As part of keeping your CalFresh benefits, you are required by law to report any changes to your household income that may impact your continuous eligibility for SNAP or affect how much in CalFresh benefits you receive. CalFresh income change reporting requirements are set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is the federal agency with oversight over the food stamps program.
In this post, we will explain in detail the income changes that have to be reported to your CalFresh office and how soon you have to do that.
Additionally, we will prove the options available for reporting CalFresh income changes.
Lastly, we will show the 2022/2023 Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) Chart for CalFresh.
CalFresh Income Reporting Requirements
CalFresh recipients are typically required to complete a yearly recertification and a semi-annual reporting process starting with a packet received by mail.
These processes may be completed by phone, online, by mail, fax, or in person.
Additionally, CalFresh beneficiaries are required to report certain changes within 10 days rather than waiting for the semi-annual or annual renewal process, such as:
- Income increases above a certain amount
- If you are an Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD), you must report when you work less than 20 hours a week or when your training hours drop to less than 20 hours a week or 80 hours a month.
Special Rules for Households with Elderly or Disabled Persons
If your household has one elderly and/or a member with a disability who does not have earned income, you will need to recertify once every 24 months.
If your household consists only of elderly and/or members with disabilities who do not have earned income, you will need to recertify once every 36 months.
You will also need to complete a semi-annual report (SAR7) annually.
CalFresh Income Change Reporting
Your county CalFresh office will give you more information about when you have to report increases in income.
If your income went up and you aren’t sure if you need to report changes, you can call your county to get more information.
How do I Download the CalFresh Change Reporting Form?
Because you get Cash Aid OR CalFresh, you must report within 10 days when your TOTAL income reaches a certain level.
You must report anytime your household’s total monthly income is more than your current Income Reporting Threshold (IRT).
CalFresh provides the option to report income changes using a form. Click here for the CalFresh Income Change Reporting form.
Can I Report CalFresh Income Change over the Phone?
Yes, most counties allow you to report CalFresh changes in income over the phone. Call your county to get more information.
How do I Report CalFresh Income Change Online?
Here’s how to report CalFresh changes online.
Depending on your county of residence, you will have to use the following options to report CalFresh income changes online:
Here are the options:
BenefitsCal
If your county uses BenefitsCal, the video below provides a quick summary of how to report your CalFresh income changes online.
MyBenefits Calwin
If your county uses MyBenefits Calwin, the video below provides a quick summary of how to report your CalFresh income changes online.
Note that counties that previously used the C4Yourself portal or the YourBenefitsNow website have since moved migrated to using the BenefitsCal portal.
What is the CalFresh Income Reporting Threshold (IRT)?
Here’s how to find your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) for CalFresh.
If everyone in your household is on your CalFresh case, your IRT limit is based on your household size. Find your family size on the IRT chart to see your IRT limit.
Next, compare your monthly gross income to your IRT limit.
If your gross monthly income is above the IRT amount you must report this change in your gross income to the county CalFresh office within 10 days.
However, if your gross income is below your IRT limit you can wait until your next semiannual report or recertification to tell us.
CalFresh IRT Chart – 2022/2023
Here’s the CalFresh Income Reporting Threshold table for 2022/2023:
Find your household size on the IRT chart to see your IRT limit.
CalFresh Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) Chart for 2023 | |
Household Size | Gross Monthly Income Eligibility Limits / IRT for SAR Households |
1 | $1,473 |
2 | $1,984 |
3 | $2,495 |
4 | $3,007 |
5 | $3,518 |
6 | $4,029 |
7 | $4,541 |
8 | $5,052 |
Each Additional Household Member: Add | $512 |
CalFresh Income Change Reporting Summary
We hope this post on CalFresh Income Change Reporting was helpful.
If you have further questions about CalFresh or California EBT Card, please let us know in the comments section below.
Also, be sure to check out our other articles about California SNAP and EBT, including: