Maintenance Need Income Levels and Property Limits

CalSAWS will allow each MBU to have either the full or prorated Maintenance Need depending upon:

  • Who is included in the MBU, and
  • The number of individuals in each MBU.

CalSAWS will determine the correct Maintenance Need for the MBU depending on the relationship identifiers and the person specific income.

Property limits under Sneede are no longer prorated effective July 1, 2022.

Full Amount

The following MBUs receive the full Maintenance Need:

  • Any MBU that includes an adult.

    • Note: An ineligible minor parent is considered to be an adult in her child(ren)'s MBU.

  • Each MBU in a non-parent caretaker relative household.
  • An MBU which consists only of the separate child(ren) of a parent who is receiving CalWORKs or SSI/SSP, even though the child(ren) have no income or property of their own.

Prorated Amount

An MBU which includes only children receives a prorated Maintenance Need based on:

  • The number of children in the MBU, and 
  • Whether one or both of the child(ren)s' parents are in the home.

Formula

CalSAWS will determine the property limit for each MBU, however, the Chart Book can be used to manually determine the correct prorated Maintenance Need for each MBU.

The prorated Maintenance Need amounts were computed as follows:

  1. Determine the full Maintenance Need or property limit for:
    1. The total number of children in the MBU, PLUS
    2. The number of natural/adoptive parents in the home, one or two.
  2. Divide by the total number of persons in Step 1.
  3. Multiply the result in Step 2 by the number of eligible and ineligible children in the MBU.
  4. Round up the result in Step 3 to the nearest dollar.

ExampleExample

An MBU consists of 2 children. Both of their parents are in the home.

  1. Full Maintenance Need for 4 = $1,100
  2. $1,100 divided by 4 = $275
  3. Multiply $275 by 2, which is the number of children in the MBU = $550

Prorated Maintenance Need for an MBU of 2 children with 2 parents in the home = $550

Prorated Maintenance Need Income Levels

Due to the increase of Non Magi property limits, property is no longer prorated within MBU’s.

Use the Chart Book to determine the Prorated Maintenance Need Income Levels for MBUs which Contain Only Child(ren).

Note: The child(ren) must be living with natural/adoptive parent(s).

  • If the child resides with another caretaker relative, allow the full Maintenance Need and property limit for each MBU.
  • Do not count an SSI/SSP parent when determining the number of parents for a child's MBU Maintenance Need level.

Related Topics

Sneede v Kizer