Does Grandparent Income Affect the Child-Only Grant in Minnesota?

The Short Answer: No

Your income does not affect the child's eligibility for an MFIP child-only grant in Minnesota. Not your pension, not your Social Security, not your wages, not your savings, not the value of your house. None of it.

When a non-parental relative applies for child-only MFIP, the county evaluates only the child's financial situation. The technical term is "non-needy caretaker relative" — it means you're applying on behalf of the child without seeking benefits for yourself. The child is the assistance unit. Your income sits entirely outside the calculation.

This is the single most misunderstood rule in Minnesota kinship benefits. Grandparents routinely assume they earn too much, own a home, or have too much in retirement savings to qualify — and they never apply. The child misses out on hundreds of dollars a month because of a misunderstanding.

What Income Does Count

Only income that belongs to the child:

• Social Security Survivor Benefits paid to the child (but Minnesota disregards up to $994/month per recipient in 2026 — so a child receiving $300/month in survivor benefits still gets the full grant)
• Child support received on behalf of the child (with a disregard of $100/month for one child, $200 for two or more)
• SSI received by the child
• Trust income or other assets in the child's name

If the child has no income — which is the case for most grandchildren in kinship care — the full grant amount applies with no deductions.

Real Numbers

A grandmother with a $2,400/month pension raising one grandchild with zero income: the grandchild qualifies for the full $697/month grant ($443 cash + $254 food support). The grandmother's pension is irrelevant.

A grandfather earning $55,000 a year raising two grandchildren who receive $250/month in combined child support: the $250 falls within the $200 child support disregard for two-child households ($200 excluded, $50 counted). The two-child grant of $1,145 is reduced by $50 to $1,095/month. The grandfather's salary doesn't enter the math.

The Exception to Watch

If a biological or adoptive parent of the child lives in the same home, the child-only track doesn't apply. The parent must be included in the assistance unit, and the entire household's income gets evaluated under standard MFIP rules. The exceptions are when the parent is disabled and receives SSI, or when parental rights have been terminated and the parent is deemed a boarder under MFIP rules.

Why County Workers Sometimes Get This Wrong

Forum posts and advocacy reports document cases where county eligibility workers mistakenly ask for the caregiver's income documentation or run the caregiver's finances through the MAXIS system as part of a child-only determination. This is a processing error, not policy.

If a worker asks for your tax returns, pay stubs, or bank statements for a child-only application, you can politely note that under Minn. Stat. Ch. 142G (formerly Ch. 256J), non-needy caretaker relatives' income is excluded from child-only MFIP determinations. If the application is denied on income grounds that shouldn't apply, you have the right to a State Fair Hearing appeal.

How to Apply

File through MNbenefits (mnbenefits.mn.gov) or submit a paper Combined Application Form (DHS-5223). You'll need the child's birth certificate, Social Security number, proof of your relationship, and a statement that the parents don't live with you.

Our Minnesota Kinship Financial Help Guide includes the exact income disregard formulas, worked scenarios for different family sizes and income situations, and a benefit calculator worksheet — so you can see the numbers before you apply.

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