Can you get food stamps while on unemployment in California EDD?

Wait so they look at gross income and net income separately? I didn't realize there were deductions involved. My rent is $1,400 a month so that shelter deduction might actually help me qualify.

This is really good info, I had no idea there were deductions that could help. I assumed if your UI was over the limit you were just automatically out.

Yeah the shelter deduction is huge for people in California because rent is so expensive. That deduction alone can make a lot of people eligible who otherwise wouldn't be based on gross income alone.

$112 is still something honestly. Did they ask for documentation of your UI payments or did they just pull that from state records somehow?

they asked me to upload my UI award letter from the EDD portal, i just took a screenshot of my benefit details page and uploaded it and that was enough

I've been having the same problem trying to get through to EDD about stuff like this. Might check out that Claimyr service, the phone situation is genuinely awful.

I've heard of that service, did it actually work for you? I'm always skeptical of stuff like that

Yeah it worked for me. I was skeptical too but at that point I'd been trying to call for three days straight and getting the high call volume message every single time. Got a callback and talked to an actual person which answered all my questions.

ugh the EDD phone system is the WORST. good to know there are alternatives

Omg I was literally worried about exactly this. Thank you for clarifying. I thought applying for CalFresh might flag my unemployment account somehow.

Nope completely separate systems. The only connection is that your UI income gets reported to CalFresh for their income calculation, but EDD itself doesn't even know you applied for CalFresh.

This is really reassuring, I was low-key worried about the same thing

This breakdown is exactly what I needed. So the standard deduction comes off first then they look at shelter costs? I'm going to run through the pre-screening tool tonight.

saving this comment for later, super helpful breakdown

Good breakdown. One addition - if you have any medical expenses over $35/month (for elderly or disabled household members) there's an additional medical deduction. Not relevant for most people but worth knowing.

Do they count the full weekly benefit or is it after taxes? I have 10% withheld from my UI for federal taxes

Ugh that's annoying but good to know. Thanks for clarifying

wait that seems unfair if the money is already being withheld and you never see it

I know it seems that way but the logic is that it's voluntary withholding you chose to set up, similar to how they'd count wages before voluntary deductions. The tax withholding from UI is optional so it's treated as if you have access to that money.

That's actually a really practical way to think about it - even if it reduces it doesn't necessarily eliminate it. Every bit helps when you're between jobs.

Exactly. And the application process for reducing benefits when your income changes is pretty straightforward, they just ask you to report the change through BenefitsCal.

Oh gosh good reminder. I've been so stressed about the food situation I can almost imagine losing track of my certification deadline.

This happened to my sister, she missed a week of certification because she was dealing with other stuff and lost that week's benefits. EDD doesn't give you a lot of grace on that deadline.

Yeah EDD will not cut you any slack on certification timing. Set a phone alarm for your certification window every single week.

Thank you for this, I would have probably clicked on the wrong category. Is there a label that says specifically unemployment insurance or is it just 'government benefits' type of thing?

It should have an option specifically for unemployment benefits or unemployment insurance. BenefitsCal has gotten more specific with their dropdowns in recent updates so it should be pretty clear. If you're unsure their online chat support is actually pretty responsive.

yeah i remember seeing a specific unemployment option when i applied, it wasnt buried or anything

Does Claimyr work for like general questions or only for specific claim issues?

From my experience the agent I reached could answer general policy questions too, not just specific claim problems. They're just regular EDD phone agents so whatever you'd normally ask them.

I've used it for a status check and it worked fine. The key thing is you actually talk to a real EDD employee, not a Claimyr rep, so you get actual official information.

LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance) and CalFresh are actually linked in a good way - if you're already receiving CalFresh you're often automatically income-qualified for LIHEAP without having to reprove your income. It's called categorical eligibility. So having CalFresh can actually make the LIHEAP process easier.

Oh wow that's the opposite of what I was worried about. I thought having one program would somehow disqualify me from another.

Yeah the system is designed to coordinate benefits, not have them block each other. Getting CalFresh can open doors to other assistance rather than close them.

Thank you for saying this. I've had this exact feeling and it's been part of why I've been dragging my feet on applying.

I get it. But honestly the eligibility rules exist for a reason and if you qualify you qualify. That's not charity that's a program functioning as designed.

Same, I felt weird about it at first too. But CalFresh especially is a program that's meant to bridge exactly these gaps. There's nothing to feel guilty about.

This needed to be said honestly

That's a myth that gets passed around a lot. UI income is treated as unearned income for CalFresh purposes but it doesn't automatically disqualify you. The income limits and deductions determine eligibility, not the source of income itself.

Definitely a misconception. The confusion probably comes from the fact that if someone's UI benefit is high enough they might exceed the income limit anyway, so people assume UI = automatic disqualification when really it's just an income question.

Oh okay that makes way more sense. I've been telling people the wrong thing this whole time lol

I do have a roommate but we definitely buy our own food separately. Good to know that shouldn't affect my application.

This is correct. The household definition for CalFresh is about who you customarily purchase and prepare food WITH, not just who you live with. Separate grocery situation = separate household for CalFresh.

This is the push I needed honestly. Going to do the pre-screener tonight.

THIS. I waited way too long because I was scared of the process and it turned out to be way simpler than I expected.

I did the pre-screener last night! It said I likely qualify for about $87/month after accounting for my shelter costs. Not a ton but I'm submitting the full application this week. Thanks everyone in this thread, you all gave me the info and confidence to actually go through with it.

That's great news! $87/month is definitely worth a 30-minute application. Good luck with the full application process.

nice!! glad it worked out, thats like $87 worth of groceries you wouldnt have had otherwise

Great outcome. And remember if you ever need to get EDD on the phone to clarify anything about your UI income being reported correctly, claimyr.com is there for when the regular phone lines are impossible. Good luck with everything.

Really important add. The SUA in California is pretty significant - I believe it's around $547/month for the full SUA (if you pay heating/cooling costs). That deduction alone can make a substantial difference in the net income calculation.

I do pay my own electric and gas so this should apply to me. Really glad this thread got so detailed, I feel way more prepared going into the application.

didn't know about this either, adding it to my notes for when I apply