TANF Eligibility: Who Qualifies and How to Apply for Cash Help

How TANF works

TANF is a federal block grant. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gives states, territories, Washington, D.C., and some tribes $16.6 billion a year to run their own programs. The federal government does not pay TANF cash to families directly. States use the money for monthly cash payments and for services like work programs and child care.

Because each state runs its own program, TANF often has a different name where you live. A few examples from ACF's state TANF contact list:

State	What the TANF program is called
California	CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids)
Florida	Temporary Cash Assistance
New York	Temporary Assistance (TA) / New York City Cash Assistance
Ohio	Ohio Works First (OWF)
Texas	Texas Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Many people simply call it welfare or cash assistance. According to USAGov, TANF can help families pay for food, housing, home energy and child care, and many states also offer job training and help with tuition for work-related education.

Who qualifies for TANF

Your state sets most of the rules, including the income limit and how much it pays. Federal law adds some requirements that apply in every state.

Rules that apply everywhere

• Your household must include a minor child who lives with you, or a pregnant person. Families without either cannot get TANF cash.
• You must live in the state where you apply.
• Each person applying for or getting benefits must give the state their Social Security number.
• You must assign to the state your right to child support while you get TANF. This means child support paid for your children while you get TANF can go to the state, up to the amount of assistance paid to your family.
• You must cooperate with the state's child support agency in establishing paternity and getting a support order, unless you qualify for a good cause exception. If you don't cooperate, the state must cut your benefit by at least 25 percent and may deny it completely.
• Adults who can work must take part in work activities (see below).

Rules for teen parents

If you are under 18, not married and have a child at least 12 weeks old, you generally must be working toward a high school diploma or equivalent, or be in a state-approved education or training program. Unmarried parents under 18 also generally must live with a parent, guardian or other adult relative. Federal law allows exceptions, for example when there is no such adult, no relative will let you live with them, or living there would put you or your child at risk of serious harm. In those cases the state must help you find another adult-supervised place to live, such as a maternity home or second chance home, unless it decides your current home is appropriate.

Income and assets

There is no single national TANF income limit. Each state sets its own income limit, its own rules about savings and other assets, and its own payment amounts, which usually depend on how many people are in your family. Your state's TANF office can tell you its current limits. You can find your state's office in ACF's state and tribal TANF contact list.

Immigrants

Federal law says most qualified immigrants who entered the U.S. on or after August 22, 1996 must wait five years before they can get federal means-tested benefits like TANF. Refugees, people granted asylum and certain other groups are exempt from that wait, as are some veterans and active-duty service members and their families. States can add their own rules. Ask your state agency how these rules apply to each person in your household. If you need advice about your immigration situation, LawHelp.org lists free legal aid near you.

Things that can disqualify someone

Federal law bars TANF for fugitive felons and people violating probation or parole. Anyone convicted of lying about where they live to get assistance from two or more states at the same time is barred from TANF cash for 10 years. States may also have other rules.

The 60-month time limit

States cannot use federal TANF money to give assistance to a family whose adult head of household (or that person's spouse) has already received federally funded assistance for 60 months. The months add up over your lifetime and do not have to be in a row.

Some months don't count toward the limit:

• months when you were not the head of household or married to the head of household (for example, when you were a child in a family on TANF)
• months when an adult lived in Indian country or an Alaska Native village where at least half the adults were not employed
• months paid only with state money, not federal TANF funds

States can extend help past 60 months for up to 20 percent of their caseload. The extension can be based on hardship, as the state defines it, or because someone in the family has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, which includes physical or sexual abuse, threats of abuse, and mental abuse.

Federal law does not require any state to give assistance for the full 60 months, so some states set shorter limits. A state may also use its own money to help families who have reached the federal limit. Ask your TANF office what your state's limit is and how many months you have already used.

Work requirements

Federal rules measure each state by how many TANF adults are working or preparing for work. States pass these rules on to families, so most adults on TANF must take part in work activities.

To count as fully engaged under federal rules, an adult generally needs to average at least 30 hours a week. At least 20 of those hours must come from activities like:

• a job, including a subsidized job
• work experience or on-the-job training
• job search and job readiness help
• community service
• vocational education training (counted for up to 12 months)

After the first 20 hours, job skills training, education directly related to work, and attending high school or a GED program can also count.

Some families have different targets:

• A single parent or caretaker relative with a child under 6 counts as working at an average of 20 hours a week.
• Two-parent families need a combined average of 35 hours a week, or 55 hours if they get federally funded child care.
• A state may choose not to require work from a single parent caring for a child under 12 months old.

