Will CalWORKs cut off our Cash Aid at recertification with $2000 monthly income for family of 5?

they'll probably reduce it but not cut it off completely with 3 kids. they look at your household size and income. I think for a family of 5 the income limit is higher than $2000. Make sure u bring all her paystubs to your recert interview.

Thanks, that's a relief to hear. We've been saving all her paystubs. Do you know what the exact income limit would be? The worker never explained that to us.

The income limit for a family of 5 for CalWORKs in 2025 is approximately $3,525 monthly (Maximum Income Level or MIL). Since your wife earns about $2,000, you're still under the threshold. However, they will reduce your grant amount based on her earnings.Here's how they'll calculate it:1. They'll take her gross income ($2,000)2. Subtract the earned income disregard ($550 is exempt)3. Then subtract 50% of the remaining earnings4. The resulting amount will be counted against your maximum aid paymentSo if her gross is $2,000, they'll count about $725 as countable income. Your cash grant will be reduced by that amount, but you should still receive around $475-525 in Cash Aid plus some CalFresh.Bring all paystubs to your recertification interview and explain your housing situation - there might be additional assistance available if you're at risk of homelessness.

This is EXACTLY what I needed to know!! Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly. So we'd still get some Cash Aid - that would help us so much. Our recert appointment is on the 24th, so I'll definitely bring up our housing situation.

When I had my recert they just reduced my cash aid when I started working not cut it completely off. But my worker always messed things up so they cut my benefits for 2 months bcause she said I didnt turn in my paystubs even tho I DID!!! make sure u get a RECIEPT for EVERYTHING u submit!!! And call like crazy to make sure they got it!!!

This is such important advice. Always, always get receipts for everything you submit to the county. Take photos of documents before submitting them too. I'd also recommend calling a few days after your recertification interview to confirm they have everything they need and that nothing is missing from your case.

YES and dont trust the stupid automated system either when it says everything is

what county r u in? some counties r better than others with processing the recerts fast

We're in Los Angeles County. They've been pretty slow with everything honestly. Last time it took almost 2 weeks after our interview to get approval.

I was in a similar situation when my husband got a job last year. Family of 4 with him making about $1800 a month. We still qualified for Cash Aid but it was reduced to about $380/month and our CalFresh went down to like $340. The thing is - it took them FOREVER to recalculate everything after our recert interview and we almost missed rent waiting for the reduced benefits to come through. I had to call literally 50+ times trying to get someone to help me.Honestly, I finally got through to an actual worker by using Claimyr (claimyr.com). My sister recommended it when I was freaking out about possibly being evicted. It got me past the hold times and connected to an actual person who could check on my case status. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE You'll still qualify for some aid with 3 kids but prepare for it to be reduced. And definitely follow up after your interview!

Thank you for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I'm worried about - the delay in processing after the interview. We literally can't miss a payment or we're out. I'll check out that Claimyr thing if we don't hear back quickly after the recert.

THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO KEEP U POOR!!!! they take away benefits too fast when u start working so ur stuck in the poverty trap! u start making a little money and then BOOM they cut ur benefits so ur in WORSE shape than before u had a job!!! its CRIMINAL how they treat ppl who are trying to improve there situation!!!!

for real!!! happened to my cousin too. she got a raise at work and lost her childcare assistance which cost more than the raise was worth so she had to cut her hours back down. makes no sense

This is often referred to as the \

wait i'm confused about something... you said you reported her income 3 months ago when she got the job right? shouldn't they have already adjusted your benefits based on the new income? that's what happened with me. they didn't wait until recert to change my benefit amount.

Yeah, that's what I thought would happen too! But when I called, the worker said something about SAR7 reports and mid-period reporting and since recertification was coming up anyway they would just adjust it then? The whole thing is confusing and they never explain anything clearly.

In California, CalWORKs uses a Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) system. You're only required to report certain income changes during your certification period when they exceed the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). If your wife's income didn't exceed your household's IRT (which should be listed on your last approval letter), then they would typically wait until your next SAR7 or recertification to make adjustments. If the county was aware of the income change but didn't adjust your benefits immediately, it's likely because the reported income was under your IRT. This is actually beneficial for you as it allowed you to receive the full benefits for these past few months while adjusting to your new financial situation.

so what happened? did u have ur recert appt yet? did they cut ur benefits?

Not yet, it's next week. I'll update after we find out what happens. Really appreciate all the helpful info from everyone here.

Good luck with your recert appointment next week! Just want to add that you should also ask about any transitional benefits or support services they might have available. Some counties offer short-term rental assistance or utility help for families transitioning from welfare to work. Also, if your wife's hours or income change after the recert, make sure you understand exactly when and how to report those changes so you don't run into issues later. The whole system can be overwhelming but it sounds like you're being proactive about everything which is great. Hope everything works out for your family!