{"id":326232,"date":"2026-05-21T14:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/326232\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:39:12","slug":"california-calfresh-work-requirements-expand-in-2026-under-new-federal-rules-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/326232\/","title":{"rendered":"California CalFresh work requirements expand in 2026 under new federal rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting June 1, 2026, new federal rules will change CalFresh work requirements<\/a> in California and may affect how long some people can receive benefits, according to the California Department of Social Services.<\/p>\n

The changes apply to certain adults who receive CalFresh food assistance and may require them<\/a> to meet work, training, or community engagement rules to keep benefits.<\/p>\n

The updated federal requirements may apply to CalFresh recipients <\/a>who are:<\/p>\n

Do not have a dependent child under age 14<\/p>\n

Not otherwise exempt under program rules<\/p>\n

People who fall into this group may need to work, volunteer, or participate in school or job training to remain eligible for benefits.<\/p>\n

CalFresh already has general work rules, known in California as \u201cwork registration<\/a>,\u201d for people ages 16 to 59 who are able to work.<\/p>\n

These rules require participants to accept suitable job offers when given one and not to voluntarily reduce work hours below 30 hours per week without a valid reason.<\/p>\n

Some people are exempt, including those who are under 16 or 60 and older, caring for a young child or a person with a disability, working or earning above certain weekly income levels, receiving unemployment or disability-related benefits, enrolled in school at least half-time, or participating in approved programs such as CalWORKs<\/a> or substance abuse treatment.<\/p>\n

A separate federal rule applies to Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). People who fall into this category can receive CalFresh benefits for only 3 months within a 3-year period unless they meet work or exemption requirements.<\/p>\n

To receive benefits beyond three months, ABAWDs must generally:<\/p>\n

Work at least 20 hours per week or earn at least $217.50 per week before taxes, or participate in qualifying education or training for at least 20 hours per week<\/p>\n

Those who do not meet these requirements may lose eligibility after the three-month limit.<\/p>\n

Under the updated federal rules, some people who were previously exempt from ABAWD requirements may now be subject to them unless they qualify for an exemption. This includes:<\/p>\n

Parents whose youngest child is 14 or older<\/p>\n

People experiencing homelessness<\/p>\n

People who were in foster care when they turned 18<\/p>\n

Some individuals may still be exempt from ABAWD requirements, including those who:<\/p>\n

Care for a child under age 14<\/p>\n

Are already exempt from the general CalFresh work rules<\/p>\n

Cannot work at least 20 hours per week due to a physical or mental health condition<\/p>\n

Are participating in certain approved training programs<\/p>\n

Live in areas where ABAWD rules are waived<\/p>\n

Meet other specific exemption categories under federal guidelines<\/p>\n

From November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026, ABAWD requirements are waived in the following California counties: Alpine, Colusa, Imperial, Merced, Monterey, Plumas, and Tulare.<\/p>\n

Residents in these counties are not subject to the ABAWD three-month limit during the waiver period.<\/p>\n

The federal changes expand the group who may need to meet work or training requirements to continue receiving CalFresh benefits, starting in June 2026.<\/p>\n

County agencies will help connect eligible recipients to work, education, or training programs where needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Starting June 1, 2026, new federal rules will change CalFresh work requirements in California and may affect how…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3302,22015,7,9,8,135681,135680],"class_list":["post-326232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-calfresh","tag-calfresh-benefits","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-federal-rules","tag-requirements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}