Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Delaware program

Monthly cash help (Delaware TANF and Children’s Program)

Cash assistance for families, with a separate child-only route for a relative raising a child.

What it is

Cash assistance for families, with a separate child-only route for a relative raising a child.

Delaware TANF is monthly cash when income after deductions is very low, with a savings limit of $10,000. A relative raising the child asks for the Children's Program as payee only; that child-only route leaves the relative's income out and has no time limit.

Eligibility rules
  • After deductions, applicant limits are much lower: $270 for two, $338 for three, $407 for four, $475 for five and $544 for six.
  • The resource ceiling is $10,000. An employable adult generally has 36 cumulative months of assistance.
  • An eligible non-parent relative may act as payee for a child-only grant without counting the relative’s income. Adoption, whether the adult also seeks assistance, the child’s money and the assistance-unit size affect the review.
What you get
  • A monthly cash payment if your family meets all the tests.
  • A child-only route for eligible relatives raising a child.
What the help includes
  • The Children’s Program can treat an eligible relative as payee only and leave that relative’s income out.
  • The full grant is $338 a month for three people, $407 for four; income reduces it. A relative's child-only grant is often for one child, $201 a month.
  • Diversion Assistance can address an eligible crisis when an adult with a natural or adopted child is employed or has a job offer. It pays the lesser of the need or $1,500, generally once in 12 months. A payment normally prevents TANF for one to three following months, with possible good-cause waiver. DSS confirms how accepting it affects later assistance.
  • Taking a diversion payment bars monthly TANF for one to three months depending on the amount: one month for up to $500, three for over $1,000.
  • DSS takes $90 off wages, plus child-care costs, before the test.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the social worker whether TANF or a relative’s child-only route is worth discussing with DSS.
  2. Have current income, bank balances and proof of the relationship to the child ready.
  3. If a relative is raising the child, ask which Children’s Program rules apply.

Division of Social Services and ASSIST · 1-866-843-7212 · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The published decision deadline is 30 days. The notice identifies the branch and payment amount.
Good to know

A child receiving SSI is left out of the TANF unit. That child’s income and resources are also excluded.

Other details
  • Medically documented care for a disabled family member living at home can affect the work rules. The published exclusion also addresses whether that person attends school full time. DSS confirms an exemption or good-cause protection when a child is hospitalized.

Federal background: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could monthly cash help fit our family, including any child-only route? What are the benefits and obligations, and could you help us apply if it makes sense?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the actual payment and which adults or children the program counts.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply with this month’s income. A relative raising the child should ask for the Children’s Program and say they are applying for the child only.

Your social worker

The social worker can say which branch fits and whether the child on Supplemental Security Income is left out of the count.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Division of Social Services.
Ask your social worker
“I am raising my grandchild. Can I apply for the Children’s Program as payee only, so my own income is not counted?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at assist.dhss.delaware.gov, or at a Division of Social Services office.

  1. If a relative is raising the child, ask for the Children’s Program by name and say you want to be payee only.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply on ASSIST or at a Division of Social Services office.

What to gather

  • This month’s income for the adults in the unit
  • Bank balances
  • Proof of the relationship if a relative is raising the child

How long: No later than 30 days from the filing date, on the archived rule.

What a yes looks like

A monthly payment and a notice saying which branch you are on.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Usually income or savings. Ask which, and ask whether the child-only branch was considered.

Watch out

  • Ask for the Children’s Program by name if a relative is raising the child, and say you want to be payee only.
  • A child who gets Supplemental Security Income is left out of the household count and so is that child’s money.
  • The figures Delaware publishes are an entry test, not the cheque. Ask what the payment would actually be.

Dates that change this

2025-10-01: Current gross-entry cells have not been verified against a dated current agency table. DSSM publishes separate payment standards; these are not the same as gross-entry limits. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Monthly cash. The gross entry test is $2,446 for two, $3,082 for three and $3,719 for four, but the applicant test after deductions is far lower: $270, $338 and $407.

  • $2,446/month — Maximum gross income, unit of 2
  • $3,082/month — Maximum gross income, unit of 3
  • $3,719/month — Maximum gross income, unit of 4
  • $4,355/month — Maximum gross income, unit of 5
  • $4,989/month — Maximum gross income, unit of 6
  • $270/month — Applicant maximum net income, unit of 2
  • $338/month — Applicant maximum net income, unit of 3
  • $407/month — Applicant maximum net income, unit of 4
  • $475/month — Applicant maximum net income, unit of 5
  • $544/month — Applicant maximum net income, unit of 6
  • $10,000 — Savings ceiling
  • $30 — Decision deadline

Legal protection: A relative who is payee only has their own income left out, and is not subject to the time limit

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
gross income under the published entry test for the assistance unit size
Resources
available resources not over $10,000, on the archived rule
Time limit
36 cumulative months for an employable adult; a relative carer on the Children’s Program is not time limited
Household
a child who receives Supplemental Security Income is not counted in the unit, and neither is that child’s income or resources
Work activity
a parent providing medically documented care for a disabled family member living in the home is excluded from work activity; care given to a hospitalised child is not expressly covered

The trap: A child who gets Supplemental Security Income is left out of the cash assistance household entirely, and so is that child’s income, so do not count them in when you work out whether to apply.

Where I read this

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