Families First Eligibility Information

Families First provides assistance to families who have children and are experiencing financial difficulties. This program emphasizes work, training, and personal responsibility. Benefits are time-limited to 60 months in a participant’s lifetime.

The following describes considerations for Families First eligibility:

Residency. Applicants must be living in Tennessee to receive Families First benefits in the state.

Age and Relationship. To qualify for Families First, there must be a child under age 18, or age 18 and will graduate high school before their 19^th birthday. The child must be living in the home of a parent or relative who is within the 5^th degree of relationship to the child.

Citizenship and Social Security Numbers. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen and must have a social security number or proof of having applied for one.

Resource Test. The Families First asset limit is $2,000. Countable assets include cash on hand, money in checking/savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, income-producing property, property not up for sale, and lump-sum payments. Up to $4600 of the equity value of one vehicle belonging to the assistance unit is not countable; the equity value over $4600 and the entire equity value of any other vehicle counts toward the asset limit.

Income Tests. Families First applicants must pass two income tests – the Families First Gross Income Standard and a net income test called the Consolidated Need Standard. Countable income may include, but is not limited to, such things as employment, self-employment, alimony, child support, disability benefits, Social Security benefits, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment benefits, pensions, and interest income.  To see if you might be eligible, click here for the most current Families First income limits. 

Personal Responsibility Plan. Participants must agree to follow a Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP). As part of the PRP, the participant agrees to:

• Make sure their children receive immunization shots and health checks.
• Make sure their children attend school, including kindergarten, regularly.
• Cooperate with child support requirements.
• Agree to work or attend work preparation activity, if not exempt.

Work. Unless a participant is exempt from the 30-hour per week work requirement, they will develop, with the assistance of a TANF Case Manager, an Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP). The IOP is a family-centered, strengths-based plan that focuses on the family's progress from a Two-Generation Approach throughout the case to ensure services are tailored to best address the family's strengths and needs. Participants must comply with the plan that they develop with the TANF Case Manager. Failure to comply, without good cause, could affect the participant’s eligibility to access program services and cash benefits.

Supportive Services. In addition to cash assistance, Families First participants may be eligible for additional supportive services to help them succeed in the program. Supportive services include child care assistance, transportation, Family Focused Solutions, and other supports.

Child only cases. “Child only cases” is a special category of exemption. When a child lives with a relative who is not their parent, the adult may choose to be excluded from the case. When the parent(s) collects SSI, they are also excluded from the case.