Health & Benefits

TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. It is a government program that gives money to families who need help paying for basic needs.

The federal government funds the program, but each state runs its own version. In Illinois, it is run by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).

TANF helps low-income families with children and people who are pregnant. It provides monthly cash payments to help pay for living expenses, like:

• Rent,
• Food,
• Clothes,
• Child care,
• Household supplies, and
• Transportation.

This help does not last forever. In most cases, there is a five-year limit on how long a person can get this money. Most adults in the program must look for a job or go to job training to get help.

People who get TANF can often get medical insurance and food stamps (SNAP), too.

To get TANF, a family must meet basic rules about family size, living situation, and income.

An applicant must be 18 years old or older, pregnant or the main caregiver for a child who lives in the home. The child must be under age 19. If they are 18, they must be a full-time high school student. A pregnant woman can qualify even if there are no other children in the home. A spouse living in the home may also be included. Pregnant people and parents under 18 years old may also receive this benefit.

An applicant must live in Illinois and plan to stay in the state. A permanent address is not required to get help. Families experiencing homelessness can still qualify for TANF.

A family must have very low income or no income at all. The state looks at family size and total income to decide if a family qualifies.

Applicants must be US citizens or meet specific immigration requirements. 

Adults who get TANF must agree to create and follow a Responsibility and Service Plan (RSP). This is a step-by-step plan made with a caseworker to help the family become self-sufficient.

In some cases, children can qualify for TANF on their own. These are known as “child-only” TANF benefits. Children can get TANF if they are living with a parent or relative. The non-parent adults in the assistance unit won't get TANF if they do not want to be included in the unit. Parents must be included unless an exception applies. Rules about time limits and work requirements don’t apply if only the child gets TANF.

Children must live with caretaker relatives to get TANF. The caretaker relative must be the person who is in charge of the child's care and supervision. Caretaker relatives include those people who are related to the child by blood, adoption, or marriage. Children who are living with non-relative caretakers can’t get TANF. 

Most lawful permanent residents (LPRs or green card holders) and parolees to the US must wait five years from the time they receive LPR status or parole to become eligible for TANF. 

Only the following non-citizens may qualify for TANF without the five year waiting period:

• Active US military servicemembers or honorably discharged US veterans,
• Certain American Indians born in Canada, 
• Afghan and Iraqi LPRs who received their LPR status through the Special Immigrant status program,
• Refugees or asylees,
• Victims of a severe form of trafficking,
• People those deportations are being withheld by immigration court,
• People granted the status of conditional entry prior to April 1, 1980,
• Battered spouses, children or parents of US citizens or LPRs, who fit certain criteria, and
• Cuban or Haitian entrants.

Undocumented immigrants are never eligible to receive TANF.

A parent who does not meet the immigration rules can still apply for eligible children. If a parent is not eligible due to immigration status, the children can often still get help.

An individual may not get TANF benefits if they:

• Are undocumented immigrants, or otherwise don’t meet immigration requirements,
• Receive Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI),
• Are currently on strike from a job,
• Live in a jail, nursing home, or hospital where the facility already provides meals,
• Are running from the law to avoid a trial, jail, or testifying in a case related to a felony, 
• Are breaking probation or parole rules, or
• Were convicted of certain public benefit related crimes.

In Illinois, a past drug felony conviction does not automatically stop a person from getting TANF.

An applicant or recipient cannot get TANF cash help if they do not meet certain program rules, such as if they:

• Are able to work but refuse to take a job or participate in job training,
• Refuse to help the state get child support from the other parent,
• Hide information or lie to IDHS to try to get benefits,
• Have already used up their five-year (60-month) lifetime limit of TANF benefits.

The amount of money a family gets depends on the number of people in a “unit.” A unit is the number of people in a household who are qualified to get TANF benefits.

Starting October 2026, the maximum monthly payments for families with adults and children are:

• 1 person: $466
• 2 people: $631
• 3 people: $797
• 4 people: $963

Children may qualify for TANF even if the adults in the home do not qualify. In these cases, the monthly payments are:

• 1 child: $350
• 2 children: $473
• 3 children: $598
• 4 children: $722

The IDHS website has the current benefit amounts for units with up to 18 people. This is updated every October. If a person also gets money from another source, their benefits may be less than the full payment level.

Most families receive these benefits on an Illinois Link Card each month. This card works like a debit card. It can be used at stores to buy supplies or at an ATM to get cash.

Qualified people can also get a medical card. This card is part of the state’s medical assistance program, which many people call Medicaid. It pays for most medical services, including doctor visits, hospital stays, and family planning. Learn more about Medicaid.

To get TANF cash help in Illinois, a family must have very low monthly income. The state looks at two types of income and uses a formula to decide if a family qualifies.

