Tennessee Families First (TANF) cash assistance for parents and caretakers (2026)

Tennessee’s three Families First numbers: GIS, CNS and the grant

The Gross Income Standard (GIS) is 185% of the need standard. Gross income above it disqualifies the family ⁠⁴. The Consolidated Need Standard (CNS) is what the state says the household needs to live on. Net income has to be at least $1 below it ⁠⁴. The standard payment amount is the maximum grant. For three people it is set at 25% of the CNS ⁠⁵. A higher differential grant goes to households where no adult is in the grant or the caretaker is 65 or older, is disabled, or provides full-time care to a disabled relative in the home ⁠⁵.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

For sizes 1 to 5, the differential grant is $100 above the standard grant. From size 6 up the two are the same ⁠⁵. TDHS publishes figures up to 20 people ⁠¹.

The grant is the lower of two amounts: the maximum for your household size, or the CNS minus your net income. If the gap is $1 to $9, no check is issued, but the family still counts as a Families First household. The smallest payment is $10 ⁠⁵.

How a paycheck changes a Tennessee grant

Tennessee subtracts a flat $250 work expense from each worker’s earnings. It does not apply to unearned income ⁠⁴. Parents who pay their own child care rather than having TDHS pay the provider can also deduct up to $200 a month for each child under 2 and up to $175 for each child 2 or older ⁠¹¹.

Worked example from the published figures: a single parent of two has gross earnings of $1,200 a month and no child care costs. Net income is $950 after the $250 deduction. $1,549 minus $950 leaves a $599 gap. That is more than the $387 cap, so the family receives the full $387. The grant does not start to drop until net income goes above $1,162, which is about $1,412 in gross wages. It falls to the $10 minimum once net income reaches $1,539 ⁠¹⁠⁴⁠⁵.

The state does not count EITC payments or Supplemental Security Income ⁠⁴⁠⁵.

Families First Work Incentive Payments help when a raise or new job pushes a family over the limit. The family can get up to six more months of the maximum grant if three things are true: the parent works at least 30 hours a week (35 or 55 hours for two-parent families, depending on child care funding), the change was reported within 10 calendar days, and every other rule is still met. These months count toward the 60-month limit and cannot overlap with Transitional SNAP. Afterward, the family may qualify for 18 months of Transitional Child Care ⁠⁹.

Assets, vehicles and who is in the household

Countable assets, such as cash, bank balances, stocks and non-home property, are capped at $2,000. Up to $4,600 of equity in one vehicle is excluded. Equity above that amount, and all equity in any other vehicle, counts toward the limit ⁠². The child must be under 18, or 18 and on track to finish high school before turning 19. The child must live with a parent or with a relative within the fifth degree of relationship ⁠². When a non-parent relative chooses to leave themselves off the case, or a parent receives SSI, the case is “child only.” In that case the adult’s income is not budgeted and the work rule does not apply ⁠²⁠⁴⁠⁶.

The Personal Responsibility Plan and the 30-hour work rule

Every adult signs a Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP). If you do not sign it, the application is denied ⁠³. Adults who are not exempt also build an Individual Opportunity Plan with a TANF Case Manager. That plan sets 30 hours a week of activity, and at least 20 of those hours must be core activities ⁠⁶. Core activities include jobs, job search (12 weeks a year at most), work experience, community service and vocational education, which counts as a core activity for 12 months in a lifetime and can include two-year or bachelor’s degree programs ⁠⁶.

You are exempt if you are:

• a single parent caring for a baby under 1;
• one parent in a two-parent home caring for a baby under 16 weeks;
• 65 or older;
• disabled, shown by SSI, SSDI, 100% VA disability or Black Lung benefits, or by a pending SSI or SSDI application;
• caring for a disabled relative in the home;
• a child-only caretaker; or
• a non-citizen without a work permit ⁠⁶.

Victims of domestic violence can have their hours reduced on the recommendation of Family Focused Solutions (FFS). They can also get a waiver of up to 30 days ⁠⁶.

An unexcused absence counts as noncompliance. TDHS then closes the entire case. The closure lasts 1 month for a first sanction, 3 months for a second, 6 for a third and 12 for any later one. After that you must reapply and complete a 10-business-day compliance period ⁠⁶. You get 10 calendar days after the closure notice to prove good cause, for example a lack of child care or transportation. If you appeal within those 10 days, the sanction does not start ⁠¹². Early re-entry is allowed if cash would prevent a child’s removal or homelessness ⁠⁶.

