Will my Zelle payments count as income for CalWORKs? Bank statement showing transfers

You definitely need to be prepared to explain those Zelle payments. CalWORKs counts most money you receive as income UNLESS you can show it was a loan or one-time gift. Get a signed statement from your cousin saying it was a gift specifically for your daughter's birthday and school supplies, not regular income or support. Bring any receipts showing you spent that money on what your cousin gave it for. That helps prove it wasn't just general income. When I had a similar situation, my worker initially tried counting a money transfer as income, but I was able to get it excluded after I brought a statement from the person who sent it explaining it was a one-time gift.

omg they count EVERYTHING as income its so annoying!! my mom venmod me $50 for gas once and they tried to say i needed to report it. like seriously?? how do they expect us to survive if family cant even help out a little bit without them taking away our benefits

According to CalWORKs regulations, one-time gifts are not supposed to be counted as income. But you 100% need to explain what those deposits were and have documentation ready. Here's exactly what you should do: 1. Get a signed statement from your cousin stating the exact amounts, dates, and purpose of the gifts (birthday present and school supplies) 2. If you have receipts showing you spent similar amounts on those items, gather those too 3. Bring this documentation to your redetermination and be upfront about it The key is being proactive. If you wait for them to question it, it could look like you were trying to hide something. And since these were in the past month, you technically should have reported them within 10 days if they put you over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT), even if they were gifts.

I had to deal with this last year!! My brother sent me money through cashapp for my kids christmas presents and my worker tried saying it was income!!! I brought a note from my brother and she still gave me problems. Said I needed "verification" whatever that means. SO FRUSTRATING!!

This is a common issue. To clarify the rules: CalWORKs does NOT count non-recurring gifts as income IF properly documented. But they DO need documentation. Regarding the reporting timeline: You only need to report mid-period if your total income exceeds your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). If these gifts plus your regular income didn't put you over your IRT (which is usually around 130% of your grant amount), then you're fine waiting until redetermination. At your appointment, be direct: "I received two one-time gifts from my cousin for specific purposes. Here's her statement confirming they were gifts for my daughter's birthday and school supplies." I've worked with many clients in your situation. The approach is what matters. Be forthcoming, bring documentation, and you should be fine.

Try calling your worker directly to explain BEFORE your redetermination. I had a similar situation with money my parents sent me through PayPal, and I couldn't get through on the main line for days. Ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with my worker quickly - they got me through in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for three days. The worker gave me a specific list of what documentation I'd need to prove it was a gift. Saved me from having my case delayed or benefits reduced. You can see how it works in their demo: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Worth it to get clear instructions beforehand rather than showing up uncertain and risking problems.

My friend had her grandma send her $300 for her kids bday and the county tried to count it. She had to appeal it and everything. Such a pain.

why are u even reporting ur bank statements? i never give them my full bank statements, just show income from work. they dont need to see every transaction u make, thats invasive af

To directly answer your original question: If you properly document that these were one-time gifts for specific purposes, they should NOT count as income. But the key is documentation and being upfront. Regarding whether to bring it up first: Yes, absolutely mention it proactively. Say something like: "I want to explain these Zelle transfers on my bank statement. They were one-time gifts from my cousin for specific purposes, and I have documentation to verify that." Bring a statement from your cousin (email is usually fine, but some counties might want something more formal), any receipts for the birthday present and school supplies, and be prepared to sign an affidavit if they request one. This is a common situation and shouldn't cause problems if handled correctly.

Just wanted to add that when you get the statement from your cousin, make sure it includes specific details like the exact dates, amounts, and what the money was specifically for. Something like "I sent Vera $130 on [date] as a gift for my niece's birthday present and $275 on [date] as a gift to help with school supplies." The more specific, the better. Also, if you still have the receipts from purchasing the birthday present or school supplies, definitely bring those too. It helps show that the money was used for its intended purpose rather than general living expenses. I've seen cases where having those receipts made all the difference in getting gifts properly excluded from income calculations. You've got this - being proactive and prepared is exactly the right approach!

I went through something similar a few months ago! My sister sent me $200 through Venmo for my son's school clothes and I was so worried about my redetermination. What really helped me was creating a simple timeline document that showed: - The date my sister sent the money - The date I purchased the school clothes - Photos of the receipts - A brief note from my sister explaining it was a back-to-school gift My worker actually appreciated that I was so organized about it and had everything ready to explain. She said it made her job easier because she could clearly see it was a legitimate one-time gift and not regular income. One tip - if you're having trouble reaching your worker by phone, you could also try sending a brief email or leaving a voicemail explaining the situation beforehand. That way they know what to expect and can tell you if they need any additional documentation. Good luck with your redetermination!

