Program

Cash Assistance (TANF)

Verified · October 23, 2026 Deadline soon — check dates

Cash assistance, also referred to as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), provides money to help pregnant women, dependent children and their parents who live with them, and dependent children and other relatives who live with them and care for them, while DHS helps low-income families become independent. Families who are eligible for ongoing TANF but need only short-term help may instead choose Diversion, a one-time lump-sum payment of up to three times the Family Size Allowance, available once in a 12-month period. You can receive cash assistance for 60 months (five years) total over the course of your lifetime.

Call 1-866-550-4355 Apply / official site

Organization: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS)
Who qualifies: You must be a United States citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania (certain non-citizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence may be eligible). You and your family members must provide Social Security Numbers or apply for them. You are required to look for a job or participate in an employment and training program (some people may be excused, for example a person with a disability), and to help the caseworker complete an Agreement of Mutual Responsibility (AMR), sign it, and follow through with the plan. For a dependent child, you must cooperate with paternity and child support requirements unless you have good cause; the child must be under age 18, or age 18 and a full-time student, live with you, and need support and care because of the death, incapacity, or continued absence of a parent, or one or both parents having no income or low income from employment. Monthly income must be within the limits for the program, and resources must be $1,000 or less.
Income limits: Philadelphia is County Group 2 (RULES_LOCK; DHS Cash Assistance Handbook). Family Size Allowance (maximum monthly grant before income deductions): HH1 $205; HH2 $316; HH3 $403; HH4 $497; HH5 $589; HH6 $670; +$83 per additional person. The monthly payment equals the Family Size Allowance minus countable net income. Resource limit: $1,000 or less (resources are things with cash value such as bank accounts and bonds, or property that is not your primary/main residence). Diversion maximum is 3 times the Family Size Allowance, once per 12 months (arithmetic Philadelphia maximums: HH1 $615; HH3 $1,209; HH4 $1,491 - arithmetic figures, not printed grant amounts). Lifetime limit: 60 months (five years) total for cash assistance.
Documents needed: Social Security Numbers for you and your family members, or proof you have applied for them; reporting of all income from employment and other sources, including child support, unemployment compensation, interest, Social Security benefits, and lottery winnings; information about resources such as bank accounts, bonds, or property other than your main residence.
How to apply: Apply online through COMPASS in your county of residence; apply by phone by calling the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services at 1-866-550-4355; or apply in person at your local County Assistance Office (CAO).
Last verified: October 23, 2026

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