Priority registration is available to:

• Student parents who have a child receive more than half of their support/care from you, including physically living in the same household.
• Students who are pregnant or have partners who are expecting, especially if the due date occurs before or during the next academic year.

To request Priority Registration, complete our online request form with this link: https://forms.office.com/r/E6sNYErhYw

If you need support for food, please visit our NCStable page. It is our on-campus food pantry. 

The Clothes Closet, located in NCStable, the Basic Needs and Wellness resource center. The Center staff provides students an opportunity to receive advice from fashion stylists and pick out new clothing. Putting your "Best Fit Forward" means students are preparing to make a good first impression when networking with employers and potential employers. Professional attire can be utilized in the following settings:

• Interviews
• Workplace
• Career Fairs
• Networking Events
• Any professional occasion

Most clothing is new, if you need a specific item for employment.  Please submit a Student Support Request.

Riverside County WIC helps pregnant women, new mothers and young children (0-5 years) eat well, stay healthy and be active. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). WIC helps families by providing checks for buying healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors, nutrition education, and help finding health care and other community services. Income guidelines must be met as well.

At this time, Norco College does not have childcare facilities on campus.  We partner with Riverside County Office of Education to provide our students with affordable options.

Norco College now offers breast feeding mothers an on-the-go lactation pod. Designed to provide a clean, private and comfortable environment for lactating mothers, the Mamava pod is located on the 1 floor of the Learning Resource Center. It is available on a first come, first serve basis and is exclusively for breast feeding women– faculty, staff and students of NC.

Visit the Mamava site for more information on breastfeeding.

Title IX is a law that bans sex discrimination in schools that get federal funds. Title IX makes it illegal to exclude students who may be, are, or have been pregnant from an educational program. The Pregnant and Parenting Students’ Rights Toolkit has information on how title IX applies to pregnant and parenting students. 

The CalFresh Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) helps low-income households increase their food-buying power to meet their household’s nutritional needs. CalFresh benefits issued through Electronic Benefit Transfer, also known as EBT card, can be used in grocery stores and participating Farmers Markets. Homeless, elderly or disabled persons may purchase prepared meals from participating restaurants with their EBT card. Effective June 1, 2019, SSI/SSP recipients in California are also eligible for CalFresh benefits, provided all other eligibility requirements are met.

Expedited CalFresh: Receive Food Benefits Quickly

You may be eligible for Expedited CalFresh (ES) benefits within three days, or even as early as the same day after the application is received, if you meet one of the three requirements below.

1. Your combined gross monthly income and cash resources are less than your monthly rent or mortgage and utility costs;
2. Your household has less than $150 in gross monthly income and cash resources of $100 or less; or
3. You or someone in your household are migrant or seasonal farmworkers who are destitute, and your cash resources are $100 or less.

You must be interviewed, and your identity must be verified (photo ID not required) to receive Expedited CalFresh benefits. We will make all reasonable efforts to assist in verifying your identity either by calling a third party (someone you know) or any readily available documentary or electronic information.

You may be interviewed the same day you apply, or a telephone interview appointment will be scheduled within three days. However, you can call us any time before your scheduled appointment. 

If you qualify for ES and have not received your benefits within three days, call us. Your EBT card will be mailed, or you may pick it up at a district office.

Call (866) 613-3777 and press option #2 "Apply for Benefits," then press option #2 again "CalFresh Apply," to be connected to a worker when you call.

Basic Eligibility

Generally, you may be eligible for CalFresh benefits if you:

• Receive CalWORKS or General Relief
• Have low-income or no income
• Have limited property
• Receive Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP)
• Are a U.S. Citizen or a legal resident
• Are an immigrant that meets certain criteria

Trafficking and Crime Victim Assistance Program Criteria

The Trafficking and Crime Victim Assistance Program (TCVAP) provides cash aid, food assistance, employment services, and health care assistance to eligible non-citizen victims of human trafficking who have applied or intend to apply for a T-Visa and victims of domestic violence and other serious crimes who have applied for a U-Visa.

T-Visa, U-Visa non-citizens, and Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) self-petitioners are not required to provide a Social Security Number to apply for CalFresh benefits. However, they must meet other CalFresh eligibility requirements, such as income.

Customers are strongly encouraged to disclose their immigration status on the application or during their interview with the eligibility staff to avoid possible delays or erroneous denials of their application. 
You can apply online at https://benefitscal.com/, over the phone at (866) 613-3777, or in person at your local DPSS District Office. 

California Food Assistance Program (CFAP)

The CFAP provides state-funded food assistance to individuals who do not qualify for CalFresh benefits, which are federally funded, solely due to their immigration status. The benefits are the same as CalFresh; the only difference is the funding source. For more information on the CFAP, please visit: More Information About CFAP

Minimum requirements to file a CalFresh application:

1. Applicant’s full name and
2. Household’s address (unless homeless, district address is acceptable), and
3. Signature of the Head of household, any adult household member, an authorized representative, or a responsible household member.

CalFresh Benefit Minimum Allotment 

To learn more, view the CalFresh Program Sheet!

The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) offers support for low-income, working Californians. You may qualify for up to $3,756 cash back or a reduction of the tax you owe.

Plus, CalEITC may help you access additional credits, like the Young Child and Foster Youth tax credits.

