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

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New Hampshire program

Monthly cash aid when income has all but stopped

Monthly cash help for families with children and very little income [Financial Assistance to Needy Families].

What it is

Monthly cash help for families with children and very little income [Financial Assistance to Needy Families].

When earnings fall sharply, cash assistance helps with everyday costs. The payment is capped at 60 percent of the poverty guideline for your family size, and savings have to be under $1,000. A relative raising the child can ask for help for the child alone, without testing the relative's own income.

Eligibility rules
  • FANF uses an income calculation with deductions; the maximum cash payment is not the income limit for getting into the program. State law sets the payment standard at 60% of the poverty guideline for the assistance group, and actual cash depends on the net-income calculation. DHHS must confirm the current entry limit, deductions, payment table and whose income belongs in your case. A child-only case with a relative caregiver needs a separate assessment.
  • Tell the office exactly which Social Security or other disability payment the child receives. It checks how that payment is treated and who can be included in the FANF group.
  • A relative caregiver can ask whether the child can be considered separately. The office checks the legal arrangement, assistance group and child’s income; a child-only case does not promise a larger payment.
What you get
  • Monthly cash, with a legal payment cap of 60% of the poverty guideline.
  • A possible work-rule exemption for medically certified care at home.
What the help covers
  • The office sets the actual cash amount after applying the program’s rules.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the Bureau of Family Assistance about cash help on NH EASY.
  2. Bring income and savings records. If care at home prevents work, ask the clinician about the required certificate.

NH Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Family Assistance · 1-844-275-3447 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The district office can give the decision deadline and say what documents are missing. A certified need to care for a household member at home can fit a specific work-rule exemption; time at the hospital is not automatically the same exemption. The social worker can help request the appropriate exemption or good-cause decision and explain the medical circumstances.
Good to know

Savings have to be under $1,000 when you apply; the office says which money counts.

Other details
  • Adults generally have a lifetime limit of 60 months, subject to hardship exceptions.
  • An exemption can apply when care for an incapacitated household member is necessary at home, no other household member can provide it, and the required clinician certifies the need. The office checks these conditions; time at the hospital is not automatically the same exemption.

Federal background: TANF.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could monthly cash or a child-only grant fit our family? How would the work rules and time limit affect us, and could you help if applying makes sense?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand cash help and its conditions before relying on it.

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

The social worker can discuss FANF’s benefits and requirements. If you decide to apply, NH EASY accepts the request; its date can affect when help starts.

Your social worker

The oncology doctor writes the certificate for the caring exemption.

The care team

A physician certifies that care in the home is necessary and for how long.

Who decides
The Bureau of Family Assistance.
Ask your social worker
“Can we add cash aid to the application, and can a doctor certify that I have to be at home caring?”

How to apply

First step: The social worker can discuss FANF’s benefits and requirements. If you decide to apply, NH EASY accepts the request; its date can affect when help starts.

  1. The social worker can discuss FANF’s benefits and requirements. If you decide to apply, NH EASY accepts the request; its date can affect when help starts.
  2. If a parent has to be at home caring, ask the doctor for the certificate for the work rule.
  3. The office can assess whether a relative-caregiver child-only case fits the legal arrangement and financial rules.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The social worker can discuss FANF’s benefits and requirements. If you decide to apply, NH EASY accepts the request; its date can affect when help starts.

What to gather

  • This month's income
  • Savings balances
  • The doctor's certificate if a parent has to be at home caring

How long: The district office confirms the current decision deadline and missing documents.

What a yes looks like

A monthly payment and a notice naming the amount.

What a no looks like, and the next move

A no on savings, on the time limit or on the work rule. Ask which, and ask about the caring exemption.

Watch out

  • DHHS confirms the current applicant and recipient resource limits and exclusions. The previously recorded $1,000/$5,000 figures were not verified as operative in the September 21, 2026 review.
  • The office must check the exact Social Security or other disability payment and who belongs in the assistance group. A child-only case with a relative requires review of the legal arrangement and child’s income; it does not promise a larger payment.
  • A specific in-home caregiving exemption requires the statutory household-member, no-other-available-caregiver and medical-certification conditions. Hospital attendance is not automatically the same exemption; DHHS can assess good cause or another applicable exemption.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

FANF uses net income after deductions. The statutory 60%-of-poverty payment standard is not an income-entry limit; DHHS confirms the current entry and payment tables, assistance group and effective dates.

  • $60/month — Statutory ceiling on the monthly payment
  • $1,000 — Applicant resource figure previously recorded; current limit and exclusions require DHHS confirmation
  • $5,000 — Recipient resource figure previously recorded; current limit and exclusions require DHHS confirmation
  • $60 — Lifetime months of assistance for an adult, subject to hardship exceptions

Covers: Monthly cash

Legal protection: The office must check the exact Social Security or other disability payment and who belongs in the assistance group. A child-only case with a relative requires review of the legal arrangement and child’s income; it does not promise a larger payment. · A child can live with a caretaker relative who is not in the assistance group · A specific in-home caregiving exemption requires the statutory household-member, no-other-available-caregiver and medical-certification conditions. Hospital attendance is not automatically the same exemption; DHHS can assess good cause or another applicable exemption.

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
FANF uses net income after deductions. The statutory 60%-of-poverty payment standard is not an income-entry limit; DHHS confirms the current entry and payment tables, assistance group and effective dates.
Resources
DHHS confirms the current applicant and recipient resource limits and exclusions. The previously recorded $1,000/$5,000 figures were not verified as operative in the September 21, 2026 review.
Time limit
60 months for an adult, subject to hardship exceptions
Work requirement
A specific in-home caregiving exemption requires the statutory household-member, no-other-available-caregiver and medical-certification conditions. Hospital attendance is not automatically the same exemption; DHHS can assess good cause or another applicable exemption.

The trap: The office must check the exact Social Security or other disability payment and who belongs in the assistance group. A child-only case with a relative requires review of the legal arrangement and child’s income; it does not promise a larger payment.

Where I read this

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