Why is my CalWORKs Cash Aid amount so low for a family of 3? Should I contact my worker?

Your amount does sound low for a family of 3. For 2025, the maximum grant for a family of 3 with no income is around $1,030. But here's the thing - they reduce your grant based on your income. They don't count all your income, but after applying the earned income disregards (the first $450 plus 50% of the remainder), whatever's left gets subtracted from your maximum grant. That's probably why your amount is lower. Definitely call your worker! There could also be other factors - like if they're counting child support, or if someone in your household is sanctioned or timed out. Sometimes they make calculation errors too.

u NEED 2 call them ASAP!! they did the SAME THING to me last year giving me way less than i shouldve gotten. turns out they were counting income from my ex that I wasnt even receiving!! took 3 months to fix and they owed me backpay of like $1500!!!

Are you getting CalFresh too? Sometimes people confuse the total benefit amount when adding both together. Also, is your part-time job reported correctly? If you don't report income changes they can reduce your cash aid as a penalty.

Based on what you've shared, I think I can explain what's happening with your grant amount. With your income of $1,320 per month: First $450 is disregarded: $1,320 - $450 = $870 Then they disregard 50% of remainder: $870 ÷ 2 = $435 So your countable income is $435 Maximum grant for family of 3 in 2025: $1,030 Minus your countable income: $435 Expected grant amount: $595 If you're getting $714, that's actually higher than my calculation shows. But there could be other factors I'm not aware of. Definitely call your worker and ask for a breakdown of your grant calculation. You have the right to understand exactly how your benefits are determined.

Not to get off topic but can I just say how annoying it is that they take away so much of your benefits if you're actually TRYING to work?? Like why even bother getting a job when they just cut your aid. The system is so backwards sometimes I swear

I had the EXACT same problem last month trying to figure out why my cash aid was so low! I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to my worker. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the county in less than 15 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Turns out there was a mistake on my case - they were counting my ex's income even though he hasn't lived with us for over a year! My worker fixed it and my grant went up by almost $300.

Another thing to check - are all three of you included in the cash aid case? Sometimes only the children are eligible if the parent has used up their 48-month time limit or has some kind of eligibility issue. That would also explain a lower grant amount.

I noticed you mentioned working part-time. Have you been meeting your Welfare to Work (WTW) participation requirements? If you're not meeting the required hours or haven't completed your WTW plan, they might have applied a sanction, which would reduce your grant amount. Working 15 hours per week might not be enough to meet the requirements, which are typically 20-30 hours depending on your children's ages.

After reading all these responses, I'm now wondering if MY benefits are calculated correctly! I get $890 for me and my two kids, and I make about $900 a month at my part-time job. I've never understood how they come up with these numbers.

I'm glad you got some clarity on your benefit calculation! It's so frustrating when the system seems confusing and workers don't always explain things clearly. I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now and I'm still learning how everything works. One thing I'd suggest is asking your worker for a written breakdown of your grant calculation - they're supposed to provide this if you request it. That way you have it for your records and can double-check if anything changes in the future. Also, keep copies of all your paystubs and any correspondence with the county. I learned this the hard way when they made an error on my case and I had to prove what I'd submitted. It sounds like your amount is actually calculated correctly based on what others have explained, but it never hurts to verify with your worker. Good luck getting through to them - I know how hard it can be sometimes!

This thread has been so helpful - I had no idea about the income calculation formula either! I'm a single mom with one 5-year-old and I work about 20 hours a week at $16/hour. My CalWORKs amount has always seemed random to me but now I understand there's actually a method to it. For anyone else who's confused about their benefits, I'd also recommend checking your Notice of Action (NOA) that they mail you - it usually has some breakdown of how they calculated your amount, though it's not always super clear. And if you think there's an error, definitely advocate for yourself! I had a friend who didn't report a mistake for months because she was scared they'd think she was trying to get more than she deserved, but it turned out the county actually owed her money. It's frustrating that we have to become experts in all these rules just to understand our own benefits, but at least we can help each other figure it out!

This whole conversation has been incredibly educational! I'm a single parent with two kids (ages 4 and 9) and I've been on CalWORKs for about 6 months now. Like many others here, I never really understood how they calculated my benefits and my worker didn't explain it well during my initial appointment. Reading through everyone's experiences, I realize I should probably double-check my own calculation. I work about 25 hours a week at $15/hour and get around $680 in cash aid. Based on the formula everyone's been discussing, that seems about right, but I want to make sure. What really stood out to me is how many people have had errors on their cases that went unnoticed for months. It makes me think we should all be more proactive about understanding our benefits instead of just accepting whatever amount we receive. I'm definitely going to call my worker and ask for that written breakdown that Brielle mentioned. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of information that should be more readily available to all CalWORKs recipients!