Requirements and Limits

[63-501]

Requirements And Limits

Categorically Eligible (CE) Households [63-301.7]

CE households are NOT subject to CalFresh resource limits. Refer to CE HH Determination [63-301.7] for additional information.

Modified Categorically Eligible (MCE) Households

Households that have been conferred MCE eligibility are not subject to resource limits. Refer to Modified Categorical Eligibility (MCE) for additional information.

Non-Assistance (NA) Households [63-409.12]

NA households, that are not conferred MCE, must not exceed the maximum allowable non-exempt property limit for liquid and non-liquid resources combined. Refer to the Chart Book, which contains the current CalFresh maximum resource limit values for each of the following types of households described below:

  • Elderly and/or Disabled household is a household with a member who is 60 years of age or older OR has a member in the household who is disabled, including one person households. Refer to Elderly or Disabled [63-102(e)(i)] for the definition of disabled used for resources.)
  • All other households, including one person households.

New Applicant Households [63-503.11, 63-503.211]

Determine the value of a new applicant household's resources as of the date of the eligibility interview. Do not use the application filing date.

Important: The following examples do not contain current maximum resource limits, for current resource limits refer to the Chart Book Handbook Chapter 2.


A household whose resources exceed the limit on the date of the eligibility interview must be denied. This applies even when the household expects to “spend down” its resources to an amount lower than the CalFresh resource limit later in the same month. The household should reapply when its resources are below the limit.

Currently Certified Households

Property eligibility is only determined every six months. Determine the value of a currently certified household's resources as of the last day of the data month. If property/resources reported on the SAR 7, together with resources already used to establish eligibility, exceed the property limit, the EW must discontinue the household at the end of the SAR Submit Month, with a timely and adequate notice. However, if the household provides verification prior to the effective date of discontinuance that their resources have dropped below the resource limit, the discontinuance must be rescinded and benefits reinstated.

Note: No other assessment of property eligibility can be made for that SAR Payment Quarter. The EW must not act on voluntarily reported mid-period changes in property that decrease benefit or result in discontinuance.
If the household acquires property in excess of the property limit during the SAR Submit Month, or the first month of the upcoming SAR Payment Period, the household remains eligible for the entire SAR Payment Period.

Excluded Persons [63-503.44]

Include the resources of the following excluded household members in the property reserve:

  • Ineligible ABAWD
  • Ineligible non-citizens.
  • SSN disqualified household members.
  • Persons disqualified for Intentional Program Violation.
  • Persons disqualified for failure to comply with work requirements.
  • Fleeing felons, probation and parole violators.
  • Disqualified felony drug convicted household members.

Non-household Members

Exclude the resources of non-household members, unless jointly owned with household members.

Joint Ownership

A jointly owned resource will be considered available in its entirety to the CalFresh household, unless the household can demonstrate that the resource is inaccessible.

If the household can demonstrate that it has access to only a portion of the resource, only the value of that portion of the resource will be considered for CalFresh eligibility.

If the total joint combined resources have been used to determine SSI/SSP eligibility, the joint resources are not used when determining CalFresh eligibility based on inaccessibility of those resources. If the portion of used to determine SSI/SSP eligibility is unknown, divide the total resources to determine eligibility in the CalFresh by the total number of household members (including the SSI/SSP recipients) and multiply by the number of FS eligible members.

The resource will be considered totally inaccessible to the household if the resource cannot practically be subdivided and the household's access to the value of the resource is dependent on the agreement of a joint owner who refuses to comply.

Related Topics

Countable Resources

Exempt Resources

Inaccessible Resources