Stepparent General Information

[EAS 43-105.5]

Stepparent

Regulations concerning income used in the budget computation from a stepparent apply ONLY WHEN:

The stepparent resides in the same household with the aided children or unaided unborn and the parent of that child(ren), but
Neither the stepparent nor any of the stepparent's natural or adoptive children are in the AU.

IF THE STEPPARENT ...	THEN ...
Is included in the AU,	The income of the stepparent and all others in the AU is income to the AU for both the grant and eligibility computation.
Is not in the AU,	The stepparent’s income is budgeted to the AU, counting the stepparent and any other appropriate persons in the home as non-AU members.

Note: If the unaided step-sibling and/or unaided half-sibling of an eligible child have income, that income is not counted to the AU. Allow the needs of the unaided step-sibling or half-sibling, if the stepparent is contributing to the AU.

IEVS Information: Persons whose income and/or resources must be included in the eligibility determination must be included in the IEVS match processes, even though they are not receiving benefits for themselves. The stepparents information must be entered in CalSAWS

IRCA Parent

Use the stepparent provisions when an ineligible noncitizen parent meets both of the following criteria:

Is the natural or adoptive parent of an aided child, and
Is being naturalized under the IRCA but does not yet have appropriate noncitizen status to be included in the AU.

Note: There will be very few, if any, noncitizens to whom this is applicable.

In this section, the term stepparent will be used, but it also is extended to IRCA parents who meet the above criteria.

Caretaker Relative

The caretaker relative parent cannot choose to be excluded from the AU and then be in the Stepparent Unit. The caretaker relative must be in the AU unless excluded by law or for cause.

Note: If the caretaker relative is excluded for cause, then the needs of that individual are not met as either an AU member or a non-AU member.

Registered Domestic Partners (RDPs)

RDPs have the same rights and responsibilities as stepparents of the children of their partners and are to be treated as such for the purpose of determining eligibility and grant amount.

Refer to Registered Domestic Partners for more information.

Same-Sex Spouses

Marriages in California between two people of the same sex are valid if the marriage occurred during two time periods. The first time period is between June 16, 2008 through November 4, 2008. The second time period is on or after June 13, 2013 are legal. Same sex spouses have the same rights and responsibilities as stepparents of the children of their partners and are treated as such for the purpose of determining eligibility and grant amount.