The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided information about major changes to the CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD). The ABAWD rule limits anyone age 18 to 54 with no children and/or no disabilities to receiving CalFresh for three months every three years unless they are participating in work activities or are exempt.

• The ABAWD exemption for residing in a household with a member under the age of 18 has changed to an exemption that only applies to parents of or responsible for a child under the age of 14 who is part of the household.
• Exemptions from the ABAWD rule for individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans, and former foster youth have been removed.
• A new exception has been added for indigenous people members or descendants of federally recognized tribes and/ or persons of Indian descent in urban centers designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and/or an Indian eligible for services provided by the Indian Health Service in California.

CDSS has amended several forms to reflect these changes.  (ACL 25-64, September 18, 2025.)

 

Effective October 1, 2025, the maximum monthly allotment for a one-person household in California is $298, for a two-person household $546, for a three-person household is $785, for a four-person household is $994, for a five-person household is $1,183, for a six-person household is $1,421, for a seven-person household is $1,571, for an eight-person household is $1,789 and add $218 for each additional household member above eight.

HR 1, the federal budget reconciliation bill, mandates that households with nine or more members will receive an additional 22 percent per member and that benefits amounts are now capped for households with 18 or more members.  HR 1 also requires that the Thrifty Food Plan amount (the federal determination of the cost of a nutritious, minimal cost diet that can be prepared at home) cannot be reevaluated until October 1, 2027, and any reevaluation after that must be cost neutral.

The maximum shelter deduction for households without an elderly or disabled household member is increased to $744.

The homeless shelter deduction is increased to $198.99.

The standard deduction is increased to $209 for households of 1-3 people, $223 for households of 4 people, $261 for households of 5 people, and $299 for households of six or more people.

The Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) is increased to $663.  The Limited Utility Allowance (LUA) is increased to $170.  The Telephone Utility Allowance (TUA) is increased to $20.

The resource limit for households subject to it remains at $3,000.  The resource limit for households with a least one household member over age 60 or disabled remains at $4,500.  This is also the threshold for substantial lottery or gambling winnings that must be reported. (ACIN I-46-25, September 3, 2025.)

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided information about the implementation date of the CalFresh Minimum Nutrition Benefit Pilot Program (MNB Pilot). CDSS also announced revised MNB Pilot program criteria.

The required automation for the MNB Pilot will be completed in the California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS), for the implementation date of December 1, 2025.

The new MNB Pilot eligibility criteria are that households must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible to participate in MNB Pilot:

• Households must be eligible for the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP)
• Must receive a monthly food benefit allotment of less than $60.
• Households must have two or more CalFresh eligible members.
• Eligible households must be receiving CalFresh on December 1, 2025, or have a pending application for CalFresh that is approved with a beginning date of aid on or before December 1, 2025.

Benefits issued under the MNB Pilot will not be replaced if lost in a disaster, including a household misfortune or stolen by electronic theft.

Correction of any MNB Pilot underissuances must be made no later than June 30, 2027. The (MNB Pilot) program will operate from December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. (ACL 25-59, August 8, 2025.)

 

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided information about changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, knows as CalFresh in California) as a result of H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation act.

The act restricts updates to the Thrifty Food plan amount (the food cost used to determine benefit amount) to no earlier than January 1, 2027, and any benefit increase must be cost neutral.  The act requires that households with nine or more members will receive an additional 22 percent per member.  The act caps benefit amounts for households with 18 or more
members.

The act changes rules regarding Able Bodied Adults Without Dependants (ABAWDs).  When implemented, the ABAWD requirements will apply to persons age 18-64, limits the work requirement exemption for to households with a dependent child under age 14, eliminates the exceptions for former foster youth, veterans and homeless are repealed and adds a new exception for tribal members who are eligible for Indian Health Service services is added.  The threshold for a waiver of the ABAWD requirements will be raised to the unemployment for an area being over 10%, and ends waivers based on lack of sufficient jobs.  CDSS is waiting for additional guidance for implementation.

Internet expenses will no longer count toward the excess shelter deduction.  California had not yet implemented counting internet expenses toward the excess shelter deduction, so this change will not impact California policy.

California currently provides a $20.01 Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) payment to allow all households to claim the Standard Utility Allowance.  This option is called Heat and Eat.  The act prevents states from continuing Heat and Eat.  CDSS is waiting for additional guidance for implementation.

