General Eligibility Requirements
- A household must meet the income guidelines. A household is a person or group of people who buy and prepare food together.
Example: if a student lives with three other roommates, but only purchases groceries for themselves, they would be considered a household of 1. - Household must contain at least one person with a qualifying immigration status. Visit CalFresh for more information
CalFresh: Students
If you are between 18 to 49 years old and enrolled in 6 units or more, you must meet the general CalFresh eligibility criteria above AND you must also meet ONE of the following:
- Work 20 hours per week OR a total of 80 hours a month
- Been awarded federal work-study during the current academic year
- Receiving TANF funded Cal Grant A or B
- Exerting parental control over a dependent household member under the age of 6 or between the age 6 and 12 with no adequate child care OR single parent of a dependent household member under the age of 12
- Enrolled in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program
- Receiving CalWORKs
- Enrolled in a Local Program that Increase Employability (LPIE). View a list of approved LPIEs (sort by campus to see IVC approved LPIEs).
Income Guidelines
Individual/household must have a gross income that does not exceed the limit for the total number of applicants. Please refer to the chart below for household sizes. Income is determined by earned income and unearned income. Earned income is wages and any form of self-employment (e.g. driving for Lyft, delivering for DoorDash, owning your own business). Unearned income is Social security (SSA, SSDI, SSI, SSP), military or veteran’s benefits, State Disability Insurance (SDI), spousal or child support, some stipends for former or current Foster Youth, and unemployment insurance benefits.
(Current as of October 1, 2025-2026)
| Number of People in Household | Gross Monthly Income Limit | CalFresh Food Allotment Range* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,610 | $24 – $298 |
| 2 | $3,526 | $24 – $546 |
| 3 | $4,442 | $24 – $785 |
| 4 | $5,360 | $24 – $994 |
| 5 | $6,276 | $23 – $1183 |
Household = a person living alone or a group of people living together who purchase and prepare food together.
Mixed-Status Families
Mixed-status families can still apply for CalFresh if they have eligible members in their households! The California Department of Social Services is not allowed to share immigration information with federal agencies and the information is kept strictly confidential.
For example, undocumented parents can apply for benefits for their citizen children.
Non-Qualification for CalFresh
- Individuals under DACA and DREAM, even with a work VISA/Social Security Number do not qualify.
- International students do not qualify.