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

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New York program

Monthly cash help for a family (Family Assistance) and one-time emergency help (EAF)

Family Assistance is monthly cash help for eligible families, with a separate route for emergencies.

What it is

Family Assistance is monthly cash help for eligible families, with a separate route for emergencies.

Losing pay can leave a gap for rent and everyday expenses. Your district runs a budget to decide monthly cash, and savings have to be under $2,500. Emergency Assistance to Families is a one-time payment for a crisis bill, such as a shutoff or eviction notice, with a higher income line.

Eligibility rules
  • There is no single income cutoff; the district works out a budget for your household. It ignores 65% of wages and a further $150 a month before comparing.
  • Applicant resource limits are $2,500, or $3,750 with an older or disabled member. Recipients can hold $10,000 under the provision effective through August 22, 2027.
  • Adults generally have a 60-month lifetime TANF limit, including months in other states.
What you get
  • Monthly cash help based on the district's household budget.
  • Separate emergency help for qualifying crises such as a threatened loss of housing or utilities.
What the help includes
  • Emergency Assistance to Families uses available income up to 200% of poverty. For four people, that is $5,500 monthly from April 2026 through March 2027.
  • Emergency Safety Net Assistance has a separate 125% line, $3,438 monthly for four over that period.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask your local DSS, or HRA in New York City, to explain Family Assistance and any emergency route.
  2. Have current income, bank balances, rent or mortgage costs and utility bills ready.
  3. Include any eviction or shutoff notice if you decide to request emergency help.

Local Department of Social Services; New York City HRA; myBenefits.ny.gov · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The Family Assistance decision standard is 30 days. The district handles emergency requests on a separate timetable.
Good to know

The monthly grant is not one statewide amount. The district's housing allowance and household budget affect the result.

Other details
  • An emergency-aid income line does not predict the monthly cash grant.
  • The district needs to calculate your household’s actual grant; a basic allowance or an emergency-aid income limit is not a monthly benefit amount. For a child living with a relative, ask whether a child-only budget is appropriate and whose income belongs in it. If a child receives SSI, or a one-time emergency payment is proposed, ask for a written explanation of the people included, any repayment obligation and the emergency decision timetable.

Federal background: TANF.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could monthly cash help or emergency family aid cover part of our gap in income? What limits or obligations would come with it, and could you help us get the district's calculation before we decide?”

Why I’m asking: We want to understand whether cash assistance can help with basic bills while treatment disrupts our income.

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, do the interview, report this month's income and the emergency, and bring the notice or bill.

Your social worker

The social worker writes the letter explaining the child's care needs and the parent's lost income.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The local Department of Social Services budgets the household and decides emergency requests.
Ask the agency
“Can you calculate our Family Assistance budget for this month, and can Emergency Assistance to Families pay this bill?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at the local Department of Social Services (or myBenefits.ny.gov). Ask for the household budget and, if an emergency exists, for Emergency Assistance to Families the same day.

  1. Apply at the local DSS and ask for the household budget.
  2. If an emergency exists (eviction, shutoff), ask for Emergency Assistance to Families the same day.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at the local DSS or through myBenefits.ny.gov; ask for Emergency Assistance to Families when an emergency exists.

What to gather

  • This month's income and the date work stopped
  • Rent or mortgage and utility bills
  • Any eviction or shutoff notice
  • Bank balances

How long: Family Assistance: a decision within 30 days of the application. Emergency requests are decided faster; ask the district.

What a yes looks like

A budget notice with the monthly grant, or a one-time emergency payment to the landlord or utility.

What a no looks like, and the next move

"Over the budget" or "resources over the limit": ask for the worksheet and a fair hearing by the notice date.

Watch out

  • The grant is not one number: the district adds a housing allowance to the basic grant. Ask for the budget rather than guessing.
  • Savings over $2,500 ($3,750 with a disabled or older member) block a new application; recipients can hold $10,000.
  • Emergency Assistance to Families is separate from the monthly grant and reaches 200% of the poverty line. Ask for it by name when a shutoff or eviction notice arrives.

Dates that change this

2026-06-01: The share of earnings ignored rose from 64% to 65% on June 1, 2026; the work-expense allowance stays $150 (NYC HRA update). (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

2027-08-22: The $2,500 / $3,750 / $10,000 resource provisions are effective until August 22, 2027.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.

What it is worth

Monthly Family Assistance decided by the district budget (no published statewide grant); adults limited to 60 months. Emergency Assistance to Families for households up to 200% of the poverty line: $5,500 a month for four (April 2026 to March 2027).

  • $2,500 (cash, liquid and nonliquid resources (provision effective until August 22, 2027)) — Applicant resource limit
  • $3,750 — Applicant resource limit with a household member 60 or older or disabled
  • $10,000 — Recipient resource limit
  • $60 — Adult lifetime limit
  • $30 — Decision standard for Family Assistance
  • $200 — Emergency Assistance to Families income limit
  • $5,500/month — Emergency Assistance to Families income limit, 4 people (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027)
  • $65 — Earned-income disregard (from June 1, 2026)
  • $150/month — Work-expense disregard

Covers: Monthly cash grant (Family Assistance) · One-time emergency payment (Emergency Assistance to Families) · Emergency Safety Net Assistance at 125% of the poverty line for others

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Entry test
the 185% gross income test and the poverty-level test were eliminated in October 2022; the district budget decides
Disregards
65% earned-income disregard from 2026-06-01, applied before the $150 monthly work-expense disregard
Resources
$2,500 applicants; $3,750 applicants with a member 60+ or disabled; $10,000 recipients (Social Services Law §131-n, effective until 2027-08-22)
Ssi child
excluded from the FA/SNA household budget (OTDA 02 INF-03, 2002; current corroboration incomplete)
Time limit
60 months lifetime for adults, including TANF months in other states
Promptness
30 days
Eaf
available income at or below 200% FPL: $3,607 / $4,553 / $5,500 / $6,447 / $7,393 for two to six (2026-04-01 to 2027-03-31)
Esna
125% FPL: $2,254 / $2,846 / $3,438 / $4,029 / $4,621
Grant amounts
NOT FOUND (entry budgets and maximum total grants for units of three and four; diversion payment maximum)

Decisions this site cannot make: District Temporary Assistance budget

Expect friction on: Interview and documentation · Grant depends on district shelter allowance

The trap: The basic allowance in the law is not your grant: the district adds a housing allowance, so ask for your household's budget. A child on SSI is left out of the household count (older guidance; not fully confirmed).

Where I read this

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