Introduction
Research Questions
- What are the eligibility requirements for families?
- How are TANF benefits calculated and administered?
- What activities are required to become and remain eligible for assistance?
- What ongoing eligibility tests are applied, and can families receive assistance when they transition off of TANF?
- How have state and territory policies changed over time?
The primary program that provides cash aid to families in financial need is called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. TANF is a block grant, meaning the federal government provides each state and territory with a set amount of money that the state or territory combines with its own funding to meet the program’s goals. Each state and territory establishes its own policies for exactly who can get help, how much they can receive, and for how long. These policies can vary greatly across states and territories.
This report describes the ways in which policies vary within the context of the federal program requirements and includes dozens of detailed tables showing each state’s and territory’s policy choices.
Purpose
The purpose of this publication—the Welfare Rules Database’s annual Databook—is to provide researchers and policymakers with easy access to detailed information on the policies that govern cash assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Previous editions of this report have provided information on TANF policies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia over time, from 1996 to the present. Beginning with the data for 2022, the project began tracking the policies used in Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The database includes hundreds of variables related to initial eligibility, benefit amounts, work and activity requirements, and ongoing eligibility and time limits. The database is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)/ and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and maintained by the Urban Institute. This report provides dozens of tables detailing selected state and territory policies for 2023.
Key Findings and Highlights
Key findings for state and territory TANF policies in July 2023 include:
The maximum monthly earnings that a family of three could have and still be initially eligible for TANF ranged from $307 in Alabama to $2,935 in Minnesota.
Sixteen states required that unemployed applicants search for a job as a condition of application.
The maximum monthly benefit for a single-parent family with two children and no income living in the most populous area of the state/territory ranged from $204 in Arkansas to $1,243 in New Hampshire.
Nine states and one territory (Guam) have a family cap policy. For the states with family cap policies, six states and Guam do not increase the cash benefit for an additional child born to the family. One state (Florida) does increase the benefit, but at less than the normal increment.
Forty-two states and territories require parents to work a minimum of 30 hours per week; rules sometimes vary when there are two parents.
Twenty-seven states provide cash assistance to families after they stop receiving regular monthly TANF benefits, with the transitional help lasting for periods ranging from 1 to 24 months.
Methods
The database tracks TANF policies for the 50 states, District of Columbia, and the territories. Data are collected primarily from the caseworker manuals and documents used to administer the TANF program in each state or territory. Each year, the project produces a set of tables containing selected policies from the database. The tables are then reviewed by state and territory administrators and verified for accuracy. The final tables are included in an annual report, with the current report showing the policies in effect on July 1, 2023. The full database containing all of the variables and longitudinal details is also made available for public use at https://wrd.urban.org .
Citation
Simpson, Lauren, Ilham Dehry, Sarah Knowles, and Kevin Moclair (2024). Welfare Rules Databook: State and Territory TANF Policies as of July 2023, OPRE Report 2024-357, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- TANF:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families