California Benefit

CalFresh

Also known as: California Food Stamps, SNAP (California)

CalFresh is California's version of SNAP, providing monthly food benefits to eligible low-income households via an EBT card.

At a Glance

  • Gross monthly income must be at or below 200% of theFederal Poverty Level (California uses Broad-...
  • Must be a California resident.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant.California extends benefits to some immigrant categ...
  • Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) aged 18-49must meet work requirements. California ...
  • + 1 more requirements below

Eligibility Requirements

Gross Income

Required

Gross monthly income must be at or below 200% of theFederal Poverty Level (California uses Broad-BasedCategorical Eligibility).

household_income_fpl 200 percent

California Residency

Required

Must be a California resident.

state_residency = CA

Citizenship/Immigration

Required

Must be a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant.California extends benefits to some immigrant categoriesnot covered federally.

citizenship_status in [us_citizen, permanent_resident, refugee, asylee, trafficking_victim, cuban_haitian_entrant]

ABAWD Work Requirements

Required

Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) aged 18-49must meet work requirements. California has obtained waiversfor many counties.

age between 18 and 49

Exempt if any:

  • OR county_abawd_waiver = true
  • OR has_disability = true
  • OR has_dependent_child = true

Student Eligibility

College students must meet additional criteria unless exempt(working 20+ hrs/week, work-study, CalWORKs, etc.).

is_college_student = true

All of:

  • AND student_exemption_reason in

Ruleset effective: 2024-10-01

View as JSON
{"service_id":"calfresh","effective_date":"2024-10-01","rules":[{"id":"income-gross","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":200,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Gross Income","description":"Gross monthly income must be at or below 200% of the\nFederal Poverty Level (California uses Broad-Based\nCategorical Eligibility).\n","source_url":"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh/eligibility"},{"id":"residency","key":"state_residency","operator":"equals","value":"CA","requirement":"required","label":"California Residency","description":"Must be a California resident."},{"id":"citizenship","key":"citizenship_status","operator":"in","values":["us_citizen","permanent_resident","refugee","asylee","trafficking_victim","cuban_haitian_entrant"],"requirement":"required","label":"Citizenship/Immigration","description":"Must be a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant.\nCalifornia extends benefits to some immigrant categories\nnot covered federally.\n","source_url":"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh/eligibility"},{"id":"work-requirements","key":"age","operator":"between","min":18,"max":49,"requirement":"required","label":"ABAWD Work Requirements","description":"Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) aged 18-49\nmust meet work requirements. California has obtained waivers\nfor many counties.\n","any_of":[{"id":"exempt-waiver-county","key":"county_abawd_waiver","operator":"equals","value":true,"description":"County has ABAWD waiver"},{"id":"exempt-disabled","key":"has_disability","operator":"equals","value":true,"description":"Has a disability"},{"id":"exempt-dependent","key":"has_dependent_child","operator":"equals","value":true,"description":"Cares for a dependent child"}]},{"id":"students","key":"is_college_student","operator":"equals","value":true,"requirement":"optional","label":"Student Eligibility","description":"College students must meet additional criteria unless exempt\n(working 20+ hrs/week, work-study, CalWORKs, etc.).\n","conditions":[{"id":"student-exemption","key":"student_exemption_reason","operator":"in","values":["working_20_hours","work_study","calworks","eop","calfresh_employment_training","parent_under_12"],"description":"Must meet a student exemption"}]}]}

Quick Info

Agency
CDSS
Category
Food assistance
Last Verified
2026-01-13

Ready to Apply?

Visit the official application portal to get started.

Apply Online

Contribute

Found an error or have updated information?

Edit on GitHub
Apply for CalFresh