Effective October 1, 2027, states must pay a percentage of CalFresh benefit allotments on a sliding scale based on the state’s error rate.  States with an error rate below 6% will have zero match.  States with an error rate between 6% and 7.99% will have a 5% state match.  States with an error rate between 8% and 9.99% will have a 10% state match.  States with an error rate of 10% or higher will have a 15% state match.

States will be able to choose to use to use their error rate for fiscal year 2025 or 2026 to calculate their fiscal year 2028 match.  After that, states must use their error rate for the third fiscal year prior to determine their match percentage.

Effective October 1 2026, the federal portion of administrative costs will be reduced to 25%.

The act repeals the National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Progam (SNAP-Ed).  As a result, the CalFresh Healthy Living program will end on September 30, 2025.

Most qualified immigrants will no longer eligible for CalFresh, including refugees, asylees, public interest parolees, battered noncitizens, trafficking victims, and others.  Exceptions are Cuban and Haitian Entrants, Lawful Permanent Residents and Compact of Free Association states citizens.  Financial resources of ineligible noncitizens in a CalFresh household will be included in eligibility and benefit determinations.  CDSS is waiting for additional guidance for implementation.  (ACL 25-50, July 14, 2025, ACL 25-50E, August 26. 2025.)

The California Department of Social Services has issued clarifications about CalFresh timelines. For initial applications, after an application is filed, County Welfare Department (CWD) must process the application as soon as possible, but in no later than in 30 calendar days. Households who qualify for Expedited Service will have their applications processed within three calendar days following their application. CalFresh benefits are considered available when the household has an active EBT card and PIN, and benefits have been posted to the household’s EBT account and are available for use.

Households eligible for expedited service are: Households with less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid resources (cash, money in checking or savings accounts, saving certificates, and lump sum payments) that are less than $100; or migrant or seasonal farmworker households who are destitute provided their liquid resources do not exceed $100; or households whose combine monthly gross income and liquid resources are less than the household’s monthly rent or mortgage, and utilities

CalFresh households may choose to pick up their EBT card at the CWD office or have the EBT mailed to their mailing address.

For Annual Recertifications, eligible households can remain eligible for CalFresh if they file the recertification application by the 15th day of the last month of their expiring recertification period and complete all required actions.

Households should receive a Notice of Expiration of Certification before the first day of their last month of recertification.

The CWD will consider any application for recertification submitted on or before the 15th day of the final month of the certification period to be on time. Submissions past this date will be considered untimely, but CWDs must process all recertification applications, including those that are submitted late.

For periodic reports, households receiving benefits must complete the SAR 7 Eligibility Status Report (SAR 7) by the 5th of the submission month. The SAR 7 determines if the reported information affects the household’s eligibility and/or benefit level for the next payment period.

SAR 7s submitted between the 1st and 11th calendar day of the submit month are considered timely, but any SAR 7 received past the 11th calendar day of the submit month is considered untimely. In that case, households will receive a discontinuance notice from the CWD, effective the end of the submit month.

Before benefits are terminated, the CWD must attempt to make personal contact via telephone, text, or other electronic message with the household to remind them of the SAR 7 report and collect the necessary information for it.

If the SAR 7 is submitted by the end of the 1st business day after the SAR 7 was due, the county will restore aid. CWDs must make benefits available to households eligible for ES no later than the third calendar day following the date of the application.

If a household fails to provide the required information or verification and becomes ineligible for CalFresh, benefits may be reinstated if the household complies within 30 days of the effective date of ineligibility. This Restoration of Aid waiver lasts through June 30, 2027.

Households who have previously received CalFresh but are not currently receiving benefits must file a new application to receive benefits again. However, under this waiver, a recently discontinued household that provides a missing report (like the SAR 7), required verification, and/or other required information to re-establish eligibility may be reinstated when there is at least one month remaining in the certification period after the effective date of ineligibility.

For Mid-Period Reports, the CWD must act on information that would increase the household benefits and not act on information that would decrease the household’s benefits. If reported information is actionable, the CWD must take action on the case effective no later than the first allotment issued 10 days after the date the change was reported.  (ACIN I-35-25, July 11, 2025.)

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued two new forms for CalFresh ABAWD requirements.  The new CF 887 is an optional form to verify an individual’s physical or mental unfitness to work when it is not obvious or is considered questionable. This form may be used to determining exemptions from the ABAWD time limit, work registration, or the student eligibility rule.

The new CF 888 is an optional form to verify volunteer work hours for non-exempt ABAWDs. ABAWDs may engage in community service or volunteer work to satisfy the ABAWD work requirement.  ABAWDs must verify their participation hours, and this form will verify that participation.  (ACL 25-34, May 14, 2025.)