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Dmitry Smirnov

Can I get unemployment and food stamps at the same time in California?

So I got laid off from my warehouse job about six weeks ago and finally got my California EDD unemployment benefits coming in. My weekly benefit amount is decent but honestly it still doesn't cover everything especially with rent and utilities eating up most of it. Someone at my cousin's place mentioned I might be able to apply for food stamps (CalFresh) at the same time as collecting UI benefits. I wasn't sure if that was even allowed or if getting unemployment would disqualify me from CalFresh. Has anyone here actually done both at the same time? I don't want to mess up my EDD claim by applying for something I'm not supposed to.

Yes you can absolutely receive both at the same time. Unemployment benefits count as income when CalFresh calculates your eligibility, so your weekly benefit amount will be factored in, but it doesn't automatically disqualify you. California uses a net income test for CalFresh and depending on your household size, you could still qualify even while collecting UI. The income limits are based on federal poverty guidelines and a lot of unemployed people actually do get both. Just make sure when you apply for CalFresh through BenefitsCal you report your unemployment income accurately.

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Oh that's actually reassuring. I was worried EDD would flag my account or something if I applied for CalFresh at the same time.

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same, i thought u had to choose one or the other. good to know

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There's no issue with EDD flagging your account. They're completely separate systems. CalFresh is administered by your county social services department, not EDD. Just report everything honestly on both applications and you're fine.

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I was in this exact situation last year. Got laid off from a restaurant management position and my weekly UI payment wasn't cutting it at all. Applied for CalFresh about two weeks after my EDD payments started coming in. The county worker at my local DPSS office asked about all income sources and I listed my unemployment benefit amount. Got approved for a reduced CalFresh amount but it still helped a lot with groceries. The two programs work independently of each other.

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Did you apply online or go in person? I'm kind of nervous about going in person and having to explain everything.

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I did mine online through BenefitsCal.com. Way easier than going in. You upload your documents and do an interview over the phone. Took about two weeks to get approved.

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BenefitsCal is the way to go for sure. The online portal actually makes it pretty painless compared to how it used to be.

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When I was dealing with a similar situation I had a really hard time getting through to anyone at EDD to ask basic questions like this. Kept calling and getting the busy signal or getting hung up on after waiting forever. Someone on here actually told me about Claimyr (claimyr.com) which basically gets you connected to a live EDD agent way faster than trying to call yourself. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that shows how it works. I used it when I had a question about how my part time income was being counted and the agent confirmed that CalFresh wouldn't affect my UI claim at all.

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I've been trying to reach EDD for a week about a different issue with my claim. Might actually try this. Does it work for general questions or only specific issues?

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I used it for a general question and it worked fine. The agent I got was actually pretty helpful and patient which is not always the experience when you call yourself lol

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gonna look into this, edd phone lines are absolutely brutal

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seconding claimyr, used it last month when my claim got stuck and it saved me so much stress

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ok so I'm confused about something related to this. if you're getting unemployment does that mean your job search requirements are still in effect while also doing calfreesh? like do you have to report the same job searches to both programs or is it separate??

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They're tracked separately. For California EDD you need to document your job search activities and be ready to show them if audited. For CalFresh there's generally no job search requirement if you're already participating in CalWORKs or another work program, and unemployed adults have different rules. But these are two completely different programs with separate requirements. Your EDD job search log doesn't go to CalFresh and vice versa.

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oh ok that makes sense. I was imagining like some shared database where they cross check everything you do lol

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Ha the opposite problem is actually more common - people assume the programs DON'T share any info and then forget to report income to one of them. Always report your UI amount when you apply for CalFresh, that's the main thing.

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NOBODY told me I could do both when I filed for UI last year!! I struggled for like 4 months without enough food money thinking I had to wait until my unemployment ran out before I could apply for CalFresh. The EDD office never mentioned it, the website never mentioned it. This system is set up to make you fail honestly.

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same experience omg i wish i had known sooner

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Unfortunately this is a really common gap in communication. The programs are run by completely different agencies and neither one proactively tells you about the other. That's why forums like this are actually valuable - people share what they had to figure out the hard way.

