Definitions

MBSAC

MBSAC is a measure of neediness and is set by California State law. It is based on the size of the applicant family.

MBSAC is the amount necessary to provide an Assistance Unit (AU) with the following:

Housing;

Clothing;

Food;

Utilities;

Items for household operation, education, incidentals, recreation, personal needs, insurance; and

Essential medical/dental or other remedial care not otherwise provided at public expense.

MBSAC is used in the Applicant Financial Eligibility Test.

MBSAC is also applied to the period of ineligibility for non-qualifying withdrawals from CalWORKs restricted accounts.

MBSAC is a measure of neediness and not the amount of cash aid a family may receive. CalWORKs payments are based on MAP levels.

Applicant Financial Eligibility Test

The Applicant Financial Eligibility Test is used to determine financial eligibility for CalWORKs applicants. The family’s income (minus the first $450 Applicant EID of gross earned income for each employed person, effective July 1, 2022) must be less than MBSAC for the AU.

The system applies the Applicant Financial Eligibility Test to all applicant cases.

Reminder: The system is programmed to determine eligibility for a 60-day period and is able to recognize ineligibility for the month of application and eligibility for the second month of application which constitutes a 60-day period. Refer to AR 40-103.3 Application for further details.

Income-In-Kind (IIK)

Need items received in full at no charge with no obligation to repay in cash are considered IIK.

IIK is considered for benefits which are deemed as basic need items and include:

Housing;

Utilities;

Food; and

Clothing.

When a family receives a basic need item in full at no charge or in exchange for something other than cash, the value of the need item is considered income in the CalWORKs Eligibility Determination and Benefit Calculation (EDBC).

Note: Partial payments for In-Kind need items are not counted in the calculation of the grant.

The IIK values vary with the AU size and need item. These values are adjusted by the same percentage increase or decrease that is applied to the MBSAC levels and are effective at the same time as a result of COLA.

The AU can also establish a lower value for the need item. Refer to AR 44-115 Income-In-Kind for additional information regarding IIK.

Region 1

3.59 percent MBSAC Payment Standards and IIK Values 07/01/26-06/30/27

N/A IKK Values AU Size MBSAC Housing Utilities Food Clothing 1 $963 $437 $92 $239 $73 2 $1,581 $580 $106 $511 $142 3 $1,960 $635 $109 $655 $211 4 $2,325 $668 $115 $809 $282 5 $2,653 $668 $115 $981 $358 6 $2,983 $668 $115 $1,134 $430 7 $3,280 $668 $115 $1,265 $501 8 $3,569 $668 $115 $1,380 $557 9 $3,872 $668 $115 $1,519 $640 10 $4,202 $668 $115 $1,643 $701 More than 10 Add $37 for each extra person N/A

Region 1 and Region 2 Counties

There are two levels of MBSAC, IIK, and MAP that are assigned to California counties known as Region 1 and Region 2. The Region is determined based on the lower or higher cost of living. Region 1 is for counties with a higher cost of living and the MBSAC, IIK, and MAP levels are approximately 5.2 percent higher than the Region 2 levels.

Region 1 includes the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Ventura.

Region 2 includes all other counties.

Los Angeles County DPSS staff should be aware of the Region 1 and Region 2 levels when processing Inter-County Transfer cases from Region 2 counties. Refer to the following charts for the MBSAC Payment Standards for Region 1 and Region 2.

MBSAC Payment Standard July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027

Region 1 Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 California Needs Index (CNI) 3.59% Assistance Unit Size MBSAC Housing Utilities Food Clothing 1 $963 $437 $92 $239 $73 2 $1,581 $580 $106 $511 $142 3 $1,960 $635 $109 $655 $211 4 $2,325 $668 $115 $809 $282 5 $2,653 $668 $115 $981 $358 6 $2,983 $668 $115 $1,134 $430 7 $3,280 $668 $115 $1,265 $501 8 $3,569 $668 $115 $1,380 $557 9 $3,872 $668 $115 $1,519 $640 10 $4,202 $668 $115 $1,643 $701 More than 10 Add $37 for each extra person N/A

Region 2 FY 2026-27 CNI 3.59% Assistance Unit Size MBSAC Housing Utilities Food Clothing 1 $914 $419 $92 $239 $73 2 $1,501 $553 $106 $511 $142 3 $1,859 $605 $109 $655 $211 4 $2,211 $635 $115 $809 $282 5 $2,529 $635 $115 $981 $358 6 $2,839 $635 $115 $1,134 $430 7 $3,110 $635 $115 $1,265 $501 8 $3,397 $635 $115 $1,380 $557 9 $3,671 $635 $115 $1,519 $640 10 $3,997 $635 $115 $1,643 $701 More than 10 Add $37 for each extra person N/A