California Food Stamps Calculator

California CalFresh (Food Stamps) Benefit Estimator

Use this calculator to get an estimated idea of your potential monthly CalFresh (food stamps) benefits in California. CalFresh helps low-income individuals and families purchase healthy food. Benefits are calculated based on household size, income, and certain expenses.

Please note: This is an estimate. Actual eligibility and benefit amounts are determined by your local county CalFresh office based on a full application and verification of all information.

Household Size: Gross Monthly Earned Income ($): Gross Monthly Unearned Income ($): Monthly Dependent Care Costs ($): Monthly Medical Expenses (for elderly/disabled only) ($): Monthly Shelter Costs (Rent/Mortgage + Utilities) ($): Is anyone in the household elderly (60+) or disabled?

Understanding CalFresh Benefits

CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), provides monthly benefits to help low-income households buy nutritious food. The program aims to reduce food insecurity and improve the health and well-being of Californians.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for CalFresh, households must meet certain income and resource limits. Generally, most households must have a gross monthly income (before deductions) at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Households with an elderly or disabled member may have different income and resource rules.

How Benefits Are Calculated

The calculation of CalFresh benefits is a multi-step process that considers various factors:

Gross Income: This is the total income from all sources for all household members before any deductions.
Deductions: Several deductions are applied to the gross income to arrive at the net income. Common deductions include:
- Earned Income Deduction: 20% of any earned income (wages, self-employment).
- Standard Deduction: A fixed amount based on household size.
- Dependent Care Deduction: Actual costs for child or adult dependent care necessary for work or training.
- Medical Expense Deduction: For elderly (60+) or disabled household members, medical expenses over $35 per month are deductible.
- Shelter Deduction: This includes rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility costs. A portion of these costs (the amount exceeding 50% of the household's income after other deductions) can be deducted, up to a cap for non-elderly/disabled households.
Net Income: After all allowable deductions are applied, the remaining amount is the household's net monthly income.
Benefit Calculation: The final benefit amount is determined by subtracting 30% of the household's net income from the maximum allotment for their household size. The maximum allotment is the highest possible benefit amount for a given household size.

Example Calculation

Let's consider a household of 3 people with a gross monthly earned income of $1,500, no unearned income, $100 in dependent care costs, no medical expenses, and $800 in monthly shelter costs. No one is elderly or disabled.

Household Size: 3
Gross Earned Income: $1,500
Unearned Income: $0
Dependent Care: $100
Medical Expenses: $0
Shelter Costs: $800
Elderly/Disabled: No

Step 1: Calculate Gross Monthly Income
$1,500 (Earned) + $0 (Unearned) = $1,500

Step 2: Apply Deductions

Earned Income Deduction: 20% of $1,500 = $300
Standard Deduction (for 3 people): $198 (approximate FFY2024)
Dependent Care Deduction: $100
Medical Expense Deduction: $0

Step 3: Calculate Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
$1,500 (Gross) – $300 (Earned Inc. Ded.) – $198 (Standard Ded.) – $100 (Dependent Care) = $902

Step 4: Calculate Shelter Deduction

50% of AGI: 0.50 * $902 = $451
Excess Shelter Costs: $800 (Shelter) – $451 = $349
Since this household is not elderly/disabled, the shelter deduction is capped at $672. $349 is below the cap.
Shelter Deduction: $349

Step 5: Calculate Net Monthly Income
$902 (AGI) – $349 (Shelter Ded.) = $553

Step 6: Determine Maximum Allotment
For a household of 3, the maximum allotment is approximately $766 (FFY2024).

Step 7: Calculate Estimated Benefits
$766 (Max Allotment) – (0.30 * $553 (Net Income)) = $766 – $165.90 = $600.10

This household would be estimated to receive approximately $600 in monthly CalFresh benefits.

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You may not be eligible for CalFresh benefits."; resultDiv.className = "error"; return; } // Note: Elderly/disabled households have different gross income limits or may only need to meet net income limits. // For simplicity, this calculator will proceed with calculation for elderly/disabled even if gross is high, // but a real system would have more complex checks. // — Step 2: Deductions — // 2.1 Earned Income Deduction (20%) var earnedIncomeDeduction = earnedIncome * 0.20; // 2.2 Standard Deduction (FFY 2024) var standardDeduction; if (householdSize >= 1 && householdSize = 5) { standardDeduction = 247; } else { standardDeduction = 0; // Should not happen with min="1″ } // 2.3 Dependent Care Deduction // No specific cap mentioned in general guidelines, use actual costs var dependentCareDeduction = dependentCare; // 2.4 Medical Expense Deduction (for elderly/disabled only) var medicalExpenseDeduction = 0; if (isElderlyDisabled && medicalExpenses > 35) { medicalExpenseDeduction = medicalExpenses – 35; } // Calculate Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) before shelter deduction var agi = totalGrossIncome – earnedIncomeDeduction – standardDeduction – dependentCareDeduction – medicalExpenseDeduction; if (agi 0) { if (isElderlyDisabled) { // No cap for elderly/disabled households shelterDeduction = excessShelterCosts; } else { // Shelter cap for non-elderly/disabled (FFY 2024) var shelterCap = 672; shelterDeduction = Math.min(excessShelterCosts, shelterCap); } } // — Step 3: Net Monthly Income — var netMonthlyIncome = agi – shelterDeduction; if (netMonthlyIncome 8, add $219 per additional person if (householdSize > 8) { maxAllotments[householdSize] = maxAllotments[8] + (householdSize – 8) * 219; } var maximumAllotment = maxAllotments[householdSize] || 0; // — Step 5: Estimated Benefits — var estimatedBenefits = maximumAllotment – (netMonthlyIncome * 0.30); // Minimum benefit is $23 for 1-2 person households if they qualify, otherwise $0 if calculation is negative. // For simplicity, we'll ensure it's not negative. if (estimatedBenefits 0 && householdSize <= 2 && estimatedBenefits < 23) { // If calculated benefits are positive but less than minimum for 1-2 person households, set to minimum. // This rule is complex and depends on specific eligibility, but a common simplification. estimatedBenefits = 23; } resultDiv.innerHTML = "

Estimated Monthly CalFresh Benefits: $" + estimatedBenefits.toFixed(2) + "

"; resultDiv.className = ""; // Clear error class if any resultDiv.innerHTML += "(This is an estimate based on current general guidelines and your provided information. Actual benefits may vary.)"; resultDiv.innerHTML += "Summary of Calculation:"; resultDiv.innerHTML += "

Gross Monthly Income: $" + totalGrossIncome.toFixed(2) + "
Earned Income Deduction: $" + earnedIncomeDeduction.toFixed(2) + "
Standard Deduction: $" + standardDeduction.toFixed(2) + "
Dependent Care Deduction: $" + dependentCareDeduction.toFixed(2) + "
Medical Expense Deduction: $" + medicalExpenseDeduction.toFixed(2) + "
Adjusted Gross Income (before shelter): $" + agi.toFixed(2) + "
Shelter Deduction: $" + shelterDeduction.toFixed(2) + "
Net Monthly Income: $" + netMonthlyIncome.toFixed(2) + "
Maximum Allotment for " + householdSize + " people: $" + maximumAllotment.toFixed(2) + "

"; }