The Federal government sets TANF requirements. These individuals may qualify for TANF:
dependent children.
specified relatives of the child or children.
pregnant women.
mandatory budget group members.
NOTE: All references to TANF in this section also apply to Extended TANF unless noted otherwise.
105.21 TANF Dependent Children
There must be a TANF dependent child in the home for the family to receive TANF. An individual may receive TANF if they qualify as an eligible adult or specified relative to a child who would be eligible for TANF but receives SSI.
NOTE: If a child who qualifies as a TANF dependent child receives SSI, they are not included in the budget group.
Example: Ms. B applies for assistance. Her 5-year-old son receives SSI. She is divorced from his father. Ms. B's son is eligible for TANF but receives SSI instead. Ms. B must receive TANF code ES.
If the only dependent child in the budget group is not eligible because of a RESET sanction, the specified relative(s) may receive TANF if they are otherwise eligible.
Exception: A pregnant woman with no children (or no children receiving TANF) and who is exempt from the minor parent requirements may receive TANF for herself only if the unborn would be deprived of parental support or care when born. She must prove the pregnancy and due date. When born, the child must be eligible based on income and resources. Use category C for pregnant women with no other dependent children.
NOTE: Special requirements apply to an unmarried pregnant woman under age 18. See Chapter 110, Budget Groups, and Section 110.6, TANF Minor Parents.
To decide if the family qualifies in the TANF category, the CAO will first find if there is a child in the home who qualifies for TANF. The CAO will:
1. Determine if the child is under age 18, or is age 18 and a full-time student in secondary school or the equivalent level of vocational or technical training.
2. Verify the child’s age. See Chapter 121, Age for a list of acceptable proof.
3. Verify school attendance if the child is age 18. See Chapter 121, Age for a list of acceptable proof.
4. Determine if the child lives with someone who meets all specified relative requirements.
NOTE: To qualify as a specified relative, a person must be related to the TANF child as explained in Section 127.21. The person does not have to prove this relationship. The person’s statement that they are related to the TANF child is enough, unless the CAO has information to the contrary.
5. Determine if the child is deprived based on absence, death, incapacity, or unemployment. See Chapter 129, Deprivation.
6. Verify the deprivation requirement. See Chapter 129, Deprivation for a list of acceptable proof.
If the client meets all criteria listed above and the budget group meets all financial requirements, authorize TANF for the budget group. Use these codes:
Category code C when there is deprivation due to death, absence, or incapacity (that precludes participation in work or work-related activities);
Category code U for deprivation due to unemployment.
Eligibility Status code EC for a TANF dependent child.
Examples:
Mr. and Mrs. J, who are married, receive TANF for themselves and their two minor children. Mr. J is not working and does not have an incapacity. Mrs. J has a Medical Assessment Form, PA 635, verifying she cannot work because of high blood pressure. The TANF category for this family is C because her incapacity precludes employment.
Jen H. and Ray B. receive TANF for themselves and their three minor sons. Ray, who does not have an incapacity, works 20 hours a week at minimum wage. Jen, who has high blood pressure, is unemployed. She provides a Medical Assessment Form, PA 635, verifying she can work despite her incapacity. The TANF category for this family is U because the children are deprived based on unemployment. Jen’s incapacity does not preclude employment.
NOTE: If a budget group has two or more TANF dependent children who qualify for different deprivation reasons (such as some members qualifying for TANF-C while others qualify only for TANF-U), use category U rather than C.
Mr. W and Ms. D apply for cash assistance for themselves, her minor daughter, and their common child. Paternity is established for the common child. Both Mr. W and Ms. D can work. There is no income in the household. Ms. D’s daughter is deprived based on absence, but the couple’s common child is deprived based on unemployment. If the family is otherwise eligible for TANF, use the U category.
Mr. and Mrs. H, their daughter and Mrs. H’s son from a previous marriage live in the household. They ask for cash benefits for all family members. Mr. H is unemployed. Mrs. H’s son qualifies as a TANF dependent child based on the absence of his father. Their daughter is included in the budget group because she is a half sibling and meets TANF dependent child conditions based on unemployment. The category of the entire budget group is TANF-U.
If the child meets the TANF conditions, a specified relative may also receive TANF. A specified relative must be an adult relative who lives with the child and exercises care and control of the child. Code specified relatives ES or NS. See Chapter 127, Specified Relatives.
Biological or adoptive parents and dependent full or half siblings of a TANF child must be included in the budget group. Code EA or EP a parent (including a minor parent) who is required to be in the budget group, but:
55 Pa Code. § 171.21(a)(1)(i)(B)
is not the specified relative (ES) or (NS).
is not required to be in the budget group as a sibling (EC) of a TANF child.
