Will temporary overtime pushing us over CalWORKs IRT affect benefits during recertification?

You need to report this ASAP since you went over IRT! Don't wait for recert. They'll find out anyway when you bring income verification and you could get overpayment. I learned this hard way last year. Fill out SAR 3 form right now!!!

Going over your IRT does need to be reported within 10 days of when it happens - that's the rule regardless of why your income increased. During your recertification, they'll look at your husband's income for the SAR period to determine your ongoing eligibility and benefit amount. The good news is that for your recertification, they should take into account that his income fluctuates. Make sure you explain the seasonal nature of his work and bring documentation showing how his income has varied over the past few months. They should use a reasonably anticipated income calculation rather than just the highest month. When you report going over IRT now, your benefits may be reduced for the remaining months of your current certification period, but at recertification, they can be adjusted based on what's reasonably anticipated going forward.

mine flucuates to i work at amazon. they do take it into consideration!!! bring ALL the paystubs you can. my worker looks at my average income from past 3 months for recert. the more proof you have the better!!!

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR REASONS!! This happened to me and my benefits got cut by more than half even though I explained it was just a one-time thing. County offices only look at the numbers not your situation. They'll probably count it as your new income level and you'll be stuck with reduced benefits until you can prove lower income for 2-3 months. The system is designed to cut people off!!!

You absolutely must report exceeding the IRT within 10 days - that's non-negotiable. Use the SAR 3 form or report it through BenefitsCal. For your upcoming recertification, here's what you need to bring: 1. All paystubs from the last 3-6 months showing income fluctuation 2. A letter from his employer explaining the seasonal nature of the work if possible 3. Documentation showing the bonus was one-time 4. Any other proof of why his income varies (seasonal work schedules, etc.) When they calculate benefits at recertification, they're supposed to use what's called "reasonably anticipated income" - meaning what you can realistically expect to earn in the upcoming months, not just what you earned in the past month. Be very clear with your worker about the fluctuating nature of his work. If you have trouble reaching your CalWORKs worker to discuss this, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you get through to CalWORKs phone lines without the endless wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - it saved me hours of frustration when I had a similar urgent situation with reporting income changes.

I used it when I needed to talk to someone at my county office about a similar income reporting issue last month! Seriously saved me from missing another day of work sitting on hold. The service calls you back when they have a worker on the line.

wait i'm confused, isn't CalWORKs recertification once a year??? why r u doing it so soon??

Update! I was able to report going over IRT online through BenefitsCal (didn't know I could do that!). My worker called me back this morning and was actually really helpful. She said my benefits might be reduced for July/August but at recertification they'll recalculate based on his expected future income. She told me to bring 3 months of paystubs and a note from his employer about the seasonal nature if possible. Thanks everyone for your help! I'm still nervous about the recertification but at least I know what to expect now.

So glad you got through to your worker and that she was helpful! It sounds like you're in much better hands than some of us have experienced. The fact that she proactively explained how the recertification will work differently from the temporary reduction is really encouraging. Just wanted to add - when you get that letter from your husband's employer about the seasonal work, try to get them to be as specific as possible about the typical work patterns (like "busy season typically runs X months with overtime, followed by Y months of reduced hours"). The more detailed documentation you have about the cyclical nature of his income, the stronger your case will be during recertification. You've got this! Sounds like you're doing everything right by staying on top of the reporting requirements and gathering the right documentation.

Really glad to see this worked out for you! Your experience shows how important it is to report IRT changes promptly - waiting could have made things much worse. For anyone else reading this thread, Isabella's situation is a perfect example of why documenting fluctuating income is so crucial. One thing I'd add - if your husband's employer is hesitant about writing a letter, you could also ask them to just verify on company letterhead that his position involves seasonal overtime periods. Sometimes employers are more comfortable with simple verification rather than detailed explanations. Also keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit - I always make duplicates of all documentation before my appointments just in case something gets lost in their system. Hope your recertification goes smoothly! You're clearly on the right track with all the preparation you're doing.