Sixty months, and how Tennessee extends them

Tennessee uses only the federal-style 60-month lifetime limit, with no shorter state clock. Each month a family receives a payment counts, including a partial first month. TANF months received in another state after July 1, 2007 also count. Months in which the grant fell below $10 because of income or a recoupment do not count. Child-only cases are exempt ⁠⁷.

Up to 20% of the caseload can receive an extension. Good cause covers a caretaker who:

• is 65 or older (no end date);
• is disabled (until the disability ends);
• cares for a disabled relative at home; or
• faces a significant life crisis, such as eviction, domestic violence, a death or illness in the family, a natural disaster, drug treatment, pregnancy complications or a baby under 1. This extension lasts 2 months and needs supervisor approval ⁠⁷.

Once a case closes because the 60 months are used up, the family cannot come back on, except that the children may later be covered in a child-only case ⁠⁷.

The Families First Diversion payment

The Diversion payment is a single lump sum. It equals 1 to 12 months of the family’s grant and is paid instead of monthly checks. TDHS sets the amount case by case ⁠⁸. For a family of three, 12 months would come to $4,644 at the $387 rate (calculated from the grant table). To qualify, the family must meet all of these conditions ⁠⁸:

• meet every Families First eligibility rule;
• have lived in Tennessee for at least 6 months;
• have a high school diploma or GED;
• have worked 6 of the last 12 months, including 3 in a row;
• have no major barrier to work, such as substance use or domestic violence;
• have a documented, job-related emergency;
• sign Form HS-2943.

TDHS accepts needs such as a car repair to get to work, a required license or uniform, or a rent deposit for someone already hired, but not school clothes, medical bills or property taxes ⁠⁸. Each month covered by the lump sum counts toward the 60-month limit. Until those months pass, you cannot receive monthly Families First, and early re-entry is not allowed ⁠⁸. If the parent is working within 30 days, the family can get 12 months of subsidized child care ⁠⁸.

Applying through the One DHS Customer Portal, step by step

1. Gather proof

   Collect Social Security numbers, photo ID, proof of citizenship or immigration status, birth certificates showing how everyone is related, a lease or utility bill, pay stubs, child support and benefit letters, and bank and vehicle records. Mail copies, not originals ⁠³.

2. Apply

   Create an account on the One DHS Customer Portal and apply online, which is usually processed faster. Or file paper Form HS-0169 at your county TDHS office, or mail it to Family Assistance, 1843 Foreman Dr., Suite 102, Cookeville, TN 38501 ⁠³. Benefits are paid from the date TDHS receives the signed application ⁠¹¹.

3. Do the interview

   A caseworker should contact you within 10 days of receiving the application. If you also applied for SNAP, one interview covers both programs ⁠³. Ask about the Diversion payment at this stage if your need is a one-time cost tied to a job ⁠⁸.

4. Send verifications

   Upload documents on the portal or bring them to an appointment ⁠³.

5. Sign the PRP

   Once you are found eligible, TDHS contacts you within 5 days. You then have 10 days to sign and return the Personal Responsibility Plan and any Individual Opportunity Plan ⁠³.

6. Watch for the decision

   TDHS must decide within 45 days. Approved families get an EBT card in the mail, and payments are loaded on the 1st of each month. Approvals last 12 months; report changes within 10 days ⁠³⁠¹¹.

7. Appeal a denial or cut

   Appeal through the portal, by calling 833-772-8347, or by sending Form HS-3058-F to the Appeals Clerk’s Office at 505 Deaderick Street, Nashville, by email at [email protected], or by fax at 866-355-6136 ⁠¹⁵.

Child support assignment and Tennessee’s gap pass-through

As a condition of Families First, the caretaker assigns all child and spousal support to TDHS and cooperates with the IV-D Child Support Program. That means naming the other parent, establishing paternity and pursuing an order. If you refuse without good cause, the application is denied or the whole case is closed ⁠¹⁰. Any support paid to you directly must be reported and sent on to the State Disbursement Unit ⁠¹⁰.

Under Tennessee’s “fill-the-gap” budgeting, the family can receive collected support up to its unmet need, which is the CNS minus the grant and counted income ⁠¹³⁠¹¹. For a family of three with no other income, the unmet need is $1,549 minus $387, or $1,162. TDHS’s Child Support Program works in all 32 judicial districts. It also serves parents who are not on Families First, through the same One DHS portal ⁠¹⁴.

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