Arkansas TEA cash assistance for single parents and families (2026)

What $204 a month buys under Arkansas’s flat TEA payment scale

TEA pays one of nine fixed amounts by family size; the manual section setting them is dated December 6, 2011, so the grant has not risen since at least then ⁠¹.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Arkansas does not subtract income dollar for dollar. A family that passes the income test gets the full amount until countable gross income, not counting assigned child support, reaches $1,026 a month. At that point DHS cuts the payment by 50%, so a family of three drops from $204 to $102 ⁠¹. Half-size months still use up the time limit, so closing the case may serve the family better ⁠¹.

The first payment covers the full month of certification, not a prorated amount, and cash goes onto an EBT card ⁠¹.

The $513 test: how DHS counts income for applicants and recipients

The Income Eligibility Standard is $513 a month for every family size, at application and afterward. Unearned income such as unemployment benefits counts in full; deductions from earnings depend on your status ⁠¹:

1. Applicants

   DHS deducts 20% of gross earnings as a work-related deduction. A parent whose only income is wages fails the test above about $641 a month in gross pay.

2. Recipients

   After the 20% deduction, DHS deducts another 60% of what is left, so only 32% of gross pay counts. A recipient with only wage income stays eligible up to about $1,603 a month in gross pay, although the grant is halved from $1,026.

For example, a parent with two children already on TEA starts earning $1,000 a month. The parent’s countable earnings are $320, which is under $513, and gross income is below $1,026, so she keeps the full $204. At $1,100 a month she is still eligible, but the payment falls to $102 ⁠¹.

$3,000 in resources, one car excluded, and the family cap

Countable resources must be $3,000 or less for any family size, measured on the first day of the month ⁠¹. DHS excludes the family’s home and one car or other vehicle used for personal transportation, regardless of its value. Any other vehicle counts at full market value ⁠¹.

Arkansas also has a family cap. A child born while the mother receives TEA is not added to the grant unless the case stays closed for six months in a row. The same rule applies to a child born within nine months after TEA ended for the mother. The child can still get Medicaid and SNAP ⁠¹.

Twelve months, not sixty: Arkansas’s Act 266 clock

Act 266 of 2023 cut the state TEA time limit from 24 to 12 months, effective April 1, 2024. It made the same cut to Work Pays ⁠⁴. The months need not be consecutive, and only months in which the adult or head-of-household minor parent receives cash count ⁠². Several rules soften the limit:

• Deferred months don’t count. Any month you are deferred or exempt from work rules adds a month to your limit ⁠².
• Out-of-state months. TANF months from another state count toward the 12 only after the first 48 ⁠¹.
• Child-only cases. No limit applies when the parents receive SSI or when a relative is only the payee, not part of the grant ⁠¹⁠⁴.
• Extensions. The local office can extend the limit for reasons such as disability, the third trimester of pregnancy, caring for a family member with a disability, domestic violence or missing child care. It can also extend it for someone within six months of finishing a training program. There is no cap on the length or number of extensions ⁠².

The federal 60-month lifetime limit still applies. Staff review cases at 42, 48, 54 and 58 months. Hardship extensions past 60 months need approval from a local area panel and then a state-level panel ⁠². If DHS closes your case at 12 months, you can appeal, but benefits do not continue while the appeal is pending ⁠¹.

Work activity hours and the suspension-then-reduction sanction ladder

A single parent must take part in work activities for at least 30 hours a week, with at least 20 of those hours in core activities. A single parent with a child under six needs 20 hours, all of them in core activities. Two-parent families need 35 hours a week combined, or 55 hours if they receive federally funded child care ⁠². A parent caring for a baby under 3 months old is exempt. So is a parent caring for a baby 3 to 12 months old if child care is not available. This exemption is limited to 12 months over a lifetime ⁠². Job-ready applicants must also search for work while the application is pending; without proof, TEA is approved with a 25% cut ⁠¹.

If you don’t comply without good cause, the sanctions build up in steps ⁠²:

1. First suspension

   The payment is held for one month. If you comply within 15 business days and keep complying for two weeks, you get it back. Otherwise you lose it, and the grant is cut by 25% for up to three months.

2. Second suspension

   If you are still not complying after the fourth month, two months of payments are held. If you lose them, the grant is paid at 50% for up to three months.

3. Closure

   If you still have not complied, the case is closed.