Check if you qualify for CalEITC

The amount of California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) you may receive depends on your income and family size. CalEITC may provide you with cash back or reduce any tax you owe.

To qualify for CalEITC you must meet all of the following requirements during the tax year:

• You’re at least 18 years old or have a qualifying child
• Have earned income of at least $1 and not more than $32,900
• Have a valid Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for you, your spouse/RDP, and any qualifying children
• Live in California for more than half the filing year
• Not be eligible to be claimed as a qualifying child of another taxpayer
• Not be eligible to be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer unless you have a qualifying child

Married/registered domestic partner (RDP) filing separately filers must meet all of the following requirements:

• Had a qualifying child who lived with you for more than half of the tax year, and:
  • You lived apart from your spouse/RDP for the last 6 months of the tax year, or
  • You are legally separated by state law under a written separation agreement or a decree of separate maintenance and you did not live in the same household as your spouse/RDP at the end of the tax year

Earned income

Earned income is wages, salaries, tips, and other employee compensation that is subject to California withholding, or net income from self-employment.

What you'll get

Use our EITC calculator or review the 2025 CalEITC credit table to calculate how much you may get when you file your tax year 2025 return. These related cash-back credits include CalEITC, the state's Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) and Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), and Federal EITC.

Generally, you may claim CalEITC to receive a refund for up to four prior years by filing or amending your state income tax return. Review the information from past years in the dropdowns below to estimate how much you could get.

*FYTC, unlike the other credits above, is awarded per qualifying taxpayer. The credit would be up to $2,378 if both primary taxpayer and spouse/RDP qualify.

**For information on the maximum income allowed to qualify for the federal EITC based on filing status and number of children or relatives claimed, visit the IRS’s EITC tables webpage.

Claim your credit

You must file your state tax return to claim CalEITC. You may use our free CalFile application to file your taxes. Also, you may receive free tax help through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Download, complete, and include with your California tax return:

• 2025 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions

Prior tax year credit forms:

• 2024 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions
• 2023 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions
• 2022 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions
• 2021 FTB 3514: 
  • Form 
  • Instructions

Tax professionals

It is important to verify if your client qualifies. You may be subject to a $500 penalty if you do not comply with CalEITC requirements.

Complete and keep copies of the:

• 2025 FTB 3596, Paid Preparer’s California Earned Income Tax Credit Checklist
• 2025 Instructions for Form FTB 3596

Federal information

In addition to CalEITC, you may qualify for the federal EITC. Visit the IRS Earned Income Tax Credit webpage for more information.

 

The California Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) is a refundable tax credit for low-income families with at least one child under age 6, providing up to $1,189 for the 2025 tax year. It is available to those who qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), including families with zero income.

Overview

The Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) provides up to $1,189 per eligible tax return for tax year 2025. YCTC may provide you with cash back or reduce any tax you owe. California families qualify with earned income of $32,900 or less. You also must have a qualifying child under 6 years old at the end of the tax year and qualify for CalEITC – with one exception.

For tax year 2022 forward, no earned income is required and you may have a net loss. For tax year 2025, you may have a net loss of up to $35,640. However, you must otherwise meet the CalEITC and YCTC requirements. Note that taxpayers without at least $1 of earned income would not qualify for CalEITC.

Prior tax years

YCTC is also available for tax year 2021. Eligible taxpayers would need earned income of $1 to $30,000. The credit decreased as earned income reaches certain phase out thresholds. Those with zero earned income or less would not qualify for YCTC.

Earned income

Earned income is wages, salaries, tips, and other employee compensation that is subject to California withholding, or net income from self-employment.

Net loss

A net loss is generated when taxpayers’ losses exceed their income during the tax year. This includes all current tax year losses – not just the portion of losses that can be utilized to reduce taxable income. Those with net losses could include gig workers and other self-employed individuals, as well as those with investment, rental, or other losses.

An example: A taxpayer’s only capital transaction during the tax year is selling stock in a tech company for a $50,000 loss. The taxpayer might only be able to utilize $3,000 to take against the taxpayer’s taxable income. In calculating the total net loss for purposes of YCTC’s net loss limitation, the taxpayer would include the entire $50,000 loss, not only the $3,000 that could be utilized on a tax return.

For tax year 2025, you may qualify for YCTC with total earned income of zero dollars or less provided all the following apply:

• Your total wages, salaries, tips, and other employee compensation (whether subject to California withholding or not), if any, do not exceed $35,640.
• Your total net loss does not exceed $35,640.
• You otherwise meet the CalEITC and YCTC requirements.

Check if you qualify

Visit the CalEITC homepage to learn more about this credit, related credits you may qualify for, and to use our EITC calculator to estimate your credit.

How to claim

Filing your state tax return is required to claim this credit.

You must claim YCTC on the 2025 FTB 3514 form, California Earned Income Tax Credit, or if you e-file follow your software’s instructions.

You may claim YCTC for tax years 2021 and forward by filing or amending your state income tax return. However, for tax years prior to 2022 you will only be eligible for YCTC if you meet all CalEITC requirements, including having at least $1 of earned income in the tax year.

Download, complete, and include with your California tax return:

• 2025 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions

Prior year tax forms:

• 2024 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions
• 2023 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions
• 2022 FTB 3514: 
  • Form
  • Instructions