What Is the Income Limit for EBT in California?

The income limit for EBT in California — the CalFresh program that loads food benefits onto an EBT card — is 200% of the Federal Poverty Level for most households. From October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, that means gross monthly income of up to $2,610 for a single person and $5,360 for a family of four. Larger households get higher caps, and households that include someone age 60 or older or a member with a disability skip the gross income test entirely.

Gross Monthly Income Limits by Household Size

Gross income is everything your household takes in before taxes or deductions: wages, Social Security, unemployment, pensions, child support received, rental income, and similar sources. California set its cutoff at 200% of poverty — higher than the federal SNAP standard of 130% — by adopting broad-based categorical eligibility.¹

The maximum gross monthly income allowed between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026:

1 person: $2,610
2 people: $3,526
3 people: $4,442
4 people: $5,360
5 people: $6,276
6 people: $7,192
7 people: $8,110
8 people: $9,026
Each additional person: add $918

These numbers rise each October to reflect inflation.

If anyone in your household is 60 or older or has a disability, the gross income test does not apply. Those households are judged only against the net income limit described below.¹

Net Monthly Income Limits

Every CalFresh household — including those exempt from the gross test — must also have net income at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Net income is what remains after allowed deductions are subtracted from gross. For fiscal year 2026:²

1 person: $1,305
2 people: $1,763
3 people: $2,221
4 people: $2,680
5 people: $3,138
6 people: $3,596
7 people: $4,055
8 people: $4,513
Each additional person: add $459

The net figure looks lower than many working households’ take-home pay, but deductions do a lot of work before the comparison happens. A single person earning $3,000 gross can still land under $1,305 net once the standard deduction, the earned income deduction, and shelter costs come off the top.

Deductions That Lower Your Countable Income

CalFresh doesn’t compare your paycheck straight to the net limit. Several deductions apply first, and they often decide whether a household qualifies.

Standard Deduction

Every household gets one, based on size:³

1–3 people: $209
4 people: $223
5 people: $261
6 or more: $299

Earned Income Deduction

Twenty percent of all wages, salary, and tips comes off automatically. Earn $2,000 a month from work and $400 drops out before the net income test.⁴

Shelter Deduction

If rent or mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utilities together exceed half of your adjusted income after other deductions, you can deduct the excess. The cap is $744 per month for fiscal year 2026. Households with an elderly or disabled member have no cap and can deduct the full excess amount.³

Dependent Care and Medical Deductions

Out-of-pocket childcare or dependent care costs that let a household member work or attend training are fully deductible. Elderly or disabled household members can deduct unreimbursed medical expenses — prescription copays, transportation to appointments, medical equipment — above $35 per month.⁵

What Counts as Income and What Doesn’t

CalFresh counts earned income (wages, salary, tips, self-employment profit) and unearned income (Social Security, unemployment, pensions, child support received). Several sources are excluded: foster care payments, most educational grants and scholarships used for tuition and fees, and vendor payments made directly to a third party on your behalf.

Self-employment is counted after business expenses. A freelancer who grosses $4,000 a month but has $1,500 in legitimate costs has $2,500 in countable income, not $4,000. That distinction can be the difference between qualifying and not.

Asset Limits

Most California households face no asset test. Savings balances and vehicle values generally don’t matter. The one exception: households with an elderly or disabled member whose income exceeds 200% of the Federal Poverty Level face a $4,500 resource limit.³

How Much You Could Receive Each Month

Benefits scale with household size and net income. A household with zero net income gets the maximum allotment; as net income rises, the benefit shrinks by 30 cents on the dollar. Fiscal year 2026 maximums:³

1 person: $298
2 people: $546
3 people: $785
4 people: $994
5 people: $1,183
6 people: $1,421
7 people: $1,571
8 people: $1,789
Each additional person: add $218

A single person with $800 in net monthly income would receive about $298 minus $240 (30% of $800), or roughly $58 a month. One- and two-person households that qualify but calculate to a tiny benefit receive a minimum of $24.

How to Apply

Applications go through BenefitsCal.com, by mail, by fax, or in person at your county social services office. Have ready: proof of identity, proof you live in California, income documentation (recent pay stubs, benefit statements, tax returns if self-employed), Social Security numbers for household members, and records of rent, childcare, and medical expenses if those deductions apply to you.

The county must process your application within 30 calendar days of filing and will contact you to schedule an eligibility interview, usually by phone.⁶ Households with very low income or almost no cash on hand qualify for expedited processing — benefits loaded onto an EBT card no later than the third calendar day after filing.⁷

If your gross income sits above the limit but not by much, apply anyway. The deductions often pull a borderline household under the net cap, and the only way to know is to let the county run the numbers.

1
Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. CalFresh Eligibility Criteria
2
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Income Eligibility Standards
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY2026 Maximum Allotments and Deductions
4
California Department of Social Services. CalFresh Outreach Basics Handbook – Chapter 4: Eligibility Basics
5
Food and Nutrition Service. A Guide to the Treatment of Medical Expenses for Elderly or Disabled SNAP Households
6
eCFR. 7 CFR 273.2 – Office Operations and Application Processing
7
California Department of Social Services. All County Information Notice I-14-11 – Expedited Service