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

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Indiana program

Monthly cash when income is very low (Indiana TANF)

Indiana's monthly cash assistance helps families with very low income and some relatives raising a child.

What it is

Indiana's monthly cash assistance helps families with very low income and some relatives raising a child.

TANF is small monthly cash for a family with far less income than food assistance allows. A relative raising the child can get a child-only grant, and the relative's own income is not counted the way a parent's would be.

Eligibility rules
  • Entry gross income must be strictly below 35% of poverty: $963 monthly for four people in the 2026 table.
  • Net income must be below the maximum grant. Continuing eligibility ends at or above its separate standard.
  • The lifetime limit is 60 months for a group containing a parent or caregiver. Adults required to participate in the work program have a 24-month limit.
What you get
  • Monthly cash based on the assistance group and its income.
  • Up to $248 monthly for a qualifying one-child-only assistance group.
What the help includes
  • A four-person assistance group can receive up to $617 monthly. The income calculation can reduce the actual grant.
  • A relative who is not a parent can be left out of the assistance group for a child-only grant.
  • A caregiver needed at home can document a work-program exemption with a doctor's statement or State Form 54717.
  • For three people in the actual assistance group, the 2026 entry gross limit is strictly below $797 monthly. Net income must be below $513, the maximum grant effective July 1, 2025.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the benefits office which assistance group fits the adults raising the child.
  2. Have income, savings and relationship information ready for the Indiana benefits application.
  3. If caring for a household member prevents work-program participation, ask what medical evidence the exemption needs.

Division of Family Resources, 800-403-0864; Indiana benefits portal · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The benefits office sets the assistance group and checks exemptions. A decision is due within 30 days.
  • Approval sets the actual grant, which can be lower than the maximum.
Good to know

Savings have to be under $1,000 to apply; once the case is open the limit is $10,000. A relative caregiver's own money is looked at separately.

Other details
  • Being above the cash-assistance line says nothing about whether food assistance fits.
  • A relative who is not the child's legal parent may be able to receive a child-only TANF grant without including their own income and resources. DFR must check the legal relationship, who would be in the cash-assistance group and the child's own income. Adoption or legal parenthood changes the calculation, and an SSI child is not also included for TANF cash. A household count of three does not necessarily mean a three-person cash grant.

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

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could monthly cash assistance or a child-only grant fit the people raising our child? What work rules and drawbacks come with it, and could you help us apply if it would be useful?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the actual grant and caregiving rules before counting on cash help.

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 and say who is raising the child. Ask for the child-only grant if that person is not a parent.

Your social worker

The caseworker sets the assistance group and checks the exemptions.

The care team

A doctor's statement can document the caregiver exemption from the work programme.

Who decides
The Division of Family Resources.
Ask your social worker
“A relative is raising my grandchild. Can we be screened for the child-only cash grant, and for the exemption for someone needed at home to give care?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at fssabenefits.in.gov and ask for the child-only grant by name if a relative is raising the child.

  1. If a relative is raising the child, ask for the child-only grant by name.
  2. Ask about the work-programme exemption for someone needed at home to care for an incapacitated household member; a doctor's statement or State Form 54717 documents it.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at fssabenefits.in.gov or call 800-403-0864. Ask for the child-only grant by name if a relative is raising the child.

What to gather

  • Proof of who the child lives with
  • This month's income
  • Bank balances

How long: 30 days, or 60 if the applicant job search applies.

What a yes looks like

A monthly payment and a notice naming the assistance group.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If income is the reason, ask whether the child-only group was tested separately.

Watch out

  • The entry line is far lower than the food-assistance line. Being over it says nothing about food help.
  • Savings over $1,000 stop a new application, though recipients may hold up to $10,000.
  • A relative who is not a parent can be left out of the group, so only the child counts.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Up to $617 a month for four people; $248 a month for one child on the child-only grant.

  • $963/month — Entry gross income limit, group of 4 (35 per cent)
  • $617/month — Maximum monthly grant, group of 4
  • $248/month — Child-only grant, one participating child
  • $1,000 — Resource limit at application

Covers: Monthly cash payment

Legal protection: Supplemental Security Income recipients and their income and resources are excluded from the calculation · A relative who has used the lifetime limit can still be a non-participating carer for a child-only grant

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
entry gross below 35 per cent of the poverty line and net below the maximum grant; eligibility ends at or above the continuing standard
Resources
$1,000 at application, $10,000 for recipients
Time limits
60 months lifetime for a group containing a parent or carer; 24 months for adults required to take part in the work programme

The trap: The entry test is 35 per cent of the poverty line, which is far below the food-assistance line. Being over it says nothing about food assistance.

Where I read this

← Back to your options