New York Family Assistance (TANF) cash help for single parents and families (2026)

How New York builds a grant from four allowances

Social Services Law §131-a sets one statewide standard of need, and the regulations divide it into parts ⁠³. Every household gets a basic allowance ($336 a month for three people since Oct. 1, 2012), a home energy allowance ($30 for three) and a supplemental home energy allowance ($23 for three) ⁠¹. On top of these comes a shelter allowance equal to your actual rent, capped at a maximum that depends on your district and household size ⁠². If heat is not included in your rent, the district adds a separate fuel-for-heating allowance ⁠². A family with no income receives the full standard of need. If your rent is below the cap, your grant is lower.

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Shelter caps come from the “with children” schedule in 18 NYCRR 352.3. For other counties, find your county’s row in that schedule and add $389 ⁠¹⁠².

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Each person beyond six adds $85 to the basic allowance, $7.50 to the home energy allowance and $5 to the supplemental allowance. The NYC shelter cap stops rising at seven people ($546) ⁠¹⁠².

Passing the needs test and the resource cap

In October 2022 New York dropped its gross income and poverty level tests. The only income test now is the needs test: countable income must stay below the household’s standard of need ⁠⁷. Applicants are tested without the percentage earned income disregard, unless they received public assistance in any of the four months before applying. Once you are approved, the district subtracts the disregard from your earnings and then a $150 work expense disregard ⁠⁷. The disregard was 64% from June 1, 2025. Each June, OTDA adjusts it to follow the federal poverty guidelines, so ask your worker for the rate in effect after June 1, 2026 ⁠⁷.

Countable resources can be no more than $2,500 for an applicant household, or $3,750 if a member is 60 or older or disabled. After approval, a recipient household can hold up to $10,000 ⁠⁸. One car is exempt up to $12,000 of fair market value, and a district may adopt a higher figure ⁠⁸. These limits replace the $2,000 and $3,000 figures still printed in parts of the Source Book ⁠⁸⁠⁹.

60 months of Family Assistance, then non-cash Safety Net

Each adult can receive FA for 60 months in a lifetime. The months do not have to be consecutive, and months of TANF received in other states count ⁠⁴. When an adult reaches the limit, that adult and everyone else in the FA household lose FA ⁠⁴. New York does not cut the family off completely. It moves the family to Safety Net Assistance, paid in non-cash form: the district pays your landlord or utility directly or issues vouchers ⁠⁴. SNA is also non-cash for a family in which an adult abuses drugs or alcohol or refuses screening, assessment or treatment ⁠⁴. Other SNA households, such as single adults, generally get cash SNA for no more than two years in a lifetime ⁠⁴.

Work rules under Social Services Law §335-b

New York has no single brand name for its TANF work program. Each district runs its own public assistance employment program, and HRA runs Career Services in New York City ⁠¹⁵. The state law sets the hours. Parents must average 30 hours a week of work activities, or 20 hours if they are the only parent or caretaker of a child under 6. Two-parent families need 35 hours, or 55 between the two parents if they receive federally funded child care ⁠¹¹. You are exempt if you are ill or incapacitated, age 60 or older, needed at home to care for a sick or incapacitated household member, or pregnant (starting 30 days before your due date) ⁠¹⁰. A parent caring for a child under 1 is also exempt, but only for 12 months in a lifetime, and only three months of that for any one child unless the district extends it ⁠¹⁰.

If a parent refuses without good cause, the household grant is cut by that parent’s share. The first time, the cut lasts until the parent agrees to comply. The second time, it lasts at least three months, and the third and later times at least six months ⁠¹². HRA pays for transportation and child care so that participants can attend approved activities. People with medical or mental health barriers can be referred to its WeCARE program ⁠⁶⁠¹⁵.

Emergency Assistance to Needy Families and diversion payments

New York’s diversion option is Emergency Assistance to Needy Families (EAF), not a fixed lump sum. A district can make a one-time payment that solves a crisis so the family does not need ongoing cash ⁠⁹. The payment types are rent or rent arrears, mortgage arrears or home repairs for homeowners, and transportation costs such as car repairs or insurance for someone who needs them to keep a job. Diversion payments cannot cover security deposits, broker’s fees or utility shutoffs. Those needs go through regular emergency assistance ⁠⁹. To get a diversion payment, a family must be categorically eligible for EAF and have gross income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Families who have used up their 60 months of FA can also qualify ⁠⁹. Accepting diversion is voluntary. If you take it, you withdraw your application for ongoing assistance in writing. If you turn it down and are eligible, the district must pay ongoing benefits ⁠⁹. In New York City, HRA calls these payments a “One Shot Deal.” Unless you get SSI, HRA may require you to repay it ⁠⁶.

The $1,800 BABY payment for newborns

Part Q of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2025 created the Birth Allowance for Beginning Year (BABY) benefit. It is a one-time payment of $1,800 for each child born on or after Nov. 5, 2025, with a separate payment for each twin or triplet ⁠¹⁴. The household must already be receiving ongoing public assistance when the baby is born. Emergency assistance does not count, and applying after the birth does not qualify ⁠¹⁴. Before the baby is 91 days old, send proof of birth and citizenship, the Social Security number application and any required child support cooperation so the baby can be added to your case. A district can accept documents later if you have good cause ⁠¹⁴. Sanctioned parents, SSI parents and relative caretakers on an active case qualify. The payment has no spending restrictions, and SNAP and HEAP do not count it as income ⁠¹⁴.

Applying through myBenefits.ny.gov or ACCESS HRA, step by step

1. Pick the right door

   Outside New York City, apply at myBenefits.ny.gov, in person at your county department of social services, or by mailing or faxing the state application. In the five boroughs, apply through ACCESS HRA or at an HRA Job Center ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

2. Flag any emergency on day one

   If you have no food, face eviction or a utility shutoff, or are fleeing violence, tell staff right away. They must interview you and give you a written decision on the emergency the same day ⁠⁴.

3. Gather proof

   Bring ID, Social Security numbers, proof of income and rent, bank balances and car values. Keep countable resources under $2,500 ⁠⁸. NYC lists the required documents on form W-119D ⁠⁶.

4. Do the interview

   In NYC, call 929-273-1872 on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. after you submit, and upload documents in the ACCESS HRA app ⁠⁶.

5. Cooperate with child support and the work assessment

   Expect drug and alcohol screening and assessment, and assignment to employment activities such as job search ⁠⁴. Child support cooperation is required when the other parent is not on your case, though some exceptions apply; ask your worker about them ⁠⁶.

6. Watch for the decision

   The district must approve or deny your application within 30 days of the application date and authorize the first payment by then. Benefits arrive on an EBT card ⁠¹³⁠⁶.

7. Appeal if you disagree

   You have 60 days to request a fair hearing, online or at 1-800-342-3334 ⁠⁹⁠⁵. If you ask before the effective date on a notice that cuts or ends your grant, you have the right to aid continuing until the decision ⁠⁹.

Child support: the pass-through and the Enrollment Wizard

FA requires you to help the district locate the other parent and collect support. Refusing without good cause can lower your grant ⁠⁴. Collected support goes to the state, but each month you receive the first $100 of current support collected, or up to $200 if two or more children are on the case ⁠⁹. To open a child support case yourself, use the Online Enrollment Wizard at childsupport.ny.gov, visit a local child support office, or mail the enrollment form to that office ⁠⁵.

For other help in this state, see all New York assistance guides or compare cash assistance across states.