Nevada TANF cash assistance (NEON) for single parents and families (2026)

Nevada’s payment allowance chart for 2026

Manual chart C-140 was reissued on March 30, 2026 (MTL 03/26) with the 2026 federal poverty levels ⁠¹. Besides the 130% gross income limit shown above, it sets a need standard (75% of poverty), used in the earnings test, and a payment allowance, the largest grant DSS can pay ⁠¹⁠⁶.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Each additional person adds $66 to the payment allowance, $355 to the need standard and $60 to the non-needy caregiver allowance. The chart’s column headers still read “Eff. 4/1/2025,” but the transmittal letter dated March 30, 2026 says the chart was updated with the 2026 poverty levels ⁠¹.

DSS figures the monthly grant by subtracting your net countable income from the payment allowance and rounding down to whole dollars. If the result is less than $10, no grant is issued ⁠⁶.

How the 100/85/75/65 earnings disregard changes a NEON check

At application, two tests apply. First, total gross income has to be at or below 130% of poverty. Second, if anyone in the household works, net income after a $90-or-20% work expense deduction and child care costs has to be below the 100% need standard. A household that passes both tests qualifies for the earned income disregards ⁠⁶. Each wage earner then keeps:

• 100% of gross earnings for three months;
• 85% for the next three months;
• 75% for the three months after that;
• 65% for the last three months.

Dependent care costs are also deducted, with no cap. A second set of disregards opens only after the worker has been off cash for 12 straight months and passes both income tests again ⁠⁶.

The example applies the manual’s formula to the C-140 allowance ⁠¹⁠⁶. Child care costs would raise every grant in the table.

When a NEON case would close because of earned income, the family can get an Employment Retention Payment of $50 a month for six months, and support services continue during that time. A household can qualify for ERP again each time this happens ⁠⁷⁠⁶. ERP months count toward time limits. If you have already reached the 24- or 60-month limit, DSS grants an automatic hardship so the full six months can be paid ⁠⁴.

The $10,000 resource limit and Nevada’s two-vehicle rule

An assistance unit can have up to $10,000 in countable resources such as bank accounts, EBT cash balances and stocks ⁠⁵. Since April 1, 2019, DSS has excluded two vehicles per TANF unit, and one of them is exempt whatever it is worth. Vehicles used at least half the time to produce income, needed to transport a disabled member, or worth $1,500 or less are also exempt. For any other vehicle, DSS counts the greater of its equity value or the amount by which its fair market value exceeds $4,650 ⁠⁵.

Nevada’s 24-month clock inside the 60-month federal limit

On top of the federal 60-month lifetime limit, Nevada sets a schedule of its own. A household can receive cash for 24 months, whether or not the months are in a row. It must then go 12 months in a row without cash before reapplying for another 24 months. After a second 12-month break, it can receive a final 12 months ⁠⁴. Months on TANF-NEON, the Loan program and ERP count toward both clocks, as do TANF months from other states, counted in the month the payment is received ⁠⁴. Child-Only, SSG and TEMP months do not count. Neither do months in which the grant was under $10 or was reduced to zero to repay an overpayment ⁠⁴.

A Hardship Committee in each district office reviews every case that reaches the 24- or 60-month limit. It can extend benefits for as long as the head of household’s hardship continues, and its decision is final and cannot be appealed ⁠⁴. A single parent who has used their 12-month lifetime exemption for caring for a baby cannot get an extension for that same reason ⁠⁴.

NEON hours, exemptions and the three-month sit-out

NEON is mandatory for work-eligible adults. A single parent must take part in 30 hours of activities a week, and two-parent families must take part in 35 ⁠⁸. Activities include job search, GED preparation, training and the Community Work Experience Program (CWEP), and NEON can pay for bus passes, gas, car repairs, work clothing and tools ⁠⁸. Participants facing substance abuse, domestic violence or mental health barriers are assigned to licensed DSS social workers ⁠⁸.

Two NEON exemptions matter most for single parents:

• A single parent of a baby under 12 months can be exempt for 3 months per pregnancy, up to 12 months in their lifetime. An office manager can add 3 more months for a hardship ⁠⁷.
• A single custodial parent of a child under 6 can be excused if suitable child care is unavailable, unsuitable or unaffordable ⁠⁷.