See Chapter 110, Budget Groups.
Exception: A child receiving Federal IV-E or State, or local foster care assistance or adoption assistance is not included as a TANF budget group member unless the child receives federal, state, or local adoption assistance, and including them in the budget group would increase the budget group’s benefits. If including the adopted child would increase benefits, the CAO must include the child in the budget group. See Chapter 110, Budget Groups.
An adult head-of-household or spouse of head-of-household can only receive TANF assistance for 60 months (five years) in their lifetime. There is no time limit for Extended TANF.
TANF assistance counts toward the lifetime limit if the person who receives it is:
an adult head-of-household or spouse of head-of-household.
a minor child head of household.
a minor child married to the head of household.
Example: Lucy, age 20, and her child moved from New York to Pennsylvania. While in New York Lucy received TANF as an Eligible Essential EE TANF household member. Her grandmother was the specified relative. Lucy applies for TANF benefits in Pennsylvania for herself and her child. The TANF day count begins the first day Lucy qualifies for TANF in Pennsylvania, because Lucy is now the head of household. The days Lucy received TANF in New York do not count toward her TANF lifetime limit because her grandmother was the head of household there and exercised care and control over Lucy.
Periods of receipt count toward the 60-month limit even if they are not consecutive.
A family may not receive TANF assistance if the family includes an adult head of household or spouse of head of household who has received the lifetime limit of 60 months.
A family is defined as a minor child and his parent(s) or specified relative with whom he lives. A parent or specified relative who lives with the minor child is considered a member of the child’s family whether he is in the application for TANF or is applying only for the minor child.
NOTE: For the 60-month time limit, a family does not include a specified relative who is not included in the TANF mandatory filing unit and wants assistance only for the minor child.
NOTE: A parent who is not eligible for TANF because they have received 60 months of TANF assistance, and who lives in the home with their minor child, must be included in the TANF application for their minor child. See Chapter 110, Section 110.4, Mandatory TANF Budget Group Members.
Examples:
Barbara G. receives TANF for self and their three children. They receive 1,830 days of assistance (60 months). Review the family for Extended TANF. See Section 176.32.
Marion C. applies for assistance for self, two nieces and a nephew. Marion C. has care and control of the children. The children’s mother lives in the home. As a parent, the mother is part of the mandatory budget group. She must be included as part of the applicant family. The mother has received more than 1830 days of TANF. Marion C. and the children would qualify for TANF but because the mother lives in the home, is mandatory, and has received her lifetime TANF benefit the household must meet ETANF requirements. Marion C may apply for and receive Extended TANF for herself, her nieces, nephew, and their mother if both the mother and Ms. C comply with Extended TANF eligibility requirements. See Section 135.82. If eligible, time in Extended TANF will count toward Ms. C’s 60-month TANF limit.
Vicky S. applies for cash assistance for two nieces. Vicky has received 60 months of TANF. The nieces are eligible for TANF, with Vicky as an NS specified relative. Vicky does not have to be included in the family. She is not a biological parent of the TANF children and is applying only for them. Alternatively,Vicky may receive Extended TANF for herself and two nieces if she agrees to comply with Extended TANF eligibility requirements.
These do not count as “assistance received” for a person’s 60 months of TANF eligibility:
A period of zero cash issuance.
Assistance that has been fully reimbursed.
Assistance repaid due to collection of an overpayment.
Benefits issued but not received by the person, and the benefits are not replaced.
A period when a recipient or budget group is under sanction and, as a result, receives no assistance.
An Emergency Shelter Allowance (ESA) payment.
A period of interim benefits received under 55 Pa. Code § 275.4(d) discussed in Supplemental Handbook Chapter 870.8, when a final decision has not been handed down by the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals within the time limit and the budget group’s appeal is eventually denied.
Benefits received under the Time-Out waiver initiative. See CAH 137.6.
A child-only budget group does not have the 60-month limit. In a child-only budget group, TANF assistance is authorized only for the child (or children) and the specified relative the child lives with is either:
Not the child’s parent, and so is not required to be part of the budget group (such as a grandparent who is not receiving assistance).
The child’s parent, but not part of the budget group because they receive SSI.
The child’s parent, but not a recipient because they are under a temporary or permanent sanction during the first 24 months of cash assistance.
The child’s parent, but not a recipient because they are not eligible to receive TANF (such as having been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony [not a summary offense] and has not satisfied the legal penalty).
