FAQ: TANF Work Outcomes Measures (Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023)

A1: All work-eligible individuals who exit TANF should be included in the quarterly Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters report. Those without an SSN should be reported as “999999999” in order to get a sense of the true exiting population and to understand missingness in the outcomes measures. Since those individuals won’t be able to be matched with the National Directory of New Hires, any positive work outcomes would only be captured if a state chooses to submit a Supplemental Work Outcomes report and includes those individuals. This instruction will be included in the final Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters report instructions. 

A2: All states are represented in the NDNH — they don’t need to have their own separate match agreement to appear in the data. The NDNH receives data from state unemployment insurance programs, so all states and territories with an unemployment insurance program are included.  

Any state that does not have an Unemployment Insurance program and thus is currently unable to submit quarterly wage records to the NDNH will be required to submit the Supplemental Work Outcomes Report. That report will be used to calculate the same performance measures as those in the Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report. 

A3: The calculations for the work outcomes measures use universe-level data, meaning that the rates are based on the entire population that meets the criteria and not a sample of that population. For the Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters report, states must submit universe-level data. For the Secondary School Attainment Measure and Supplemental Work Outcomes Report, states must submit aggregate-level data based on the universe of their caseload that meets the criteria. 

A4: Yes. 

A5: States may determine the data collection method and sources. Acceptable sources of data include matching with state or local secondary school or equivalent systems or self-attestation through surveys. Additional resources and technical assistance to follow. 

A6: We recognize that while the federal-level match with the NDNH has the benefit of reporting wages earned across state lines and from federal employment, it does not include other sources of wage data, such as self-employment or gig work in most states. States that are interested in calculating the work outcomes measures with additional sources of employment are encouraged to submit the Supplemental Work Outcomes Report annually. This report allows states to provide calculated outcomes measures results with alternative data sources, such as for those who are self-employed or participate in gig work and are not systematically captured in quarterly wage records. ACF is committed to providing technical assistance and support to states interested in developing their own infrastructure to calculate work outcomes, including helping develop relationships across state agencies, data system modifications, data sharing agreements, and data analysis capacity. Additional resources and technical assistance to follow. 

A7: The TANF Work Outcomes Measures Technical Resource provides instruction and examples of when individuals should or should not be included in the measures. If you have reviewed the resource and identified a scenario that is not addressed in the guidance, please write up the examples for us to respond to and submit them to TANFdata@acf.hhs.gov. 

A8: In pay-for-performance states, you may interpret "ceases to receive" as "last eligible to receive". The 90 days would be counted from the period the work-eligible individual satisfied the state's performance requirement, not from the date of the benefit issuance. For example, a work-eligible individual met the state's pay-for-performance eligibility criteria in June 2025 and their June payment was issued to the family in July 2025. The individual's exit is confirmed 90 days following the June closure. The individual's exit is confirmed is considered exited in June 2025 and the individual's SSN will be included in the November 14th Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report covering the period FY Q3, April-June. 

A9: Yes, you may interpret 90 days as three months. For example, if the family of a work-eligible individual last received assistance in February 2025 and did not receive assistance in report months March, April, and May 2025, the individual is considered to have exited in February 2025 and this individual’s SSN will be included in the August 14th Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report, covering the period FY Q2, January-March. 

A10: The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 does not include this measure in Section 304, Reporting of Work Outcomes. Please see the text of the legislation for further reading.

A11: We are using the same definition of “family” that we use for ACF-199 and ACF-209 data reporting, copied below (see page 4 of the instructions).

For reporting purposes, the TANF family means: (a) all individuals receiving assistance as part of a family under the state’s TANF program; and (b) the following additional persons living in the family, if not included under (a) above: 

1. Parent or caretaker relative of any minor child;
2. A minor child; and
3. Any person whose income or resources are counted in determining the family’s eligibility for or amount of assistance. 

A12: It depends on the nature of the benefit. If a state is giving a family cash assistance that is intended to meet basic needs, it is considered an assistance payment and the family would not yet constitute an exiter. If the state is giving the family a cash benefit as a non-recurrent short-term benefit and the family does not otherwise receive assistance, then the family would be exiting TANF assistance.

A13: If still receiving TANF, because definition is based at family or case level, they would still be on TANF.

A14: Sixteen and seventeen year-olds should not be included because they are minor children and do not meet the definition of work-eligible individual for federal reporting purposes, even if the state imposes work requirements on them.  The one exception is a minor child head of household who is considered an adult and could be a work-eligible individual.

Note that the Social Security Act defines a minor child as an individual who—(A) has not attained 18 years of age; or (B) has not attained 19 years of age and is a full-time student in a secondary school (or in the equivalent level of vocational or technical training). So, an eighteen year-old meeting the educational criteria would not be a work-eligible individual.  Nineteen year-olds are considered adults and could be work-eligible individuals regardless of educational status.

A15: Receipt of a non-recurrent short-term benefit (NRST) has no bearing on whether someone is an exiter or not. A work-eligible individual whose family exits TANF would be an exiter even if it receives a NRST benefit.  A family receiving just a NRST benefit and ceases to receive that benefit would not be considered an exiter because NRST benefits are not assistance.