TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

To be eligible for TANF, a family must:

• Have at least one child under the age of 18 living at home.
• Have a monthly income that is at or below the gross monthly income limit for their household size (see table above).
• Have no more than $2,000 in resources, like property or cash, excluding a personal home and car.
• Meet other program requirements.

Families must meet both financial and non-financial requirements established in state law.

In general, families must include a child under age 18 and be residents of Mississippi.

Children under age 7 must comply with TANF immunization requirements, and children ages 6 to 17 must attend school and have satisfactory attendance.

Children age 18 that are included in the Assistance Unit (AU) because they are in school full-time, must have satisfactory school attendance.

Adults who receive TANF and who do not meet a work exemption are required to participate in work activities such as work experience, job search and/or others.

Your caseworker’s contact information will be on any notice (letter) that you receive from MDHS. You can also locate contact information for your local county office using the lookup box below.

If you need help with your Way2Go debit card, call 1-855-709-1079 or visit our Way2Go Card page.

Adults who receive TANF and who do not meet a work exemption are required to participate in work activities such as work experience, job search, job training, or other similar activities. Your caseworker will let you know what you have to do to meet your work requirements.

In Mississippi, TANF recipients can receive up to $100 per month in child support, depending on the amount of child support that the non-custodial parent pays.

TANF recipients must assign their child support rights to the State and cooperate in establishing paternity and obtaining financial and medical support. Mississippi has a child support pass-through policy that allows up to $100 of the child support collected each month to be given to custodial parents who receive TANF instead of being kept by the government.

A family can receive TANF benefits for no more than a total of 60 months unless the case includes only minor children or meets a hardship exemption.

You have the right to request a conference and/or fair hearing when you disagree with any decision on your application or case. You can contact the MDHS Administrative Hearings Division at 601-359-4921 or adminhearings@mdhs.ms.gov.