Cal Fresh Eligibility

Eligibility

A household must meet CalFresh income guidelines.
A household is defined as a person or a group of people who buy and prepare food together.
Example: If a student lives with three other roommates but only purchases and prepares food for themselves, they would be considered a household of one.
The household must include at least one person with a qualifying immigration status. (e.g., U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, certain visa holders)

If you are between 18 to 49 years old and enrolled in 6 units or more, you must meet the general CalFresh eligibility criteria above AND you must also meet ONE of the following:

Work 20 hours per week OR a total of 80 hours a month
Been awarded federal work-study during the current academic year
Receiving TANF funded Cal Grant A or B
Exerting parental control over a dependent household member under the age of 6 or between the age 6 and 12 with no adequate child care OR single parent of a dependent household member under the age of 12
Enrolled in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program
Receiving CalWORKs
Employed as a student employee on campus
Enrolled in a Local Program that Increase Employability (LPIE)

Individual/household must have a gross income that does not exceed the limit for the total number of applicants. Please refer to the chart below for household sizes. Income is determined by earned income and unearned income. Earned income is wages and any form of self-employment (e.g. driving for Lyft, delivering for DoorDash, owning your own business). Unearned income is Social security (SSA, SSDI, SSI, SSP), military or veteran’s benefits, State Disability Insurance (SDI), spousal or child support, some stipends for former or current Foster Youth, and unemployment insurance benefits. Some expenses, like housing and medical costs, may help reduce your income after deductions. You may still qualify even if you are slightly above the gross income limit.

(Current as of January 2025)

Number of People in Household	Gross Monthly Income Limit	CalFresh Food Allotment Range*
1	$2,510	$23 - $292
2	$3,408	$23 - $536
3	$4,304	$23 - $768
4	$5,200	$23 - $975
5	$6,098	$23 - $1,158

Household = a person living alone or a group of people living together who purchase and prepare food together.

Mixed-status families can still apply for CalFresh if there are eligible members in the household! The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) does not share immigration information with federal agencies, and all information is kept strictly confidential.

Example:
Undocumented parents can apply for CalFresh benefits on behalf of their U.S. citizen children.

Receiving CalFresh benefits will not affect anyone’s immigration status or future immigration applications. CalFresh is not considered a “public charge” benefit under current law.