Will getting married affect my CalWORKs cash aid and CalFresh with 4 kids and boyfriend already on case?

Since your boyfriend is already listed on your CalWORKs case as part of the household (and I assume he's the father of some/all kids?), getting legally married won't significantly impact your CalWORKs or CalFresh benefits. The eligibility calculation is based on household composition, income, and resources - not marital status itself. What WOULD affect your benefits is if: - His income increases after marriage - He gets a job with new benefits that affect your eligibility - You receive wedding gifts that put you over the resource limit ($10,000 for CalWORKs in 2025) It's always good to report the marriage within 10 days as part of your mid-period reporting requirements, but the marriage certificate itself shouldn't change your benefit amount if nothing else changes.

Be CAREFUL!!! When my sister got married last year her benefits got cut by almost $400 even tho her husband was already living with her and on the case!! The worker said something about them considering certain income differently for married couples vs just living together. I'd call and ASK first before doing anything!!! They don't tell you these things until AFTER and then your stuck with less money!!

congrats on getting married!! me n my husband got married last yr and we already lived together with our kids. nothing changed with our calworks but make sure u report it on ur next SAR7 form. also dont forget to change ur name on ur social security card if ur changing ur name cuz that takes forever lol

I had almost the exact situation - 3 kids, boyfriend already on my case for years. We got married in 2024 and I reported it on my SAR7. Literally nothing changed with our benefits because he was already considered part of our "assistance unit" (that's what they call your household). As long as you've been honest about him living with you and his income is already reported, marriage is just paperwork as far as CalWORKs is concerned. But definitely report it within 10 days just to cover yourself. You don't want them claiming you hid information later.

When you get married you better make TRIPLE SURE you report it properly!!! I've been trying to reach my worker for 2 weeks about a change on my case and the phone line just disconnects me every time after 45+ minutes on hold. I swear they do it on purpose to avoid helping people! The system is completely broken and designed to make us fail.

Just to clarify some confusion in this thread: 1. For CalWORKs purposes, if your boyfriend is already part of your Assistance Unit (AU) and is the father of the children, getting married won't change your benefits calculation. 2. Make sure to report the marriage within 10 days as a mid-period change, even though it likely won't affect your benefit amount. You can do this through your BenefitsCal account or by calling/visiting your county office. 3. If you receive wedding gifts of significant value (cash/items), those could temporarily affect your resource limit for the month received. 4. For CalFresh (food stamps), the same principles apply - if he's already in your household and his income is counted, marriage itself won't change the calculation. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! Just report it properly and you should be fine.

what about child support? does ur bf pay child support for any other kids? cuz that can change when u get married i think

The real question is why are u still on welfare with SIX people in your household?? Thats 2 adults who could be working. My sister has 4 kids and works full time AND goes to school. Just saying.

dont forget that if ur getting married ur income reporting threshold (IRT) might change! check ur latest notice from calworks that shows ur IRT amount and make sure u know when u need to report income changes. thats usually wat causes people to lose benefits, not the marriage itself

I went through this exact same situation! My husband and I got married after living together for 3 years with our kids, and he was already on my case. The marriage didn't change our benefits at all since he was already counted as part of our household. Just make sure you report it within 10 days like everyone said - I did it through my BenefitsCal account online which was super easy. The only thing that would change your benefits is if his income changes or you get wedding money that puts you over the resource limits. Since you've been honest about everything so far, you should be totally fine! Congratulations on making it official! 💕