Aunt or Uncle Raising a Child in Montana: Financial Benefits Available

Most of the information about kinship care in Montana is written for grandparents, but aunts and uncles step in just as often — and you qualify for exactly the same financial benefits. Under Montana's TANF rules, aunts and uncles are specified caretaker relatives, which means your income is excluded when the state evaluates whether the child qualifies for cash assistance.

You Qualify as a Specified Caretaker Relative

ARM 37.78.103 and 37.78.206 define the relatives eligible for child-only TANF in Montana. The list includes grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, first cousins, nephews, nieces, and step-relatives. Aunts and uncles — whether by blood, marriage, or adoption — are on the list.

That means you can apply for a child-only TANF grant, and DPHHS will only look at the child's income and resources. Your salary, your partner's income, your savings — none of it enters the eligibility calculation. For one child with no income, the maximum monthly grant is $425.

The Full Benefit Package

As an aunt or uncle raising a niece or nephew, the child qualifies for:

• Child-only TANF: up to $425 per month for one child (your income excluded)
• Healthy Montana Kids / Medicaid: comprehensive health coverage based on the child's income, not yours
• SNAP: food assistance for the household (your income is counted here, since you prepare meals together)
• WIC: if the child is under 5
• Best Beginnings childcare scholarship: if you need childcare to work (household income under 185% FPL)
• Working Caretaker Relative childcare: if you receive child-only TANF and work at least 60 hours per month (income under 250% FPL, $75 monthly copay)
• School meals: the child may be directly certified for free meals through TANF or SNAP

Caretaker Relative Affidavits

You also qualify for Montana's statutory caretaker relative affidavits — the Medical Authorization Affidavit (MCA 40-6-502) and the Educational Authorization Affidavit (MCA 20-5-503). These let you consent to the child's healthcare and enroll them in school without going to court. The definition of "caretaker relative" in these statutes includes adults related by blood, marriage, or adoption — which covers aunts and uncles.

The medical affidavit is valid for six months and must be notarized. The educational affidavit lasts through the end of the school year following the date you deliver it to the school district.

What Is Different From Grandparent Caregivers

Functionally, nothing. The benefits, the eligibility rules, the affidavit forms, and the application process are identical. The only difference you might encounter is in Title III-E services through the Area Agencies on Aging — those are limited to caregivers age 55 and older. If you are a younger aunt or uncle, you will not qualify for the aging-services respite care and counseling, but the Montana Kinship Navigator Program (1-888-445-3395) provides support and referrals to all relative caregivers regardless of age.

Applying

Apply for TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and childcare through a single combined application at apply.mt.gov, by phone at 1-888-706-1535, or at your local Office of Public Assistance. You will need birth certificates showing the family relationship between you and the child — typically your birth certificate (showing your parents), the child's birth certificate (showing their parent), and the connecting link.

The Montana Kinship Financial Help Guide covers every benefit and every step of the application process for all types of relative caregivers, with document checklists for each program.

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