Connecticut Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) cash help for families (2026)

How Connecticut sets the $915 payment standard

State law sets the TFA standard of need at 55% of the federal poverty level. The payment standard, which is the most a family with no countable income receives, is 73% of that standard of need ⁠³. When the new poverty guidelines take effect each March 1, both numbers move. Families in subsidized housing have 8% of the payment standard counted as income, so their grant is 92% of the standard ⁠³⁠¹.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Payment standard and subsidized-housing columns are from the DSS chart ⁠¹. The diversion column is three times the payment standard, the statutory cap ⁠³. The TANF State Plan’s own table still shows $833 for three people, effective October 1, 2023 ⁠⁴.

Unearned income such as unemployment benefits or Social Security is subtracted dollar for dollar from the grant. SSI is not counted ⁠². DSS disregards the first $50 a month of current child support and passes it through to the family. Support collected above $50 repays the state, unless it is more than the TFA award plus $50, in which case it goes to the family ⁠³. If a relative or guardian who does not receive TFA for themselves is caring for the children, that adult’s income and assets are not counted ⁠². Benefits are paid to an EBT card or by direct deposit, and Connecticut does not issue TFA checks. The EBT contract allows two free ATM withdrawals a month and then adds a $0.50 fee to each withdrawal ⁠⁴.

Income rules at application and after approval

Applicants must have income below the standard of need, which is $1,253 a month for a family of three ⁠¹. DSS subtracts $90 from each person’s gross earnings at application ⁠⁴. For self-employment, a law effective November 18, 2025 lets DSS take a standard 51% deduction from gross receipts if you verify at least one business expense. You can deduct actual expenses instead if they are higher ⁠³. Since July 1, 2025, stipends from job training programs the commissioner approves are also disregarded, for up to 36 cumulative months ⁠³.

Once a family is approved, the rules become more generous. Earned income is disregarded completely up to 100% of the poverty level ⁠³. Starting with the first month earnings go above that level, a family can stay eligible for up to six consecutive months ⁠³:

Thresholds are from the DSS chart ⁠¹. The 20% reduction comes from CGS 17b-112(d)(2) ⁠³.

The 36-month clock, extensions and the 60-month cap

Families with an employable adult can receive TFA for 36 months ⁠³. Adults are exempt from the clock if they are incapacitated, are 60 or older, care for an incapacitated household member, are a relative caretaker whose own needs are not in the grant, care for a child under one, are pregnant or postpartum and a physician has certified they cannot work, or are found unemployable. A minor parent attending and passing high school or an equivalency program is also exempt ⁠³⁠⁸. An exemption applies only if every adult in the home qualifies for one ⁠⁸.

At the end of the 36 months, DSS can grant up to two six-month extensions. To qualify, the family must have made a good faith effort to comply and still have income below 100% of the poverty level, after a $90 earned income disregard. A family can also qualify if domestic violence or another circumstance beyond its control prevents work ⁠³. DSS can approve more extensions only if each adult has a qualifying reason:

• domestic violence or another reason beyond the adult’s control prevents employment;
• the adult has two or more documented barriers, such as no available child care, addiction, severe health problems, severe learning disabilities, or a child with serious health needs;
• the adult works fewer than 35 hours a week because of a documented medical limit or the need to care for a disabled household member ⁠³.

Overall, a time-limited family cannot receive more than 60 months of TFA unless it experiences domestic violence. Months of TANF from other states count toward the 60, but months received during the COVID-19 public health emergency do not ⁠³. DSS reviews cases after 12 months and again in the 35th month, before the time limit ends ⁠⁴.

Jobs First Employment Services and what noncompliance costs

TFA is formally the cash component of Jobs First ⁠⁴. After approval, DSS refers each adult who is required to work to JFES unless a medical or other exemption applies. Applicants must attend the initial employment services intake before TFA is granted ⁠¹¹⁠⁴. The Department of Labor provides JFES through American Job Centers, working with the state’s five Workforce Development Boards. At intake you get an employability assessment, an employment plan and a case manager ⁠⁴. JFES is a “balanced work first” program. If the assessment shows you can earn the poverty-level wage for your family size, you are expected to find that work. If not, the plan can include adult education, occupational training, on-the-job training or college ⁠⁴. The plan sets activities case by case, and the State Plan does not name a fixed weekly hour requirement ⁠⁴. JFES pays for transportation, such as bus passes and mileage. Child care comes through Care 4 Kids, and unemployed TFA families pay no child care fee ⁠⁴.