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This is honestly why I came here to ask instead of waiting to find out on my own. Thank you everyone for the info.

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One thing to be aware of - when you report your CalFresh income every month or at your recertification, you need to report any changes to your unemployment. If your weekly benefit amount changes or your claim gets paused for any reason (like an adjudication period or a disqualification), you should update your CalFresh case. Income changes can affect your benefit amount and you don't want them to overpay you and then ask for it back later.

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Good point. So I should report if my EDD payments stop or change amount. What counts as a change - like if one week I earn some part time money and my UI goes down?

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Yes exactly. Any time your income changes you want to report it. Most counties want you to report changes within 10 days. For CalFresh purposes your UI payment is income even if it varies week to week so just stay on top of reporting it.

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This is really important advice. I actually had a minor CalFresh overpayment once because I didn't report fast enough when I got a temp job. They made me pay back like $80 which wasn't a huge deal but annoying.

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does anyone know if you can get medi-cal at the same time too? asking for a friend who is also unemployed

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Yes, Medi-Cal eligibility is also separate from unemployment. Being on UI doesn't disqualify you from Medi-Cal. In fact, many people get all three - UI, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal simultaneously during periods of unemployment. Medi-Cal is based on your household income and size. Apply through Covered California or BenefitsCal.

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wow okay that's actually great. thanks so much

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California actually has pretty good safety net programs compared to other places. Using all the benefits you qualify for is smart, not something to be embarrassed about.

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I applied for CalFresh while on EDD and the thing that tripped me up was not having the right documentation ready. They asked for proof of my UI award letter showing my weekly benefit amount. I had to log into UI Online and print a copy of my benefit determination letter. Just giving you a heads up to have that ready when you apply because it speeds up the process a lot.

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Oh good tip. Can you download that from the UI Online portal? I haven't actually dug around in there much beyond certifying each week.

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Yeah go to UI Online and look for the Notice of Computation or your benefit determination letter. It shows your weekly benefit amount and your maximum benefit amount. That's what CalFresh wants to see.

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Also worth knowing your EDD Customer Account Number which is on all your correspondence. Some county offices ask for that when verifying your UI status.

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just want to add that the CalFresh application is actually not as scary as it sounds. I was super anxious about it but the BenefitsCal website walks you through everything step by step. The phone interview is short and they're not trying to trick you or anything. Just answer honestly about your income and household.

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That's reassuring because I've been putting it off because I thought it would be this huge complicated process.

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I put it off for weeks for the same reason and then it took me maybe 30 minutes to fill out the form. Don't wait like I did!

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My sister told me that if you get CalFresh it goes on some kind of public record and future employers can see it. Is that actually true?? I don't want anything messing up future job applications

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That is not true at all. CalFresh records are confidential and protected under both state and federal law. Employers cannot access your benefit history through any kind of background check. This is a really common myth that unfortunately stops people from getting help they're entitled to.

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Oh wow okay I'm glad I asked. My sister was very sure about this but clearly wrong.

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This myth keeps a lot of people from applying. Public benefits information is strictly confidential. No employer background check accesses this data. Please tell your sister too so she doesn't pass this on to others who might need help.

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genuine question - what if my unemployment claim is in adjudication right now and I haven't actually received any payments yet. can i still apply for calfreesh and what income do i put?

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Great question. If your claim is in adjudication and you haven't received any payments, you would report zero unemployment income for now. Once your claim is approved and payments start, you'd report that as income at your next CalFresh renewal or as a change. Some counties may want a letter explaining your pending claim status. You should still apply now rather than waiting because CalFresh can take a couple weeks to process anyway.

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okay that actually makes sense. my claim has been in adjudication for almost three weeks and I'm really struggling so I'll apply now

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Three weeks in adjudication is brutal. I hope yours resolves soon. Did you call EDD to find out why it's held up?

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i've tried calling like eight times and can't get through

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For the person above stuck on the phone - seriously try Claimyr. I know I mentioned it earlier but three weeks in adjudication with no payments coming in is exactly the situation where you need to actually talk to someone at EDD. The website at claimyr.com has the info and there's a video showing the whole process at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10. Getting a live agent was the only way I got my adjudication hold explained and resolved.

