Washington TANF and WorkFirst cash assistance for families (2026)

What Washington TANF pays each month

The figures below are the payment standards set in WAC 388-478-0020, in effect since Jan. 1, 2024 and still current in October 2026 ⁠¹. A family with no countable income receives the full amount. Any countable income is subtracted from it dollar for dollar after the earnings deductions described below ⁠⁴.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Three payments can sit on top of the grant:

• Diaper Related Payment (DRP). Households with a child under 3 on the grant get $100 a month, as long as the TANF grant is at least $10. You do not apply; DSHS adds it automatically. It is $100 per household, not per child. The rule lets DSHS cut or stop it if the appropriation runs out ⁠¹³.
• Child support pass-through. When the Division of Child Support (DCS) collects current support, it passes through up to $50 a month for one child or up to $100 for two or more. Since Feb. 1, 2021, the pass-through does not reduce the TANF grant ⁠¹⁴.
• Non-Needy TANF. A grandparent, older sibling, cousin, aunt or uncle raising a child, or a legal guardian, can get a child-only grant without their own income being counted ⁠⁷.

How DSHS counts a paycheck

Washington uses two income tests. First, gross monthly earnings must be below the maximum earned income level: $1,640 for a parent with one child, $1,912 for a parent with two and $2,166 for a parent with three ⁠². Unearned income such as unemployment benefits cannot exceed the payment standard on its own ⁠¹².

Second, DSHS works out countable income. It subtracts the first $500 of the household’s total earnings and then half of what remains ⁠³. If you pay someone other than a parent to watch a child before your benefits are approved, DSHS also subtracts that cost, up to $200 a month for a child under 2 when you work 121 or more hours a month ⁠³. Your grant is the payment standard minus countable income. If countable income equals or exceeds the payment standard, you are not eligible ⁠⁴.

Calculated from WAC 388-450-0170 and 388-450-0162 ⁠³⁠⁴. A household with a child under 3 would also get the $100 DRP ⁠¹³.

The $12,000 resource limit and your car

Washington allows a family on cash assistance to own up to $12,000 in countable resources, measured as equity value: what the item would sell for minus what you still owe ⁠⁵. DSHS fully excludes one vehicle the household uses for transportation, and also any licensed vehicle needed to transport a household member with a physical disability ⁠⁶. Resources are counted as of your interview date ⁠⁵. If you jointly own something with a former household member and you are a victim of family violence, DSHS does not count it when getting access to it would put you at risk ⁠⁵.

Diversion Cash Assistance and emergency payments

Diversion Cash Assistance (DCA) is for a family that qualifies for TANF but can support itself going forward, and only needs to clear one emergency ⁠⁸. You must:

• meet every TANF or SFA eligibility rule except WorkFirst and child support cooperation;
• prove a current need for child care, housing (including utilities), transportation, job-related costs, food or medical costs;
• show you have, or expect to have, enough income to stay off TANF for at least 12 months ⁠⁸.

DCA pays the cost of the need, up to $2,000, once in a 12-month period. DSHS pays the landlord or vendor directly when it can, and it may split the money over a 30-day window ⁠⁸. The cap rose from $1,250 to $2,000 on Jan. 1, 2025 ⁠⁸. As of Oct. 20, 2026, DSHS’s consumer TANF page still lists the old $1,250 figure ⁠⁷. DCA months do not count toward the 60-month time limit ⁠⁹. If you go on TANF within 12 months of getting DCA, DSHS turns part of it into a loan: one-twelfth of the payment for each month left in the 12-month period. It collects the loan by reducing your grant 5% a month ⁠⁸. Child-only cases and adults whose TANF was closed for a WorkFirst sanction cannot get DCA ⁠⁸.

Additional Requirements for Emergent Needs (AREN) works the other way. It pays on top of a TANF grant, but only for housing or utility emergencies: preventing eviction or foreclosure, moving out of homelessness or away from domestic violence, preventing a utility shutoff, or fixing a hazard in the home. The household limit is $750 in 12 months, and you must show a good reason you could not pay, such as an illness that cut your income ⁠¹².

WorkFirst: orientation, the individual plan and sanctions

Applicants who will be required to take part in WorkFirst must complete the WorkFirst orientation before DSHS approves the grant ⁠⁷. After approval, a WorkFirst case manager writes an Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP). Depending on your situation, the plan may include job search, school or training, mental health or substance use treatment, or steps to deal with a barrier such as homelessness ⁠⁷⁠¹¹. WorkFirst can also pay for child care and give gas, clothing or education vouchers to active participants ⁠⁷. Child-only (Non-Needy TANF) caregivers do not have to take part ⁠⁷.

