The County Assistance Office (CAO) must count third-party payments as household income. A third-party payment is money owed to the household but paid directly to someone outside the household for a household expense.
Third-party payments include:
A household member's wages withheld by the employer and paid directly to a third party for household expenses, such as rent, property taxes, or support
Cash assistance payments sent to a third party or to a protective payee for a purpose such as managing the household's expenses; and
Money deducted from a court order or binding written support or alimony payment and sent to a third party for household expenses (for related exclusions, see Section 550.56 .
Updated March 13, 2026, replacing March 1, 2012