Your state decides the exact activities and hours you need, and what counts as good cause for missing them.

What happens if you don't meet them

If you refuse required work without good cause, the state must lower your family's payment or stop it. There is one protection. If you are a single parent with a child under 6, the state cannot cut or stop your benefit for refusing work if you show that you can't get child care you need. That covers care that is not available within a reasonable distance, relative care that is not available or not suitable, or formal care that is not affordable. Your TANF agency must explain how it decides this. This protection does not stop the 60-month clock.

If child care is the problem, our guide to free or discounted child care explains other places to look for help.

How to apply for TANF

1. Find your state's program. Use ACF's TANF program contact list. Choose your state to see the agency name, its benefits website, a general information phone number and a link to find your local office. Tribal TANF programs are listed there too.
2. Start the application. Most states let you apply through their benefits website. You can also contact your local office.
3. Gather your papers. Your state's application will list what it needs. Be ready to give Social Security numbers for everyone applying and to show proof of things like income, where you live and who lives in your home.
4. Answer the agency's questions. The agency may contact you to confirm information or set up an interview. Respond by the deadline it gives you.
5. Read your decision letter. It should tell you whether you were approved, how much you will get and what you must do to keep benefits.

You never have to pay anyone to apply for TANF. Your state agency is the only one that decides your eligibility.

After you're approved

States pay TANF on a debit card or by direct deposit, and some states can also send paper checks. To check your balance, USAGov suggests looking at your store receipt, checking whether your state has a mobile app, or calling the number on the back of your card.

Federal law requires states to stop TANF cash from being used for card transactions at liquor stores, casinos or other gambling businesses, and strip clubs. Your state may have more rules.

You will usually need to report changes, such as a new job or someone moving in or out, and take part in your work plan. Ask your caseworker how and when to report.

If you are denied or your benefits are cut

Every state must have a way for people who have been hurt by a decision to be heard in an administrative or appeal process, often called a fair hearing. Your notice should explain how to ask for one and the deadline. Deadlines vary by state, so act quickly. LawHelp.org can help you find free legal aid if you want help with an appeal.

Other help to apply for at the same time

TANF payments are small in many states, so it helps to apply for other programs too:

• SNAP food benefits for groceries
• Medicaid for health coverage. Some families who lose TANF because of higher earnings or child support can keep Medicaid for a while.
• LIHEAP energy assistance for heating and cooling bills
• WIC if you are pregnant or have a young child

You can also use our benefit finder to see which programs might fit your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get TANF if I don't have children?

Generally no. Federal law only allows TANF assistance for a family with a minor child living in the home or a pregnant person. Adults without children may still qualify for other programs, such as SNAP. Your state benefits office can tell you what else it offers.

How much does TANF pay?

It depends on your state and family size. Each state sets its own payment levels. Contact your state's TANF office through ACF's contact list for current amounts.

Is the 60-month limit the same in every state?

Sixty months is the federal limit for assistance paid with federal TANF money. Some states set shorter limits, and some use state funds or hardship extensions to help families longer. Your TANF office can tell you your state's rule.

Do I have to work to get TANF?

Most adults do, unless their state exempts them. The federal target is usually 30 hours a week, or 20 hours for a single parent with a child under 6. States may excuse a single parent caring for a baby under 12 months.

Can a grandparent or other relative get TANF for a child?

TANF is for a family with a minor child living in the home, and federal work rules cover both parents and caretaker relatives. Ask your state agency how it handles a grandparent or other relative raising a child, including whether the relative's own income counts.

Can I spend TANF money on anything?

TANF is cash, so you can use it for most household needs. Federal law requires states to block TANF card transactions at liquor stores, casinos and other gambling businesses, and strip clubs, and your state may add more limits.

Sources

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, accessed October 2026
• State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, accessed October 2026
• Help for Families: State and Tribal TANF Program Contact Information, Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, accessed October 2026
• Welfare benefits or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), USAGov, accessed October 2026
• 45 CFR 264.1, Time limits on federal TANF assistance, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed October 2026
• 45 CFR Part 261, Ensuring that recipients work, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed October 2026
• 42 U.S.C. 602, Eligible states and state plans, U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed October 2026
• 42 U.S.C. 607, Mandatory work requirements, U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed October 2026
• 42 U.S.C. 608, Prohibitions and requirements, U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed October 2026
• 42 U.S.C. 1320b-7, Income and eligibility verification system, U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed October 2026
• 8 U.S.C. 1613, Five-year limited eligibility of qualified aliens, U.S. Government Publishing Office, accessed October 2026