Refusing to cooperate with child support cuts the grant by 25%. Missing proof of a preschool child’s immunizations also reduces the grant, and a school-age child who is not enrolled is dropped from the case until the school confirms 30 days of attendance ⁠¹. Adults must complete a Drug Assessment Questionnaire under Act 1205 of 2015. An adult who then refuses a required drug test is removed from the grant ⁠¹.

Diversion Assistance: up to three months of grant as a one-time payment

Diversion Assistance is a single payment that replaces monthly TEA. It is for a parent whose job or firm job offer is at risk because of a money problem such as a car repair or uniforms ⁠¹. The payment covers the actual cost, up to three times the maximum grant: $486 for a family of two, $612 for a family of three and $741 for a family of four ⁠¹. An adult can receive it only once in a lifetime. The adult must sign form DCO-182 and agree not to receive regular TEA for 100 days ⁠¹.

State law treats the payment as a loan to repay when able. Unrepaid, it counts against the 12-month clock: DHS divides it by the maximum grant and rounds up, so $400 for a family of three uses two months ⁠¹. Ask the county office for Diversion and staff will refer you to TEA case management ⁠¹.

Work Pays and the exit bonuses after a TEA case closes for a job

A TEA case that closes because of a job automatically pays an Employment Bonus equal to your last TEA payment. A family can get this bonus only once in any 12 months. The case also pays a one-time $200 transportation bonus. Neither bonus counts against the time limit ⁠².

Arkansas Work Pays, created by Act 1705 of 2005, then pays $204 a month for up to 12 months ⁠². To qualify you must:

• have received TEA for at least three months;
• apply within six months after the TEA case closes;
• have worked for at least 30 days before applying;
• work at least 24 paid hours a week;
• have income below 150% of the federal poverty level ⁠².

For April 1, 2026, the 150% limit is $2,705 a month for two people, $3,415 for three and $4,125 for four ⁠³. Work Pays has no resource limit ⁠². It also pays bonuses: $400 after three months of meeting work requirements, $600 after six more months, an $800 exit bonus for 12 of 12 compliant months, and $1,200 if your earnings rise above 150% of the poverty level ⁠². Work Pays months count toward the federal 60-month limit but not the state’s 12 ⁠². The program may be capped at 3,000 families ⁠².

Applying through Access Arkansas or a DHS county office

1. Pick your route

   File the combined Application for SNAP, Health Care, and TEA/RCA Benefits (DCO-0004) online at Access Arkansas, or turn in a paper copy at your DHS county office. A parent or other adult relative caring for the child must sign it under penalty of perjury ⁠¹.

2. Gather proof

   Bring Social Security numbers, proof of the children’s ages and relationship to you, income and bank records, and the children’s school and immunization records ⁠¹.

3. Complete the interview

   DHS interviews every applicant. Both adults are interviewed in a two-parent home. You will review and sign the Personal Responsibility Agreement (DCO-0217). In it you agree to cooperate with child support, keep children in school and up to date on immunizations, and take part in work activities ⁠¹.

4. Search for work while you wait

   If you are ready to work, look for jobs and turn in the Applicant Job Search Form by the date on your notice ⁠¹.

5. Get a decision within 30 days

   DHS must approve or deny the application within 30 calendar days of receiving it unless more time is needed to establish eligibility. Once you are approved, DHS refers you to case management for an employability assessment and an Employment Plan ⁠¹⁠².

6. Appeal in writing within 30 days

   Send a hearing request to the DHS Office of Appeals and Hearings no later than 30 days from the date on the notice. You can use the back of the notice, a letter or form DHS-1200. Appeal within the 10-day advance notice period to keep the case open until the hearing ⁠¹.

DHS also takes TEA questions through Access Anywhere ⁠⁶.

Child support through DFA’s Office of Child Support Enforcement

In Arkansas, child support is handled by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) in the Department of Finance and Administration, not by DHS. When you accept TEA, your right to child support is automatically assigned to the state, up to the amount of the TEA grant. DHS refers your case to OCSE, and OCSE charges TEA families no fee ⁠⁷⁠¹. If support is higher than the grant, OCSE sends you the difference. For example, if the other parent pays $220 a month, a family with a $204 grant receives $16. That family may do better closing TEA to keep the full support and stop the clock ⁠¹. Parents not on TEA can apply online, at a local office or by calling 501-371-5349; a $25 fee may apply ⁠⁷.

Other Arkansas guides cover first-time homebuyer grants and small business programs, or you can compare cash assistance across states.