A single parent caring for a child under 13 cannot be sanctioned for refusing work activities if they show they could not find appropriate child care. That includes care costing more than 10% of their income after subsidies ⁠⁴. Before referring anyone for a sanction, the JFES case manager must offer a Barrier Intervention Referral to a contracted support agency ⁠⁴. UPM 8530.55 sets the penalties for noncompliance without good cause. A first violation cuts the grant by 25% for three months. A second cuts it by 35% for three months. A third makes the whole family ineligible for three months. During an extension, any violation ends cash for the rest of that extension ⁠⁷. That section was written under the 21-month limit, so ask your worker how it applies to your case.

Diversion: a lump sum in place of monthly TFA

Connecticut law requires DSS to offer diversion assistance to some TFA applicants. The family must be eligible for TFA, have a short-term need it cannot meet with its own resources, and be able to avoid monthly cash if it gets a service or one-time payment ⁠³. Under the manual, you cannot apply for diversion. The worker screens every TFA applicant at the interview and offers it mainly to adults who have a job or a job offer starting within three months, a solid work history and no major barriers to work ⁠⁵⁠¹⁵. The help can take the form of employment services, child care, transportation, housing or utility payments, clothing, or tools needed for a job ⁠³.

The payment cannot exceed three months of the family’s TFA amount, which is $2,745 for a family of three in 2026. It must be issued within 15 days of the request ⁠³⁠⁵. If you accept it, you cannot get monthly TFA for three months unless DSS finds an undue hardship, such as a fire or flood. Those three months also count against the 36-month clock ⁠³⁠⁵. You have three business days to change your mind, and diversion recipients do not have to assign child support to the state ⁠³. The manual allows diversion once in 12 months and three times in an adult’s lifetime ⁠⁶.

Applying through ConneCT, step by step

1. Gather proof for everyone in the home

   Collect pay stubs, benefit letters, bank balances, vehicle loan payoff amounts, child support records and identity and immigration documents. Assets must total $6,000 or less ⁠².

2. File one application

   Apply online through ConneCT, or mail Form W-1E to the DSS ConneCT Scanning Center, P.O. Box 1320, Manchester, CT 06045. You can also apply in person at a DSS resource center. DSS asks you to allow 10 days for documents you submit to be processed ⁠¹⁰.

3. Complete the interview

   The worker checks eligibility, screens you for diversion and does a service needs assessment for JFES ⁠⁵⁠⁴.

4. Attend the JFES intake

   Unless you are exempt, you must go to the American Job Center intake session before benefits are granted ⁠⁴.

5. Cooperate with child support

   A TFA family that fails to cooperate with IV-D child support enforcement is ineligible ⁠³.

6. Watch for the decision

   DSS must act within 45 days of the application, or within 30 days for an extension request ⁠⁴⁠³.

7. Request a fair hearing if you disagree

   You have 60 days from the date a notice is mailed to request a fair hearing. To keep benefits unchanged while you wait, request it within 10 days ⁠⁹. The DSS Client Information and Benefits Center is 1-855-626-6632 ⁠¹¹.

When TFA ends: Safety Net services and child support

Families who reach the time limit, still meet TFA’s income and asset rules and cannot get an extension can be referred by DSS to the TANF Safety Net Services Case Management Program. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford runs it, providing up to 12 months of home-based case management and possible basic needs payments ⁠¹²⁠². The program’s Barrier Intervention track serves families still on TFA, through JFES referral ⁠¹².

For child support, the DSS Office of Child Support Services and Judicial Branch Support Enforcement Services locate parents, establish parentage and orders, and collect payments. The Office of the Attorney General provides legal help ⁠¹⁴. To apply, contact the resource center for your town or call 1-800-228-5437. There is no application fee, although an annual service fee of $35 may be charged ⁠¹³⁠¹⁴.

For other help, see all Connecticut assistance guides or compare cash assistance across states.