Government Benefits in California
Where California residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, and home energy assistance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.
How This Works
SNAP, Medicaid, and LIHEAP are federal programs, but each state runs its own application portal and sets some of its own rules — including, for Medicaid, whether the state expanded eligibility to more adults under the Affordable Care Act. The cards below link you straight to California's official application system for each program. Exact income limits change with annual poverty-guideline updates, so we intentionally don't publish a specific number here — the portal will show your exact cutoff for your household size.
CalFresh (SNAP)
California Department of Social Services
California uses an expanded income test (Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility), so more households qualify here than the federal baseline.
Medi-Cal (Medicaid)
Medicaid ExpandedCalifornia Department of Health Care Services
California expanded Medicaid, so adults without dependent children can qualify based on income alone.
LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)
CA Dept. of Community Services and Development (CSD)
Administered locally — CSD will route you to the provider for your area.
Looking for more programs available to California residents?
California residents also qualify for every nationwide program on our full benefits tool — WIC, Lifeline phone/internet discounts, ACA health insurance subsidies, SSI, SSDI, Section 8, VA disability compensation, TANF, Pell Grants, Head Start, and unemployment insurance.
See All 16 Programs →