactive makes a huge difference. The fact that they treated it as an inadvertent error rather than something more serious gives me hope that the system can be fair when people are trying to do the right thing. Reading through everyone's advice, I'm realizing I need to be much more organized about tracking my income and understanding my specific IRT threshold. I've been kind of winging it and just hoping I don't go over, but that's clearly not a good strategy. The tips about setting up phone reminders for the 10-day reporting window and keeping detailed records of all income are things I'm going to start doing immediately. I also had no idea about some of the options people mentioned, like requesting modified reporting requirements for irregular income or being able to report expected income changes before receiving them. These could be game-changers for people like me who never know exactly when or how much they'll earn from week to week. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - this community is incredibly valuable for navigating these complex benefit rules!

I'm really glad this thread exists and that Alexander shared his experience! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for about a year now, I've learned so much from reading everyone's responses. The practical advice here is invaluable - especially the tips about setting phone reminders, keeping detailed records, and asking for written confirmation when reporting. One thing I wanted to add is that if you're dealing with anxiety about potentially going over your IRT (like I do), it can help to calculate your monthly income limit ahead of time and keep that number somewhere visible. I wrote mine on a sticky note on my bathroom mirror so I see it every day. That way, when I get any payment, I immediately know if it's going to put me over the threshold. Also, for anyone who struggles with phone anxiety like I do, most counties now have text messaging services where they'll send you reminders about reporting deadlines and other important dates. You can usually sign up for these through your county's website or by asking your caseworker. It's been really helpful for me to get those automated reminders. The community support in this thread is amazing - it's so much easier to navigate these systems when people share their real experiences and practical solutions!

This thread has been such a goldmine of practical information! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs a few months ago, I had no idea about so many of these nuances - like the difference between self-reporting late versus having them discover unreported income during reviews, or that you can potentially request modified reporting schedules for irregular income. Alexander, your experience really shows how much difference honesty and being proactive can make, even when you're late with reporting. The fact that they classified it as inadvertent error rather than something more serious is really encouraging for others who might find themselves in similar situations. What strikes me most about this discussion is all the practical strategies people have shared that you just don't get from the official materials - the phone reminders, keeping detailed cash work records, writing your IRT limit on a sticky note, asking for reference numbers when calling. These are the real-world tips that make managing these requirements actually doable. I'm definitely going to implement several of these suggestions, especially setting up those automated reminders and being more systematic about tracking any irregular income. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge - this community support makes navigating benefit requirements so much less overwhelming!

This thread has been incredibly helpful for someone like me who's new to CalWORKs! I just got approved last month and have been really anxious about accidentally messing up the reporting requirements. Alexander, your experience shows that even when things go wrong, being honest and proactive can lead to reasonable outcomes. I do some occasional dog walking for neighbors and wasn't sure how strictly I needed to track that income, but after reading everyone's advice, I realize I need to treat it just like any other earned income. The practical tips shared here are amazing - especially the idea of setting phone reminders for the 10-day reporting window and writing your IRT limit somewhere visible. What really stands out to me is how different counties can handle these situations, but the consistent theme seems to be that self-reporting (even late) is always better than waiting for them to discover it. I'm definitely going to ask my caseworker about the text reminder services and possibly modifying my reporting schedule since my dog walking income is pretty irregular. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive space to share real experiences and practical advice!

I've been following this thread as someone who also receives CalWORKs benefits, and I just wanted to say how helpful everyone's advice has been! Alexander, I'm really glad you got this resolved without major penalties - it gives me confidence that the county can be reasonable when people are honest about their mistakes. One thing I wanted to add based on my experience: when you do get that Notice of Action with the overpayment calculation, make sure to read through it carefully and keep a copy for your records. I had a situation last year where there was actually an error in how they calculated my overpayment (they didn't account for some allowable deductions), and having that documentation helped me appeal successfully. Also, for anyone reading this who might be nervous about calling the county office - I've found that calling first thing in the morning (like right when they open) or later in the afternoon tends to have shorter wait times than calling during lunch hours. And definitely ask for that reference number or case note like others have mentioned! This community is so valuable for sharing real-world experiences that help us all navigate these systems better. Thanks to everyone for the great advice!