Washington’s sanction process is staged ⁠¹¹:

1. Notice and case staffing

   If you miss a requirement, DSHS sends a letter and invites you to a noncompliance case staffing. You have 10 days to respond in writing, by phone, by attending or by asking for an appointment.

2. Good reason review

   A severe health condition, family violence, no affordable child care for a child under 13, an eviction notice or another significant hardship counts as a good reason, and DSHS changes your plan instead of sanctioning you.

3. Grant reduction

   After two months of noncompliance without good reason, a supervisor reviews the case. The grant is then cut by one person’s share or 40%, whichever is more, starting the first of the month after a 10-day notice.

4. Closure

   After 10 months in a row of reduced grants, DSHS may close the case. Taking part for four weeks in a row before the closure date keeps the case open and ends the penalties.

Washington’s 60-month limit and its extensions

State and federal law both limit an adult to 60 months of TANF and SFA in a lifetime, counted since Aug. 1, 1997. Months of federally funded TANF from other states count too ⁠⁹. Since July 1, 2023, the clock does not run for a parent who gets a grant only for the children, for example because the parent receives SSI ⁠⁹. In Indian Country areas where at least half of adults are not employed, months also do not count ⁠⁹. From October 2026, DSHS tracks months for two-parent households in a separate state-funded SFA counter; those months still count toward the 60 ⁠⁹.

A case manager reviews your case after month 52 and sends a notice before the limit is reached ⁠¹⁰. You can get a hardship extension if, among other reasons, you ⁠¹⁰⁠⁷:

• are 65 or older, blind or disabled, or receive Social Security disability insurance;
• work 32 or more hours a week in an unsubsidized job;
• are in a family violence plan, or are homeless, including a family whose child lacks a fixed nighttime residence;
• have a child under 2 and qualify for an infant-related WorkFirst exemption;
• have an open child welfare case;
• got TANF in months when Washington’s unemployment rate was 7% or higher (since March 2020), or when the Employment Security Department’s latest published rate is 7% or more.

Extensions can be renewed for as long as you keep meeting the criteria. DSHS reviews them at least every 6 or 12 months, depending on the reason, and WorkFirst participation continues during an extension ⁠¹⁰.

Applying through Washington Connection, step by step

1. Pick a way to apply

   Apply online at Washington Connection, at any Community Services Office, by phone at 877-501-2233, by fax to 888-338-7410, or by mail to DSHS, P.O. Box 11699, Tacoma, WA 98411 ⁠⁷.

2. Gather proof

   Have Social Security numbers, pay stubs, child support records, bank balances and proof of any vehicle or other property ready. If you are asking for DCA or AREN, bring a written estimate, eviction notice or shutoff notice showing the amount ⁠⁸⁠¹².

3. Ask about Diversion Cash Assistance at screening

   If your income will cover future months, a worker should explain DCA before your interview. Decide then whether you want the one-time payment or monthly TANF ⁠⁸.

4. Complete the interview

   Call 877-501-2233 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, or go in person ⁠⁷.

5. Attend WorkFirst orientation

   If you meet financial eligibility, DSHS refers you to WorkFirst staff, and approval waits on the orientation ⁠⁷.

6. Cooperate with child support

   DCS opens a case for each parent who is not in the home. You can ask for “good cause” not to cooperate if it would put you or the children at risk, using the How You Must Help With Support Collection form ⁠⁷⁠¹⁴.

7. Appeal if you disagree

   For public assistance cases, you must request a hearing within 90 calendar days after you get the notice ⁠¹⁵. If you disagree with how DSHS counted your time-limit months, the same 90-day window applies ⁠¹⁰.

Child support help from the Division of Child Support

When you get TANF, you assign your support rights to the state, and DCS opens a case automatically. It establishes and enforces child and medical support unless DSHS grants good cause. You cannot ask DCS to take only partial action ⁠¹⁴. If an ex-partner pays you directly after the assignment, you must report it, or you will owe it back ⁠¹⁴. Parents not on TANF can enroll with DCS by printing Forms 18-078 and 14-057, asking for them by mail, or calling 800-442-5437.

For other help in Washington, see the Washington energy assistance guide, all Washington guides, or compare cash assistance across states.