How to Apply for Child-Only TCA Through Florida MyACCESS

Before You Start

MyACCESS is Florida's unified benefits portal for Temporary Cash Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid. A single application can cover all three programs. For kinship caregivers applying for Child-Only TCA, the main challenge is the portal's default design — it asks for household financial information that does not apply to your case.

Gather these documents before sitting down at the computer:

• Child's birth certificate (or hospital birth record)
• Child's Social Security card (or an SSA receipt showing the card was applied for)
• Your Florida driver's license or state ID
• Proof of Florida residence — utility bill, lease, mortgage statement, or property tax bill in your name
• Proof the child lives with you — school records listing your address, a lease naming the child, or a signed statement from a landlord, neighbor, or pediatrician
• Documentation of the child's income, if any — Social Security award letters, trust fund statements, or child support records
• Legal documents, if applicable — Chapter 751 custody order, Chapter 744 guardianship letters, or a Fla. Stat. § 743.0645 medical consent power of attorney

Creating Your Account

Go to the MyACCESS portal at myaccess.myflfamilies.com. Click "Create an Account" and enter your name, date of birth, email address, and a password. You will need to verify your email before proceeding.

One account per person. Never share your login credentials. If someone else needs to access your case — an adult child helping with paperwork, for example — they submit Form CF-ES 2074 (Authorized Representative form) to obtain designated access through their own account.

Filling Out the Application

Select "Apply for Benefits" and choose Temporary Cash Assistance. You can also check the boxes for SNAP and Medicaid in the same application.

The application will walk through household composition, income, assets, and expenses. Here is where the child-only distinction matters:

Household composition: List yourself as the caretaker relative and the child as the person applying for benefits.

Income questions: The portal will ask about household income. For a child-only case, only the child's income matters — not yours. If the child has no income (no Social Security, no trust distributions, no child support), the answer is zero. Your retirement, pension, or wages should not appear on the child's eligibility determination. If the portal's form structure makes this confusing, note in the comments section that you are applying for a child-only grant as a non-needy caretaker relative.

Assets: The child's countable liquid assets must not exceed $2,000. Your personal assets are excluded.

Uploading Documents

After submitting the application, MyACCESS will list the verification documents needed. Upload digital copies (photos or scans) directly through the portal. If you cannot upload electronically, bring the originals to your local DCF Economic Self-Sufficiency office.

Processing Timeline

DCF says application processing may take up to 30 days. You will receive a Notice of Case Action confirming the approved benefit amount and the payment start date.

If you have not heard back after 30 days, check MyACCESS or call your local DCF office or the DCF Customer Call Center for a status update.

If You Get Stuck

The MyACCESS portal can be unintuitive for child-only cases because most of its screens are designed for standard family TCA applications. If you are unsure which fields apply to you, visit your local DCF ESS office in person and tell the front desk you need help filing a child-only TCA application as a relative caregiver. An eligibility specialist can walk you through the screens.

The Florida Kinship Financial Help guide includes a full MyACCESS walkthrough alongside document checklists for every program available to kinship families.

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