NOTE: A child-only budget group cannot receive Extended TANF. Extended TANF must include an adult head-of-household who is a cash assistance recipient.
A recipient who meets TANF requirements and who has received (but did not exhaust) TANF cash benefits in another state may receive TANF in Pennsylvania if otherwise eligible. The 60-month limit balance will be adjusted to reflect TANF cash benefits received in the other state on or after March 3, 1997. Verify TANF receipt days in another state using a PA 1714 form. See Chapter 178, Verification, Appendix A.
The CAO worker will record information about earlier TANF receipt in other states.
Temporary Assistance for Needy families (TANF) is limited to five years (60 months) for applicants/recipients to gain family economic independence from cash assistance. Applicants and recipients are encouraged to identify barriers and take an active role in developing an individualized plan, the Agreement of Mutual Responsibility (AMR) with steps to overcome the identified barriers to reach that goal.
Under federal law, states have the option to extend TANF beyond 5 years (60 months) to a limited number of families (up to 20% of the TANF caseload) based on hardship. DHS recognizes that some families have a mental or physical disability, a history of domestic violence, or other hardships outlined in Pennsylvania code. These families may not have achieved self-sufficiency within the 60-month time limit due to these hardships. Extended TANF (ETANF) gives families the ability to receive cash assistance contingent upon participation in employment or other activities designed to move them toward economic independence.
All ETANF adults must comply with the requirements associated with their hardship criteria as agreed to on their AMR and participate in taking steps to overcome the barriers that contribute to their hardship.
Families with member(s) that have exhausted their 60-month TANF limit may receive Extended TANF benefits if the following requirements are met:
55 Pa. Code § 133.23(b)(1)(iii)
The ETANF recipient(s) over 1830 days that do not comply with the hardship requirements and activities related to the hardship criteria will lose ETANF eligibility under that hardship criteria but may meet requirements of another hardship.
Exception: Recipients not complying with MPP will result in ineligibility and cannot continue under another hardship criteria.
A family that includes one adult budget group member over 1830 TANF days and another adult budget group member under 1830 days will still be an ETANF household, but the individual under 1830 TANF days is not required to establish a hardship.
NOTE: The adult member with less than 1830 TANF days continues to accumulate TANF days towards their 60-month limit while in the ETANF household.
A family does not qualify for Extended TANF if any adult is not eligible due to non-compliance with the following program requirements:
1. Failed to sign required forms, including the AMR. See Section 107.51 Penalty for Not Completing or Signing the AMR.
2. Failed to apply for or provide social security numbers. See SHB 950.22 Providing or Applying for an SSN.
3. Failed to apply for federal benefits. See Section 104.44 Applicant Cooperation.
4. Failed to comply with SAR. See Section 171.6 Failure to Submit a Semiannual Reporting Form or a Complete Late/Incomplete Notice by the Appropriate Due Dates.
5. Non-compliant with criminal history, outstanding fines/costs and/or warrant. See Section 104.48 Criminal History Requirements.
6. Non-cooperative with Quality Control (QC). See SHB 900.6 Client Cooperation Requirements.
55 Pa. Code § 141.21(n)(1)(iii)
105.261 ETANF Hardship Criteria
To receive TANF without interruption in cash assistance benefits, an adult must complete a redetermination and meet an ETANF hardship criteria prior to exceeding 1830 TANF days. A new Agreement of Mutual Responsibility (AMR) must be completed. See Section 176.32 Determining Eligibility for Extended TANF.
55 Pa. Code § 133.23(b)(1)(iii)
The AMR must specify an ETANF hardship criteria and the reason the adult ETANF recipient with more than 1830 TANF days qualifies for that hardship. The AMR must give specific details about the adult’s circumstances. See Section 135.821 Extended TANF Tracks. A domestic violence service plan must include steps individuals take on their path to survivorship.
DHS recognizes that Family Violence impacts an individual’s or family’s ability to reach financial independence. The CAO will place families in the Domestic Violence hardship if current or past history of Domestic Violence is verified.
To qualify for Extended TANF the adult(s) over 1830 TANF days must meet one or more of the following hardship criteria:
It is not necessary for a family to be currently experiencing DV. Families that have a history of DV will be in DV hardship for ETANF regardless of their RESET status. Families meet this hardship criteria if:
ETANF individuals with DV hardship and current GC waiver for RESET and/or Child Support Cooperation still need to have the GC waiver reviewed every 6 months to determine if GC circumstances have changed.
