California's Low Cost Auto Program: The Paperwork When You Hold an AB 60 License

California runs its own Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program inside the state's assigned risk plan. It exists for income-eligible drivers, and the question people with an AB 60 license ask first is whether the program will take their card. The state's own materials answer that directly: it does.

What you'll be asked for

The statute behind the program (Insurance Code section 11629.73) sets the record limits: in the last three years, no more than one of either an at-fault property-damage-only accident or a point for a moving violation; no at-fault accident causing injury or death; and no felony or misdemeanor Vehicle Code conviction on the record. Household gross income may not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

The income papers that tend to be easiest

The program card lists benefits that "may help you qualify," along with the document that shows each one:

• CalFresh — your EBT card
• CalWORKs — your notification letter
• Medi-Cal — your Medi-Cal card
• EDD benefits — the debit card or a benefit letter
• Social Security or a pension — the award or pension letter

If none of those fit your household, the certified agent tells you which other income proof the program accepts. That list is the program's, and the agent works from it.

A rough income check before you call

The 2026 federal poverty guidelines published by HHS for the 48 states and DC are below. The program's limit is 250 percent of the poverty level, so multiply your household's line by 2.5 for a rough idea, then ask the agent which year's table the program is applying.

The new-license catch, and why it is not a dead end

Many AB 60 license holders have a short California license history. The eligibility statute asks for drivers 16 or older who have been continuously licensed for the previous three years, but it also lets newer drivers in with a surcharge. Separately, section 11629.72 lists surcharges for unmarried drivers aged 16 to 24, for fewer than three years of driving history, and for not being continuously licensed for three years. A recent license can still qualify; it may simply cost more inside the program.

How applying and paying work

1. Check eligibility and find a certified agent through mylowcostauto.com or the program line, 1-866-602-8861.
2. Apply through that certified agent with your proof of income; applications go through producers the plan has certified (section 11629.74).
3. If you pay in installments, the plan asks no more than 20 percent at issue, followed by seven payments.

What varies: the program sets its own coverage and its own forms, so ask the certified agent exactly what the policy includes and what it leaves out — especially damage to your own car.

When it is not the best fit

If the car is worth more than the limit, if your record has more than the program allows, or if your income is just above the line, a standard policy is the route. Even when you qualify, comparing the program policy against a standard one costs nothing. Start a standard quote here to have both numbers side by side.