Will closing my child support case affect my CalWORKs benefits?
I've been receiving CalWORKs for about 8 months now for me and my two kids (ages 4 and 7). I'm required to cooperate with child support as part of getting cash aid, and there's an open case against my ex. The thing is, we've actually been getting along better lately and he's talking about paying me directly instead of through the county. If I decide to close the child support case in the future, will I lose my CalWORKs benefits completely? Or will they just reduce the amount? I really need to keep healthcare for the kids but I'm worried about causing problems with my eligibility. Has anyone gone through this before?
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Luca Marino
Be VERY careful about this! If you close your child support case while on CalWORKs, you could lose 25% of your cash aid amount as a penalty for non-cooperation. The county requires cooperation with child support as a condition of eligibility unless you have a good cause exemption (like domestic violence). If your ex pays you directly, you'd have to report that income on your SAR7 anyway, and it would count against your grant. Plus there's no official record of payment which could cause problems for both of you later.
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Zara Malik
AuthorOh wow I didn't know about the 25% penalty! That would really hurt our budget. Is there any way around this? What if he's willing to keep the case open but still helps me out in other ways like buying clothes or school supplies directly?
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Nia Davis
my cousin tried to do this last year and ended up with so many headaches. the county reduced her grant and then when her ex stopped paying directly (which OF COURSE he did eventually) she had to restart the whole child support process from scratch. not worth it imo
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Zara Malik
AuthorThat's exactly what I'm worried about happening. Right now he's being helpful but what if that changes... then I'd be stuck without the support AND with reduced benefits.
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Mateo Perez
I work with CalWORKs recipients, and this is a common question. Here are the facts: 1. You must cooperate with child support while receiving CalWORKs unless you have a "good cause" exemption 2. Closing your case voluntarily is considered non-cooperation 3. The penalty is 25% of your cash aid amount 4. Any direct payments from your ex must be reported as income on your SAR7 5. If you report the income correctly, you'd likely see a similar reduction in benefits anyway (dollar for dollar after the first $225 of income) The advantage of keeping child support open is enforcement - if he stops paying, the county can help collect. With private payments, you have no recourse except going back to square one. If you're concerned about his willingness to pay through the system, remember that consistent payments through child support can actually help him build credit in some cases.
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Zara Malik
AuthorThank you for explaining it so clearly. If he buys things for the kids directly instead of giving me cash, do I still need to report that as income? Like if he buys school clothes or pays for an activity?
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Aisha Rahman
hey, wanted to jump in - if ur ex is suddenly being nice about paying support directly, be suspicious! my ex tried this exact thing and it was just so he could control when/if he paid. then when we had a disagreement he stopped completely and i had no proof he ever paid me anything. keep the case open with the county!!
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CosmicCrusader
This is so important!!!! Same exact thing happened to my sister. Ex convinced her to close the case, paid directly for like 3 months, then ghosted. By the time she got the county case reopened she was behind on rent and almost got evicted.
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Ethan Brown
Another option: you could apply for a good cause exemption from child support cooperation if there's any history of threats, violence, or if cooperating would somehow endanger you or your children. This would let you keep your full CalWORKs grant without the child support requirement. But it doesn't sound like that applies to your situation if you're on good terms now.
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Zara Malik
AuthorNo, there's no violence or anything like that thankfully. He just complains about the county taking fees out of what he pays and says I'd get more if he paid me directly. But after reading everyone's comments, I think keeping the official case open is safer for me and the kids.
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A P
@Ethan Brown would i qualify for their exemption. Putting child support on the dad of my two eldest kids could mean him fighting for their custody because he doesn t'want to pay it. When we lived together he would always come home drugged up or drunk and his family has history of alcoholism as well as his mother forcing his sister to sleep with moms then boyfriend. He send payments when he can, but I fear him trying to get custody of the children because he doesn t'want to pay the amount to county is asking which I personally think is too much as well 1,052(
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Yuki Yamamoto
Have you tried calling your eligibility worker to ask about this? I had a question about my case last month and spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on the county line. kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. So frustrating!! I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person in like 15 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Your worker should be able to tell you exactly how closing the child support case would affect your specific CalWORKs amount.
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Nia Davis
i used that service too! actually works unlike those stupid automated lines that just hang up on you
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Luca Marino
One more thing I forgot to mention - if you decide to keep the child support case open (which I strongly recommend), your ex can still give extra help beyond his court-ordered amount. Things like buying clothes, paying for extracurriculars, or other direct expenses for the children don't count as income you need to report as long as the money never comes to you directly. This might be a good compromise - he can feel good about helping extra while you maintain the security of an enforceable order.
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Zara Malik
AuthorThat sounds like the perfect solution! I'll talk to him about doing that instead. He can still help out extra when he wants to, but I'll have the security of keeping my benefits intact. Thank you all for the advice - definitely saved me from making a big mistake.
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Clay blendedgen
Just wanted to add - I went through something similar a few years ago. My ex also wanted to pay directly and promised it would be "easier for everyone." I'm so glad I didn't fall for it! The county child support system might seem slow sometimes, but it's designed to protect you. They keep records of every payment, they can garnish wages if he stops paying, and they can even intercept tax refunds if needed. When you're a single mom trying to make ends meet, you need that security. Your ex might have good intentions now, but situations change - people lose jobs, get remarried, move away, or just decide they don't want to pay anymore. With an official order, you have legal backing. Without it, you're completely dependent on his goodwill. Keep that case open and protect yourself and your kids!
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