CalFresh

It depends.  HR 1, the 2025 federal budget reconciliation bill, made many changes to CalFresh work requirements and time limits. Effective June 1, 2026, work requirements apply to everyone age 18-64 unless exempt, and time limits apply to anyone not meeting work requirements and not exempt.

In general, people will be able to get CalFresh for 3 months in a fixed 36-month period (which started January 1, 2026) unless they are:

• Meeting the work participation requirements by 
  • Working 20 hours/week or 80 hours/month,
  • Exempt (see below for a list), or
  • Live in a county with a waiver of the time limit
    • Currently, Colusa, Tulare, Imperial, Alpine, Merced, Monterey, and Plumas counties through October 31, 2026

Some families might qualify for an additional 3 consecutive months of eligibility if they used 3 months, regained eligibility by participating, and then stopped participating again (this can only happen once in 36 months).

The new work participation requirements are effective June 1, 2026, for applicants and at the next recertification for recipients.

The work participation process is:

1. Work Registration.  This should happen automatically.  People who are exempt from work participation are not subject to the 3 month time limit.
2. Work participation.  People who are exempt from work participation are not subject to the 3 month time limit.
3. Meeting the work participation or community engagement requirement.  Benefits continue for people who meet the work participation or community engagement requirement.
4. CalFresh benefits stop after 3 months for people who are not exempt and are not meeting the work participation requirement.

People who are exempt from work registration (do not have to register) are:

• Under 16 years old. 
• 16 or 17 years old and not the head of the household. 
• 16 or 17 years old and attending school or an employment training program at least half-time. 
  • Over age 59 (but people are still subject to the work participation and time limit until they are over age 64
• Physically or mentally “unfit” for employment 
• Working at least 30 hours per week (including the self-employed). 
• Earning wages at a job at least equal to the federal minimum wage multiplied by 30 hours (including the self-employed, which is $217.50 per week)
• A migrant or seasonal farm worker under contract to begin work within the next 30 days who will work 30 hours or earn the equivalent wage. 
• Responsible for caring for a child under age 6 or an incapacitated person. 
• Meeting the CalWORKs work requirement
• Regular participant in a drug addiction or alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program
• Receiving unemployment compensation. 
• Applying for unemployment and registered for work through the California Employment Development Department (EDD)
• A student enrolled at least half-time in any school, training program, or college.

People who are exempt from work participation and time limits are:

• Under age 18 or over age 64..
• Mentally or physically unfit for work. Recipients can now use the CF 887 form to verify physical unfitness
• Pregnant.
• Working 20 hours per week or 80 hours a month (including work in exchange for “in-kind income.”)
• Participating in an employment and training program 20 hours a week (if job search activities are less than half the hours)
• Participating in a workfare program for the required number of hours (determined by dividing the person’s CalFresh benefit by the minimum wage) 
• The parent or stepparent, or person in the same CalFresh household, as a dependent child under age 14, even if that person is not eligible for CalFresh benefits
• Individuals who meet the definition of Indian, Urban Indian, or California Indian in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.  Self-attestation is sufficient to grant this exemption
• Exempt from the CalFresh work registration requirements.

People can meet the work participation and community engagement requirement by performing one or a combination of the following activities for at least 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month:

• Employment, which includes paid employment, self-employment, or in-kind work (doing work for rent, for example)
• Participating in a CalFresh Employment and Training Program
• Participating in a Work Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program
• Participating in a program under section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974
• Performing community service or volunteer work. The work must be with a nonprofit organization, and must be verified by the organization
• Participating in Workfare, which is either CalFresh Employment and Training or a comparable program.  The required hours are the CalFresh grant amount divided by the Fresh-applicable minimum wage.  Workfare cannot be combined with other activities
• The participant has good cause for not participating.

The County must screen for exemptions to work registration and time limits before counting months toward the time limit. If a recipient loses an exemption or stops meeting the work requirement, the county must screen for other exemptions before counting months toward the time limit.  The screening is done using the CF 377.11E https://cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Forms-and-Brochures/2020/A-D/CF377_11E.pdf?ver=6ozxOZWfIINrQleipY7Kmg%3d%3d form.  You can fill out this form and turn it in to the county in person, by mail, or on BenefitsCal.  You may need verification after you turn in the form, such as a letter from a doctor or an employer.  You can bring the CF 887 form https://cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Forms-and-Brochures/2020/A-D/CF887.pdf?ver=F8itl9lNRIBtTtORbctQNQ%3d%3d to your medical provider, or your medical provider can write a letter.