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just checked out the video. might actually try this today because I'm getting desperate

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Yeah adjudication with no payment is stressful. I hope you get it sorted out soon.

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this whole thread is really helpful. one more thing i was wondering - does receiving unemployment affect how much calFresh you get? like does it reduce it a lot?

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Yes, your UI benefits count as unearned income in the CalFresh calculation. Generally for every additional dollar of income, CalFresh benefits are reduced by about 30 cents. So it does reduce your benefit amount but typically doesn't eliminate it entirely unless your income is quite high relative to your household size. The CalFresh maximum monthly benefit for a single person household in 2025 is around $292, and most unemployed single people on UI still qualify for at least some portion of that.

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ok so it's not like a dollar for dollar reduction. that's actually better than i expected

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Right, it's definitely worth applying even if you think your UI income might reduce the amount. Even a smaller CalFresh benefit adds up over months.

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One practical thing I want to add: when you certify for your weekly EDD claim, your job search activities are documented there. Being on CalFresh doesn't change those requirements at all. You still need to complete your required job search contacts per week and be available for work. I've seen people get confused thinking that if they're getting other benefits they can ease up on job searching but that's not how UI works.

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Good reminder. I've been doing my job searches every week and logging them. Wasn't planning to stop just because I might also get CalFresh.

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wait how many job search contacts are required per week for california edd right now?

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Currently the standard requirement is three job search activities per week for most claimants. But it can vary depending on whether you have any special status like standby or are in an approved training program. Your UI Online account should show your specific requirements.

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I went through this last spring and just want to share what my timeline looked like for anyone reading this later. Filed for EDD unemployment March 3rd, first payment came March 24th. Applied for CalFresh March 18th before I even had the first UI payment. CalFresh phone interview was March 26th. Got approved April 2nd. So both were running at the same time by early April. The CalFresh worker was very familiar with people on EDD and it wasn't weird or complicated at all.

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This is super helpful to see the actual timeline. Makes me feel better about starting the CalFresh application now rather than waiting.

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This is exactly the kind of real info that's hard to find. Thanks for sharing this

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three weeks start to finish for CalFresh approval is not bad at all

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Slightly off topic but reading this thread made me realize I never applied for CalFresh when I was on UI two years ago and I definitely qualified. Ugh. Anyway for the OP definitely apply ASAP, don't leave benefits on the table that you're entitled to.

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Yeah that's kind of what I was afraid of - losing out on benefits just because I didn't know I could have both. Really glad I asked here.

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Same happened to me as I mentioned above. It's genuinely frustrating that this information isn't front and center when you file for UI.

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Also wanted to mention - if you're struggling to get answers from EDD about your specific claim situation while you're sorting out the CalFresh stuff, claimyr.com is genuinely useful for cutting through the phone wait time nightmare. I've used it twice now. It's not just for adjudication issues, any question you need answered by a live EDD agent. Check the demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 first so you know what to expect.

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I ended up trying it after seeing it mentioned earlier in this thread. It worked, finally got through to someone at EDD after days of failed attempts. Not going to say more than that but it did what it said it would

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okay adding this to my list of resources. edd phone access is legitimately one of the most frustrating parts of this whole process

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Final summary for anyone finding this thread in a search: Yes, you can receive California EDD unemployment benefits and CalFresh food assistance at the same time. Your UI weekly benefit amount counts as income in the CalFresh eligibility calculation but does not automatically disqualify you. Apply through BenefitsCal.com, report your unemployment income honestly, and update your case when your income changes. The two programs are run by completely separate agencies and one does not affect your eligibility for the other in any disqualifying way.

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Thank you, this is a perfect summary. I'm going to start my CalFresh application today.

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Great summary. I'd also add - check out Medi-Cal at the same time if you lost employer health coverage when you got laid off. Three programs, all available simultaneously for people in this situation.

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Good call on the Medi-Cal reminder. I got all three when I was laid off and it genuinely helped me stay afloat until I found a new job.

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