What's the 2025 income limit for CalWORKs for family of 3? Need to know ASAP

Congrats on the job offer! For 2025, the CalWORKs income limit for a family of 3 is around $2,472 per month (gross) in LA County. At $18/hr for 25 hours/week, you'd make about $1,950 monthly before taxes, so you should still qualify. The good news is CalWORKs has an earned income disregard - they don't count the first $450 of your earnings plus 50% of the remainder when calculating your grant amount. Your grant will go down some, but not dollar-for-dollar with what you earn. This actually helps you come out ahead financially by working.

income limits change every year just fyi. make sure you report your income on time or they'll hit you with an overpayment. happened to me last year and now i owe the county $1780 that they take out of my aid every month. you have to report within 10 days if your income goes over the IRT (income reporting threshold) they gave you on your last notice. check your paperwork!!

You need to report this job within 10 days of starting, regardless of the SAR7 timeline. Look at your last Notice of Action - there should be an amount listed as your "Income Reporting Threshold" (IRT). That said, your specific situation ($18/hr × 25 hrs = $1,950/month) should still qualify you for CalWORKs, though your grant amount will decrease. The income disregard is helpful - first $450 + 50% of remaining income isn't counted against your grant. I'd also recommend applying for CalWORKs childcare assistance right away - they'll cover childcare costs while you're working which is a HUGE help financially. Ask your worker about it when you report your job.

my family of 3 gets cash aid and i make about $2200 a month at my job and we still qualify. they reduced our cash amount but with the extra money from work we're actually better off. just make sure u report everything on time! also the childcare benefit is AMAZING they pay my daycare directly and i dont pay anything out of pocket now

I tried calling the county for MONTHS to ask about income limits when I got a job last year and could never get through. The automated system would just hang up on me after 2 hours on hold. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a worker in 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE The worker told me exactly what my new grant amount would be with my job income and helped me apply for childcare too. Saved me so much stress not having to keep calling over and over.

You should also know that working meets your Welfare to Work (WTW) requirements as long as you're working at least 20 hours per week for a single parent with a child under 6 (which applies to you since your youngest is 3). At 25 hours, you're already exceeding the minimum required hours. Also, don't forget that when your income increases, your CalFresh (food stamps) will decrease, but you'll still likely qualify for some amount. And as others mentioned, the childcare benefit is incredibly valuable - make sure to apply for it immediately when you report your job. One last thing - keep all your pay stubs! You'll need them for your SAR7 and annual recertification. I recommend taking pictures of them with your phone as backup.

Dont forget about the new diaper benefit too if your 3 year old isn't potty trained yet! Its an extra $30/month on top of your cash aid for diapers. My worker never told me about it I had to ask specifically

Am I the only one who thinks its crazy that they expect ppl to survive on these tiny amounts?? Like the income limits are so low but rent is like $2500 for a 1 bedroom apartment now. The whole system is a joke tbh

Hey Aliyah! Just wanted to add that you should also ask about the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program when you apply for childcare assistance. If there's a waitlist for regular childcare slots (which happens sometimes), this program can provide temporary funding while you wait. Also, since you're in LA County, check if your area has any local childcare resource centers - they often have lists of providers who specifically accept CalWORKs childcare payments and can help you find someone reliable. Good luck with the new job! 🍀

Just wanted to add something that might help - make sure to ask your worker about transportation assistance too! CalWORKs can sometimes help with gas money or bus passes to get to work, especially in the first few months of a new job. It's not automatic though, you have to specifically request it. Also, if your job offers any benefits like health insurance after a probationary period, you don't have to take it right away if Medi-Cal is working better for your family. You can always switch later when it makes financial sense. Congrats on the job offer - sounds like you've got a good plan to make this work! 💪

This thread is so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - just got offered a job at $16/hr for 30 hours a week with a family of 4. Reading through everyone's experiences gives me hope that I can make this work financially. One thing I wanted to add for anyone reading this - if you're nervous about reporting income changes, you can always call the customer service line and ask them to walk you through exactly how your grant will be affected BEFORE you start the job. They have to tell you the calculations. I did this last month and the worker was actually really helpful in explaining how the earned income disregard would work for my specific situation. Also @Aliyah Debovski - definitely take that job! Even if your cash aid goes down some, you'll have more stability with earned income plus all the other benefits people mentioned. And having work experience opens up opportunities for better paying jobs later. You got this! 👍

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who's been through this exact situation! I started a similar job last year ($17/hr, 28 hours/week) with 2 kids and was so worried about losing everything. What really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all my income and benefits before and after starting work. It showed me that even though my CalWORKs cash went down by about $200/month, I was still coming out ahead by almost $800/month when you factor in the earned income, plus I qualified for the childcare assistance which saved me another $400/month. One thing I wish someone had told me - don't stress too much about the exact numbers right now. The important thing is you found work and you're taking steps to improve your situation. The county workers can adjust your benefits as needed, but having that steady paycheck makes such a difference for planning and budgeting. Also, keep track of your work hours and pay stubs from day one. It makes reporting SO much easier and protects you if there are any questions later. You're making a smart move taking this job - the financial stability alone is worth it, even if the paperwork feels overwhelming at first! 🙌

One more thing that might be helpful - if you end up having any issues with your worker not processing your job report quickly or making errors with your benefit calculations, document everything! Keep copies of all forms you submit, write down dates and times of phone calls, and if possible get confirmation numbers when you report changes. I had a situation where my worker miscalculated my earned income disregard and it took 3 months to fix because I didn't have good documentation at first. Now I take photos of everything I submit and send important updates through the online portal when possible so there's a digital trail. Also, once you start working and get into a routine, consider looking into local food banks and community resources. Even with CalFresh, having access to fresh produce and pantry staples can really stretch your budget. Many food banks don't have income restrictions and are just happy to help families in the community. You're making such a smart choice taking this job - having that work history and income stability will open up so many more opportunities for you and your kids in the future! 💪