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

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Michigan program

Monthly cash when income is very low (FIP)

Michigan’s Family Independence Program provides cash when eligible family income falls below its payment standard.

What it is

Michigan’s Family Independence Program provides cash when eligible family income falls below its payment standard.

FIP is monthly cash when wages have fallen very low. MDHHS takes $200 off each worker's earnings and then a fifth of the rest, and pays where what is left falls short of its standard. A relative raising the child gets a child-only standard that leaves the relative's income out.

Eligibility rules
  • The asset figures to discuss with MDHHS are $15,000 for countable cash, investments and retirement, and $200,000 for countable real property. The worker applies the current asset exclusions; these are not tests against every dollar a family owns.
  • MDHHS takes $200 off each earner’s wages, then ignores part of the rest, before comparing with its standard: $583 a month for three people, $707 for four.
  • A child on SSI is left out of the group, and a grandparent raising the child can ask for a child-only grant. Caring for a seriously ill child can excuse the work rules; bring a clinic letter.
What you get
  • Monthly cash based on your eligible family group and income.
  • A possible work-activity deferral when caring for your child prevents work.
What the help covers
  • Payment standards are $583 monthly for an eligible grantee group of three and $707 for four.
  • Child-only standards are $187 for one certified child with the caretaker outside the group, or $498 for three certified children.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital social worker whether a FIP calculation and MI Bridges request are worth pursuing in your circumstances.
  2. Bring current income and asset information. Ask the clinic for a statement if caring for your child prevents work.

MDHHS: 1-855-789-5610 · Official page ↗

If you decide to apply
  • The published processing standard is 45 days; your MDHHS worker confirms what applies to the request. A caring-parent work deferral needs a separate review of actual care and medical evidence, rather than following automatically from a hospital stay.
Good to know

The standard is the most a family gets; the payment is the gap between it and your countable income. A child on SSI is left out of the group.

Other details
  • The state lifetime limit became 60 months on April 1, 2025.
  • SSI differs from other Social Security benefits. The worker checks each person’s benefit type, legal relationship and membership in the assistance group before deciding whose needs, income and resources count.
  • A state exemption does not necessarily stop the federal lifetime clock. MDHHS checks both.

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

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could FIP help with basic expenses if our income is very low? What obligations or limits would come with it, and could you help us apply and discuss a caring-parent deferral if appropriate?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the actual payment and work rules before relying on cash assistance.

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 on MI Bridges and report this month’s pay.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker can help with the form.

The care team

A written statement that care prevents work supports the employment deferral.

Who decides
MDHHS.
Ask your social worker
“Our income has stopped. Can we apply for cash assistance, and does the caring-parent deferral apply while my child is in treatment?”

How to apply

First step: Apply on MI Bridges the month the pay drops.

  1. Apply on MI Bridges the month the pay drops.
  2. If a relative is raising the child, ask for the child-only standard by name.
  3. Ask about the caring-parent employment deferral and what medical verification is needed.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply on MI Bridges, on the same form as food assistance and Medicaid.

What to gather

  • This month’s pay for each earner
  • Savings and investment balances
  • Who lives in the home and who is caring for the child

How long: MDHHS has 45 days.

What a yes looks like

A monthly amount on the Bridge card, and the 60-month state clock starting.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Usually the deficit test, not a ceiling. Ask which deductions were used and whether every income change was counted.

Watch out

  • The payment standard is not an income limit; Michigan runs a deficit test after two deductions.
  • Savings up to $15,000 do not rule you out here, which is unusual.
  • SSI and other Social Security benefits have different group and income rules. MDHHS checks the exact benefit type rather than excluding every recipient of a Social Security payment.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Monthly cash: $583 for a group of three and $707 for four. Savings up to $15,000 do not rule you out.

  • $583/month — Monthly payment standard, eligible grantee group of three
  • $707/month — Monthly payment standard, eligible grantee group of four
  • $187/month — Child-only standard, one certified child, caretaker outside the group
  • $498/month — Child-only standard, three certified children
  • $15,000 — Cash, investment and retirement asset limit
  • $200,000 — Countable real property limit
  • $60 — Lifetime state limit from April 1, 2025

Legal protection: A qualifying child-only case and an SSI recipient can have different assistance-group treatment. MDHHS checks the legal relationship, benefit type, income and resources.

What it costs the family: None to apply.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
Two BEM 518 income calculations based on the assistance group and each income source: qualifying earned deduction $200 per earner then 20%, payment deduction $200 then 50%. These are not a universal gross-income ceiling.
Assets
$15,000 cash, investments and retirement; $200,000 countable real property
Processing standard
45 days

The trap: The payment standard is not a gross-income ceiling. BEM 518 uses $200 per earner then 20% of the remainder in the qualifying test, and $200 then 50% in the payment test. The qualifying deficit must reach $1 and payment deficit $10. SSI differs from other Social Security benefits when determining group membership and income.

Where I read this

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