Before the case closes, each mandatory participant gets one 30-day period in their lifetime to start complying. After that period has been used, any later noncompliance has to be fixed within 10 days ⁠⁸. Failing to follow the Personal Responsibility Plan then leads to a three-month sit-out. During the sit-out, everyone in the household is ineligible for TANF, and any reapplication in those three months is denied ⁠⁹.

Self-Sufficiency Grant, TANF Loan and TEMP instead of monthly NEON

The Self-Sufficiency Grant (SSG) is Nevada’s diversion payment. It is meant for a family that would qualify for TANF and faces a short-term, job-related gap. Examples include a parent waiting for a first paycheck or needing a car repair to accept a job. You and your case manager agree on an amount that will resolve the need, such as rent, utilities, uniforms, licenses or relocation for a job ⁠³. A supervisor approves every SSG, and the office manager must approve any amount over $1,000 ⁠³. To qualify, gross income must be at or below 130% of poverty and resources at or below $10,000 ⁠³.

The trade-off is a period without TANF. DSS divides the SSG by the maximum grant for your family size and treats any part of a month as a full month. For a family of three, a $1,000 SSG divided by $386 comes to 2.6, so the family is ineligible for TANF for three months ⁠³⁠¹. You can return to TANF early if the caregiver becomes disabled, loses the job through no fault of their own, or the job offer falls through. SSG months do not count toward either time limit ⁠³.

The TANF Loan pays monthly benefits to a household that has a reasonable expectation of a specific future source of income. Every adult signs Form 2135-EE and is personally responsible for repaying the entire loan. If the adult later receives TANF-NEON and has not repaid, DSS recovers the money from those benefits. Loan months count toward time limits ⁠³. TEMP pays up to four months after an unforeseen event such as a fire or flood. It requires approval from the Chief of Eligibility and Payments. Adults who have used their 60 lifetime months or are in Nevada’s 12-month sit-out cannot get it ⁠³.

Relatives raising children: Child-Only and Kinship Care

A grandparent, aunt or other relative of a specified degree who wants help only for the children can apply as a non-needy caregiver under TANF Child-Only. That category has a higher payment column and no time limit ⁠³⁠¹. Chart C-140 sets a 275% of poverty income limit for non-needy caregivers, which is $6,261 a month for a household of three ⁠¹. Kinship Care pays $401 to $463 per child (see the programs table). It is available to relatives age 62 or older who have Nevada court-approved guardianship and have cared for the child for at least six months in a row. The children must meet TANF age, citizenship and resource rules ⁠¹⁵. DSS can reimburse up to $750 of the cost of hiring a lawyer to obtain guardianship ⁠¹⁵.

Applying through Access Nevada, step by step

1. Check the gross income test

   Add up everyone’s gross earned and unearned income for the month you apply. For three people, the limit is $2,960 ⁠¹⁠⁶.

2. Submit the application

   Apply online at Access Nevada, or mail, fax or hand in Form 2905-EG, the Application for Assistance, at a district office ⁠¹⁰.

3. Choose a category on Form 2136

   DSS reviews NEON, Child-Only, SSG, Loan and TEMP with you, and you make the final choice. Ask about SSG at this point if a lump sum would solve your problem ⁠³.

4. Attend the face-to-face interview

   Nevada requires an in-person interview for initial TANF eligibility. A phone interview is allowed only when unusual circumstances, such as distance or impassable roads, make it impossible to reach the office ⁠¹⁰.

5. Send verifications

   Pay stubs, bank statements and vehicle information can go to [email protected].

6. Cooperate with child support

   Signing the application assigns your child support rights to the state under NRS 425.350. Fill out Form 2906-EG with information about the noncustodial parent ⁠¹³. After approval, you must turn over all child support you receive to the Child Support Enforcement Program, and DSS stops counting it as income. The manual describes support coming back to you only when collections exceed what the other parent owes ⁠¹². You can claim good cause in writing, and benefits are not delayed while the claim is reviewed ⁠¹³.

7. Watch for the decision

   DSS generally decides within 45 days of the application date ⁠².

8. Appeal in writing if needed

   Send a written hearing request within 90 days of the Notice of Decision. If DSS receives it by the 10th day after the action’s effective date, your grant continues unchanged until the hearing decision ⁠¹¹.

Parents who are not on TANF can still get child support services. Download Form 4000-ECS and mail, fax or bring it to a Child Support office, or call (800) 992-0900 ⁠¹⁴. For help paying for child care while you are in NEON, see the Nevada child care assistance guide. You can also browse all Nevada assistance guides or compare cash assistance across states.