The law separates household money into two groups:

• Earned income: Money made from working, such as wages, salary, or money from a business, and
• Unearned income: Money made without working, such as unemployment benefits, child support, or Social Security.

When a family applies, the state uses a formula to find countable income:

• The state ignores 75% of earned income. Only 25% of wages count.
• The state adds all unearned income, which counts in full.
• The total is the family’s available income.

If the available income is higher than the limit for the family size, the family cannot get TANF.

The income limit is the same as the maximum TANF payment for the family size. 

If the family’s countable income is higher than the limit, the family does not qualify for TANF.

Pregnant minors or minor parents under 18 years old can get TANF, but special rules apply.

A person under 18 may qualify if:

• They are pregnant or the main caregiver for their own child.
• They live with a parent, guardian, or responsible adult.
• They go to school full-time if they are under age 20 and do not have a high school diploma.

These rules are complicated. If you are under 18 years old and a parent, or pregnant, contact your IDHS caseworker or call the IDHS Helpline, toll-free at (800) 843-6154 to determine whether you qualify.

A Responsibility and Service Plan (RSP) is a written agreement between a person getting TANF and the state. The main goal of the RSP is to help a family become financially independent. The adult must meet with their caseworker regularly to review and update their RSP. If an adult refuses to follow the plan without a good reason, the state can lower or stop the family’s cash benefits.

Learn more about TANF Responsibility and Service Plans.

Yes. Most adults who receive TANF cash help must participate in work or training activities.

The required number of hours spent on work activities each week depends on the family structure and the age of the children.

• If the youngest child is age six or older, the parent must participate for at least 30 hours per week.
• If the youngest child is under age six, the parent must participate for at least 20 hours per week.
• If there are two parents in the household, they must participate for a combined total of at least 35 hours per week.
• A parent under age 20 who has not finished high school must go to school full-time. This helps them get a diploma or an equivalent degree.

The weekly hour rules can be met through different activities. These include:

• Working a regular job,
• Actively searching for employment,
• Attending job training or vocational school,
• Participating in community service, or
• Completing on-the-job training programs.

Without a good reason or an exemption, failing to meet the hours can lower a family’s cash help. The state can also stop the payments completely.

Yes. Some people do not have to do weekly work hours to keep their cash help. The state excuses these people from work rules because of their age:

• Are a dependent child
• Teens who are 16, 17, or 18, if they go to high school full-time, and
• Adults who are 60 or older.

Caregivers who must stay home to take care of family do not have to complete work hours. These caregivers include:

• A parent or relative who takes care of a baby under age 1 in the home,
• A parent under age 20 without a high school diploma, if their baby is under 12 weeks old,
• A parent who gives full-time care to a family member with a severe disability living in the home.

Health problems or safety concerns can also stop work requirements. A person is excused if a doctor proves a medical problem completely stops them from working or training. A person can get a waiver if domestic abuse or sexual violence makes working unsafe.

An excused person can still choose to volunteer for Illinois work programs. They will not lose monthly cash help if they choose not to join.

Sometimes a person cannot finish their work hours or other required activities. If there is a good reason, the state will not lower the family’s cash help. This is called “good cause”.

Good cause for not completing work hours can include:

• Illness of the adult or child,
• Lack of safe or affordable child care,
• Severe weather,
• Homelessness,
• Transportation problems, like a car broke down or buses were not running,
• Family emergency (a sudden crisis in the home),
• Scheduled job interviews, medical appointments, or school appointments for the recipient or their children,
• Domestic or sexual violence (safety concerns made it unsafe to attend activities)
• Seeking medical attention, psychological or counseling services, or victim services to address harm caused by domestic or sexual violence,
• Not receiving notices (the person did not get the appointment letter or instructions),
• Or other reasons outside of the recipient’s control.

This is not a complete list of reasons that count as good cause. If good cause exists, the state will not apply a penalty. The adult must tell the caseworker what happened and may need to show proof.

An adult can get TANF cash help for a maximum of 60 months during their lifetime. This is a total of five years. The months do not have to be back-to-back, and the state counts benefits received in other states too.

Certain months do not count against the five-year limit when the recipient meets certain goals, including:

• Working at least 30 hours a week while still qualifying for some cash,
• Going to college full-time as a single parent and keeping a 2.5 grade point average,
• Staying home full-time to take care of a disabled child or spouse, and
• Having a family violence waiver.

A family can ask to keep getting cash help after the 60 months are up. The state allows extensions for specific situations, such as:

• If a person has a medical issue that stops them from working 30 hours a week,
• If a person has a pending application for federal disability benefits, or
• If a person is in an intensive program for domestic violence, mental health, or substance abuse.

The five-year limit only applies to adults. If a household has a child-only case where an adult is not part of the cash payment, there is no time limit.