I've been through this exact situation! The key thing to remember is that CalWORKs workers see a lot of cases where people try to claim regular support payments as "gifts," so they're naturally going to be cautious. But legitimate one-time gifts ARE excluded from income if you can prove they were truly gifts. Here's what worked for me when my aunt sent me money for my daughter's graduation expenses: 1. I got a written statement from my aunt that included her full name, the exact amounts, dates, and specific purpose ("graduation gift for ceremony expenses") 2. I included her phone number in case they wanted to verify 3. I brought receipts showing I spent the money on graduation-related items within a reasonable timeframe The most important thing is being completely transparent. Don't wait for them to question it - bring it up right away and have all your documentation ready. I literally started my appointment by saying "I want to explain some deposits on my bank statement" and my worker appreciated the honesty. You're doing the right thing by getting prepared ahead of time. This shouldn't affect your benefits as long as you can properly document that these were genuine one-time gifts.

I just went through my redetermination last month and had a similar issue with a cash gift from my grandmother. What really helped was being super organized about the documentation. I created a folder with: 1. A signed letter from my grandmother explaining it was a one-time gift for specific purposes 2. Screenshots of our text messages where she mentioned sending the money 3. Receipts showing how I spent the money 4. A simple one-page summary explaining everything My worker told me she could tell it was legitimate because I had everything ready to go and was upfront about it from the start. She said the text message screenshots were actually really helpful because they showed the context of why my grandmother sent the money. Don't stress too much - as long as you're honest and prepared with documentation, you should be fine. The workers deal with this kind of situation all the time and they can usually tell the difference between genuine one-time gifts and people trying to hide regular income. Good luck with your appointment!

I completely understand your anxiety about this! I've been in a similar situation and it worked out fine once I had proper documentation. Here's what I learned that might help you: The good news is that legitimate one-time gifts from family members are NOT supposed to count as income for CalWORKs. But you absolutely need to be proactive about explaining them. For your situation, I'd recommend: 1. Contact your cousin ASAP and ask for a simple written statement (even an email works) that includes the exact dates, amounts ($130 and $275), and specifically states these were one-time gifts for your daughter's birthday present and school supplies. 2. Gather any receipts you have for the birthday present and school supplies to show the money was used for its intended purpose. 3. At your redetermination appointment, bring up these transfers immediately. Say something like: "I want to explain these Zelle deposits on my bank statement. They were one-time gifts from my cousin for specific purposes, and I have documentation." 4. If you have any text messages between you and your cousin discussing the gifts, bring screenshots of those too - they help show the context. Don't worry about looking suspicious by bringing it up first. Workers actually appreciate when people are upfront and organized about explaining their financial situation. It shows you're being honest and makes their job easier. You've got this! Being prepared with documentation is exactly the right approach.

I've been following this thread and wanted to share something that might help ease your mind a bit. I went through a very similar situation about 6 months ago when my brother sent me money through Cash App to help with my son's sports equipment ($180) and then later for groceries when I was short that month ($95). I was terrified they'd count it as income, but here's what happened: I came to my redetermination with a simple handwritten note from my brother explaining what the money was for, plus I had kept the receipts from Dick's Sporting Goods for the equipment. My worker looked at everything for maybe 2 minutes, made a copy of the note and receipts, and said "okay, these are clearly documented one-time gifts, they won't affect your benefits." The whole thing took less time than I spent worrying about it! What really seemed to matter was that I was prepared and honest about it upfront. She even told me that what gets people in trouble is when they try to hide transfers or can't explain what they were for when asked. Your situation sounds even more straightforward since you have specific purposes (birthday and school supplies) and it was from family. Don't let the stress eat at you - just get that documentation from your cousin and be upfront about it. You're handling this exactly right!

I went through something very similar last year! My mom sent me $200 through Zelle to help with my daughter's winter clothes and I was so worried about my redetermination. What really helped was that I immediately contacted my mom and asked her to write a simple statement explaining it was a one-time gift for winter clothing. Here's exactly what I did that worked: 1. Got a written statement from my mom with the date, amount, and specific purpose 2. Kept all the receipts from buying the winter clothes to show I used the money for what she intended 3. At my appointment, I brought it up first thing and said "I have some Zelle deposits to explain - they were one-time gifts from my mom for winter clothes" My worker actually seemed relieved that I was being upfront about it rather than waiting for her to ask. She looked at the documentation, made copies, and said it was clearly a legitimate gift that wouldn't count as income. The key is being proactive and having everything documented. Since your cousin sent the money for specific purposes (birthday present and school supplies), you should be fine as long as you can prove that's what the money was actually used for. Get that statement from your cousin ASAP and gather any receipts you have. You're handling this exactly right by preparing ahead of time!

I'm new to CalWORKs and this thread is so helpful! I have a question related to this situation - what if the gift was sent a few months ago but I forgot to keep the receipts showing how I spent it? My grandmother sent me $300 through Venmo in December to help with Christmas presents for my kids, but I didn't think to save all the receipts from Target and other stores. I still have her text messages where she mentioned wanting to help with Christmas, and I could ask her to write a statement now, but would it hurt my case that I don't have the actual purchase receipts? My redetermination is coming up in a couple weeks and now I'm worried they'll think I used the money for something else. Has anyone dealt with missing receipts before?