CalFresh · FY2027
CalFresh Calculator (California SNAP)
In California SNAP is CalFresh, run by each county under the Department of Social Services and applied for at BenefitsCal.com. From October 1, 2026 a household of three can get up to $808, with gross income up to $4,554 (200% of poverty) and no asset test.
Your estimate
California · 1 person.
- Likely eligible
- Figures verified October 5, 2026
The FFY 2027 utility numbers
CDSS’s notice ACIN I-40-26 raised the standard utility allowance from $663 to $686, the limited utility allowance from $170 to $176, and the telephone allowance from $20 to $21. The gap between $686 and $176 is unusually wide, so the question that moves a CalFresh estimate most is whether you pay for heating or air conditioning separately from rent.
In Los Angeles, a parent of two earning $2,400 with $1,700 rent, an electric bill and $300 of after-school care would get about $617 a month — rent alone pushes the shelter deduction to the cap.
Things that work differently here
Because counties run CalFresh, offices, interview scheduling and paperwork vary from one county to the next. California treats child support you pay as excluded income rather than a deduction, which comes to the same thing in the math. It operates a Restaurant Meals Program, certifies many households for 12 or 24 months, and has a time-limit waiver for parts of the state as of October 1, 2026. Money arrives on the 1st through 10th by the last digit of the case number.
California’s FY2025 payment error rate was 10.93%. Under the 2025 law that is the 15% state cost-share tier from FY2028 unless the state elects its FY2026 rate instead — a budget question for Sacramento, not a change to your allotment.
By household size
| People | Max | Gross limit | Senior† |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $306 | $2,660 | $220 |
| 2 | $562 | $3,608 | $263 |
| 3 | $808 | $4,554 | $296 |
| 4 | $1,023 | $5,500 | $304 |
| 5 | $1,217 | $6,448 | $330 |
| 6 | $1,463 | $7,394 | $446 |
| Pay‡ | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $4,000 | $4,500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | $808 | $743 | $623 | $481 | $301 | $121 | $0 | $0 |
† 60+ or disabled, income at the poverty line, $700 rent. ‡ Family of 3, $900 rent. How these are worked out.
Utility allowances
| Type | Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) | $686 |
| Limited Utility Allowance (LUA) | $176 |
| Telephone Utility Allowance (TUA) | $21 |
Where to apply
| Apply | benefitscal.com |
|---|---|
| Program | CalFresh |
| Card | Golden State Advantage EBT Card |
| Phone | 877-847-3663 |
| Offices | cdss.ca.gov |
| Deposits | 1st–10th, by the last digit of the case number |
Next door
Sources
FY2027 COLA memo · BBCE chart · CDSS All County Information Notice I-40-26: CalFresh Cost-of-Living Adjustments Effective October 1, 2026 · CDSS All County Information Notice I-40-26: CalFresh Cost-of-Living Adjustments Effective October 1, 2026 · State Options Report · Restaurant Meals Program · time-limit waivers · FY2025 error rates · USDA directory · all sources
* not yet verified for Oct 2026.