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

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Mississippi program

Cash help for a relative raising a child

Child-only TANF pays for a child raised by a relative who is not the parent.

What it is

Child-only TANF pays for a child raised by a relative who is not the parent.

Because you are not the parent, your own income and savings are left out and only the child's money is tested. The county confirms the family relationship; if you have adopted the child, a different category applies.

Eligibility rules
  • A relative who is not the child’s parent must be raising the child in Mississippi.
  • The county checks the eligible child’s own countable income and resources, not the qualifying non-parent relative’s income and resources. A child receiving SSI cannot also receive a TANF payment; the usual TANF resource ceiling is $2,000 for the assistance group, and income and exclusions still need a child-only budget. Adoption makes the adopter a legal parent; guardianship alone does not make an unrelated adult an eligible caretaker relative. The child must live with a relative within the program’s specified relationships, and adoption-assistance payments have separate rules.
What you get
  • Up to $200 monthly for one eligible child, or $236 for two.
  • The non-parent relative’s income and assets are left out of this eligibility test.
What this includes
  • The monthly amount is for the child rather than an adult-inclusive assistance group. The county calculates the actual payment.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask MDHS for TANF for non-parent caretaker relatives by name.
  2. Bring the child’s identity documents, proof the child lives with you, and information about your relationship.

Mississippi Department of Human Services, county office · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The usual TANF processing standard is 30 calendar days from receipt of a valid application. The county can identify missing documents, explain an allowed delay and give a written decision. Calling the packet incomplete does not by itself restart the clock.
Good to know

If you have adopted the child, you count as the parent and this route closes. Tell the county about any guardianship or adoption.

Other details
  • If the relative’s income appears in the decision, the county can explain whether it assessed the application as child-only or adult-inclusive.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would child-only cash help fit our legal relationship, what are the benefits and drawbacks, and could you help us apply if it does?”

Why I’m asking: I want the county to assess the right type of cash help for the way our family is arranged.

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

Ask for the child-only application by name and show that the child lives with you.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker can write a letter confirming who brings the child to treatment.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The county office of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, on the child alone.
Ask your social worker
“I am the relative raising this child. Can we apply for the child-only cash payment, the one that does not count my income?”

How to apply

First step: Ask MDHS for TANF for non-parent caretaker relatives, using that name.

  1. Ask MDHS for the non-parent caretaker relative application by name.
  2. Take something showing the child lives with you: school, clinic or benefit letters.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask MDHS for TANF for non-parent caretaker relatives, by that name.

What to gather

  • The child's birth certificate or ID
  • Something showing the child lives with you
  • Your relationship to the child

How long: No later than 30 calendar days once the application is complete.

What a yes looks like

A monthly payment for the child, with no test of your own income.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Check the application was taken as child-only. If your income was counted, that is the wrong application.

Watch out

  • Ask for the child-only application by name, or your own income gets counted and you are refused.
  • The payment is small. It is worth having because nothing else in Mississippi ignores the adult's income.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Up to $200 a month for one child and $236 for two, with the relative's own income and savings left out.

  • $200/month — Maximum monthly payment for one child
  • $236/month — Maximum monthly payment for two children
  • $30 — Decision deadline once the application is complete

Covers: A monthly cash payment for the child

Legal protection: The relative's own income and assets are left out of the eligibility test

What it costs the family: Nothing to apply.

The eligibility facts, as published

Household
a relative who is not the parent is raising the child
Income
the relative's own income and assets are not counted
Residency
Mississippi
Processing standard
30 calendar days

Decisions this site cannot make: MDHS county decision on the child alone

Expect friction on: Proving the child lives with you

The trap: Ask for the child-only application by name. If you apply as an ordinary household, your own income is counted and you are refused.

Where I read this

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