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! 🍀