NOTE: Individuals under the DV hardship criteria, who have not obtained a good cause waiver of the RESET requirements are not subject to RESET sanction for failure to meet these requirements. Should this situation occur, the CAO will explore whether the individual’s noncompliance is due to domestic violence barriers or similar factors. If good cause cannot be established, the family becomes ineligible for Extended TANF until the individual complies with RESET work requirements.
ETANF individuals with DV hardship must comply with the ETANF hardship criteria requirement to participate in a Service Plan designed to lead to employment regardless of their GC status. See CAH 108.11, Completing the Domestic Violence Agreement of Responsibility and Referral to Services
The ETANF household is not eligible for ETANF if the adult(s) over 1830 days did not comply with the ETANF DV service plan and good cause for that non-compliance has not been established.
If domestic violence is not indicated or history of domestic violence is not in the record CAOs should review for other hardship criteria.
An individual with this hardship must cooperate with a Work Capacity Assessment (WCA) with a contracted program. The WCA is an independent evaluation of medical, vocational, and/or functional capacity assessing any factors which preclude or limit the adult’s ability to comply with RESET requirements. See Section 135.82 Extended TANF RESET Requirements.
The individual must comply with the steps to be taken in the MPP plan. An MPP plan that involves a step-by-step process may or may not have set hourly requirements. See CAH 135 Appendix H.
The individual found eligible under MPP must comply with the eligibility requirements criteria including:
All individuals that have not met the hardship criteria for DV, MPP or Deferred Referral may be eligible for ETANF under this hardship. These individuals are underemployed or unemployed and are mandatory for RESET.
NOTE: The CAO should review the record for Newborn exemption time already used. The AMR must reflect the amount of time left of the one-year limit. The individual cannot receive a Newborn exemption if they have no time remaining. The CAO must set an alert to end the exemption when the newborn time has been exhausted or the child turns one, whichever occurs first.
An adult in ETANF families may qualify under more than one of the above hardship criteria.
105.2611 The Contingency Period
When a recipient reaches 1801 - 1815 TANF days of TANF on a payment date, an alert (TEXT 193) is created. The budget automatically changes to a Program Status Code (PSC) 07, which indicates the case is now in the contingency period. The contingency period is intended to give CAOs time to complete a partial redetermination and to determine if the individual is eligible for ETANF.
The text alert prompts the CAO to send the individual in the contingency period a PA 1754 to schedule the ETANF determination interview. The appointment notice will advise the individual that they have received 60 months of TANF and must now be reviewed for eligibility in ETANF.
The PSC remains 07 on the Case Summary screen in eCIS until the TANF days advance to 1830 days and the CAO takes action on the budget. The CAO must determine eligibility for ETANF and, if eligible, change the PSC within 30 days of the receipt of the alert.
If the budget is determined eligible for ETANF, the CAO must change the PSC 07 to either:
NOTE: PSC 09 will not build without an open DV screen in eCIS. The CAO will need to include a DV screen without a review date for recipients that have DV history but not currently experiencing DV. Narrate the DV screen is for ETANF eligibility.
The CAO must process the budget through the Extended TANF Tracking Exemption screen in eCIS. See Section 135.82 Extended TANF RESET Requirements.
105.2612 Converting TANF Cases to Extended TANF
The method for determining ETANF eligibility for an individual already receiving TANF will follow the partial redetermination process. Individuals in the Contingency Period will be reviewed for conversion to ETANF using one of two methods:
NOTE: The CAO will utilize whichever method is most practical for the recipient.
When the ETANF interview is completed by telephone, the CAO will
Unless verbally signed, the adult must return the signed/initialed AMR to the CAO within 30 days by mail, fax, or email. If the AMR is not returned within the 30-day period, the case will be closed with advance notice.
The CAO will thoroughly review the case record and conduct the interview.
If the recipient within the contingency period fails to keep or reschedule their interview the CAO will send Advance Notice to close the case.
105.262 ETANF Redeterminations
If the adult’s or family’s circumstances change and the requirements or the current ETANF hardship criteria no longer apply, the CAO worker will explore eligibility for Extended TANF under another ETANF hardship criteria. Any change in hardship criteria requires a partial redetermination, including completion of a new or updated AMR and update to eCIS to reflect the change in the hardship criteria. See Section 176.32 Determining Eligibility for Extended TANF.
A partial redetermination interview requires:
A review to see if the family still meets all TANF non-financial, income and resource program requirements.
Completion of a new AMR or update of an existing AMR.
Updates reflected properly in eCIS.
55 Pa. Code § 133.23(b)(1)(iii)
Revised April 29, 2025, replacing June 21, 2024