What's the CalWORKs income limit for a household of 2 before benefits stop?

Congrats on the job offer! For a household of 2, the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) is what matters most. As of 2025, for CalWORKs, a 2-person household can generally earn up to about $2,108 in gross monthly income before benefits completely stop. But before that happens, your benefits will gradually decrease as your income increases. At $17/hr for 25 hours weekly, you'd make around $1,836 monthly before taxes. You'd likely still qualify for some Cash Aid, but it would be reduced. This is actually good because when you're working, you also get to keep more of your earnings through earned income disregards - they don't count the first $450 of your earnings plus 50% of the remainder when calculating your grant amount.

Be realy careful with this!!! My sister took a job last year and went over the limit by like $50 and they cut her ENTIRE benefits and she was worse off. Make SURE you calculate exacty what your getting vs what you'll lose. And dont forget you have to report income changes within 10 days on a SAR 3 form or they can say you got an overpayment and make you pay it back!!! The system is designed to trap us I swear.

I've been through this exact situation! With your job offer, you'll still qualify for some Cash Aid, but more importantly, you'll definitely still qualify for CalWORKs supportive services like childcare assistance for at least 12 months after your income goes up (it's called Transitional Child Care). One important thing: when you start working, make sure to ask your worker about the following: 1. Earned Income Disregard (they don't count all your earnings) 2. Transitional Child Care benefits 3. Transportation assistance for work 4. Work expense allowances You'll have to report this job on your next SAR-7 form, but definitely also submit a SAR-3 form right away to report this change. Take the job - you'll be better off financially with partial benefits plus work income than just on benefits alone!

I think the limit is like $1800 or something for 2 people? I'm not totally sure tho. I just know my friend got a job and they reduced her benefits but didn't stop them completely until she got a raise a few months later. It's super confusing how they calculate it all lol

When i was trying 2 reach my worker about income limits it took FIVE DAYS of calling. kept getting voicemail full messages or disconnected. finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that someone on here recommended. they got me through to a real person in like 20 mins after days of trying! worth checking out if u need immediate answers before taking the job. they have a video about how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE basically for ur situation once u start working u will get less cash aid but not zero right away. it slowly goes down as u earn more. but u actually end up with MORE money overall cuz of the income disregards. plus u keep medi-cal for a while even after cash aid ends.

I see a lot of misinformation in some of these responses. Let me clarify the exact rules: 1. For a household of 2 in 2025, the maximum income limit (after disregards) for CalWORKs is approximately $1,507 per month 2. But the important part is HOW they calculate countable income: - They disregard the first $450 of earned income - They then disregard 50% of the remaining income - ONLY THEN do they compare to the income limit So with your $17/hr × 25hrs/week job, your monthly income would be about $1,836 Minus $450 disregard = $1,386 Minus 50% of remainder ($693) = $693 countable income This $693 is what they compare to the $1,507 limit, so you would DEFINITELY still qualify for partial Cash Aid! Plus, you'd get: - Continued childcare assistance - Continued Medi-Cal - Possible transitional CalFresh benefits Take the job! You'll be MUCH better off financially.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned: When you start working, the months where you're working and still getting some CalWORKs don't count fully against your 48-month time limit! So it's definitely in your advantage to work part-time while still getting some benefits. This is called the Earned Income Time Limit Exemption. Make sure your worker applies this to your case.

I just wanted to update everyone - I took the job! After talking to my worker (finally got through), she confirmed everything that most of you said. I'll still get some Cash Aid, keep childcare benefits, and actually have more total money each month. Thanks for all the advice!

Congratulations on taking the job! That's such great news. I went through something similar about 6 months ago when I started working part-time. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of all my paystubs and any communication with my worker about how they calculated my benefits. It made the monthly reporting so much easier. Also, if you haven't already, ask your worker about any work-related expense deductions you might be eligible for - things like uniforms, transportation costs, or even childcare expenses above what they cover. Every little bit helps when you're transitioning to work while still on benefits. Hope the new job goes well for you and your daughter! It sounds like you did your research and made a smart decision.