Will working just ONE day per month reduce my CalWORKs Cash Aid amount ($779)?

CalWORKs does reduce your grant when you have income, but they have what's called an "earned income disregard" which means they don't count all of it. They disregard the first $225 of earned income, plus 50% of anything above that. So for your situation: - If you earn $200, that's less than $225, so NONE of it would reduce your cash aid - You'd get to keep the full $200 you earn PLUS your full $779 CalWORKs grant It's actually designed to encourage people to work part-time exactly like you're planning to do. Just make sure you report the income on your SAR7 when it's due. You're definitely better off taking that one day a month!

thts wrong info. calworks will 100% cut ur benifits even if u earn $1!! my sister lost half her cash aid last year when she started working at target even tho it was only like 15 hrs a week. dont risk it!!!

I just went through this! Any earned income under $225 is exempt and won't affect your grant amount at all. Your CalWORKs worker should have explained this during orientation but mine didn't either lol. I work 2 days a month cleaning offices and it's been fine. Like others said, just make sure you report it on your SAR7 when it's due, and KEEP YOUR PAYSTUBS! I learned that the hard way.

You don't need to report it until your next SAR7 is due (unless it puts you over the Income Reporting Threshold, but a few hundred dollars won't). I uploaded my paystubs through BenefitsCal website. Just take pics with your phone of each stub as you get them.

The information others have provided about the $225 earned income disregard is correct. This is called the "income disregard" rule, and it's one of the most beneficial parts of the CalWORKs program because it encourages work participation without immediately penalizing you. Just to add some helpful details: 1. The formula is: Disregard the first $225 of earned income, PLUS 50% of any remaining earned income 2. This means even if you started making more (say $500/month), you'd still keep a good portion of your grant 3. Working also starts your Welfare-to-Work "clock" in a positive way 4. As long as you accurately report on your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7), you won't have any issues Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder for when your SAR7 is due. Many people lose benefits simply because they forget to submit this form on time!

Correct! The system is designed to gradually reduce your grant as your income increases, not cut you off suddenly. This gives you a chance to transition toward self-sufficiency. As your income goes up, your grant goes down, but the total amount you have (earnings + grant) will be MORE than just the grant alone. For example, if you earned $500 monthly: - First $225 is disregarded completely - Remaining $275 is reduced by 50% to $137.50 - Only $137.50 would count against your grant - So your $779 grant would be reduced by $137.50 to approximately $641.50 - You'd have $500 (earnings) + $641.50 (grant) = $1,141.50 total That's significantly better than just the $779 grant alone!

i'm on calworks too and tried calling my caseworker 4 times this week with this EXACT same question and nobody will pick up or call back!!!!! so frustrating. i have a chance to work at my kids school cafeteria but only for like 2 hours a day and wondering if it's even worth it. this thread is really helpful but im still nervous about messing up my benefits somehow 😰

Be careful bout reporting. My cousin's girlfriend didnt report her income right away and ended up with an overpayment. They made her pay back like $2000!!! The system is designed to TRAP US i swear!!!

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful answers! I feel confident now to take that one day a month job without worrying about losing my cash aid. Its good to know they have that $225 disregard - i wish they explained this stuff better when we applied! Going to start looking for more part-time opportunities too since it sounds like I can actually work more and still keep some benefits while being better off overall.