When a person reaches the five-year limit, their monthly cash payments will stop. The state will send warning letters before the time runs out. These letters arrive at 48 months, 54 months, and 57 months to tell families how much time they have left.

A family can ask to keep getting cash help past the limit. The state sends a special request form with the last warning letter. The family must fill out the form to ask for more time. A special committee will look at the case to make the choice. If the request is approved, cash help continues just like before. If a family later loses their exception, they get three extra months of cash help to adjust.

If a family does not get an exception, the cash payments will end for both the adults and the children. However, other types of help will not stop when cash ends. This includes food stamps, medical assistance and health insurance, and child-only benefits.

Yes. After five years, a family may still get payments if they meet certain exceptions.

A family may get more time if a medical problem makes work hard or impossible. This includes:

• A person has a medical problem that stops them from working full-time,
• A person has a pending application for federal disability benefits, or
• A child in the home is part of a special program for medically fragile children.

The state can give extra months to someone who is getting help to overcome a life challenge or finish a program. This includes when:

• A person is in a program for domestic violence, mental health, substance abuse, or homelessness, and
• A person is in a job training or school program that will finish within six months after the time limit ends.

Staying home to take care of a family member with a severe medical problem can also exempt someone from the time-limit. 

If there are two adults in the home, only one parent needs to meet an exception for the whole family to keep getting cash help.

An application must be submitted to IDHS, online or by paper. Learn more about applying for TANF.

Once approved, the state sends a letter and a payment card to the family. An approval letter arrives in the mail to show how much cash help the family will get. An Illinois Link Card is sent in a separate envelope. This plastic card works like a debit card, and the cash help is added to it every month.

Adults must work with a caseworker to build a Responsibility and Services Plan. The caseworker meets with the adult to talk about family goals, schooling, and job history. The final plan lists the exact work or training activities the adult must complete each week. The plan also lists extra help the state will provide, like bus passes or child care help.

The state will check the case regularly to make sure the family still qualifies. A form is sent in the mail every year to review household income and family size. The form must be filled out and sent back by the due date to keep the cash help.

People must follow certain rules to keep their cash help. If these rules are not followed, payments may go down:

• Every adult must do the tasks in the Responsibility and Services Plan. This includes finishing weekly work or job training hours and going to all required meetings.
• The adult must work with the state to find the other parent of the children. This includes giving the name of the absent parent if it is known and going to child support interviews or court dates.
• Children must attend school on a regular basis. They must go to school every day unless they are sick, and the school must confirm that they are attending classes.
• The adult must tell the caseworker about changes in the home within 10 days. This includes moving to a new address, someone getting a job or making more money, or a change in the number of people living in the home.

If an adult does not follow the program rules and does not have a good reason, the state will lower the family’s cash help. This penalty is called a sanction.

Before any cash help is cut, a caseworker must try to fix the problem through a reconciliation meeting. A meeting is set up so the adult can explain why they missed a requirement. If a good reason exists, like being sick or having no child care, the state will not cut the payments. If no good reason is shown, cash help will be lowered.

The amount of the cash cut depends on whether the household includes children.

• If the case includes adults and children, the monthly cash payment drops by 7.5%.
• If the case only includes adults, the monthly cash payment drops by 30%.

A cash penalty will not stop other important family help. Food stamps do not stop when a work penalty happens, and health insurance and medical help for the children stay active.

This cash help will go back to the normal amount as soon as the adult fixes the issue.

A sanction is a penalty that lowers the family’s monthly cash help. If cash help is cut, a person can take steps to fix the problem or fight the choice by appealing.

A meeting will be set up to talk about the problem. This is the fastest way to fix a penalty. The meeting is used to explain why a rule was missed. If a good reason is proven, like being sick or missing mail, the penalty will be removed. An agreement will be signed showing what must be done to fix the problem. Once cooperation is shown, the full cash help will restart on the first day of the next month.

If a person disagrees with the penalty, they can ask for an official review. This is called an appeal. An appeal must be filed within 60 days of the date on the penalty letter. An appeal can be started online, over the phone, or by writing a letter to the local office. Cash help can stay at the normal amount during the appeal if the request is made within 10 days of the notice. If the appeal is lost, any extra money received during that time may have to be paid back.

Learn more about appealing a TANF benefits decision.

A TANF case can close for many reasons. A person may be able to reapply if their situation changes. A person can reapply if:

• Income goes down,
• A sanction ends,
• Family size changes, or
• A time-limit exception becomes available.

A person must fill out a new application and complete an interview. The state will look at the family’s current income, living situation, and needs.

Families can get quick emergency help for basic needs. This extra money is for sudden emergencies and does not count as regular monthly cash. Learn more about cash assistance for emergencies.