How to Apply for Child-Only TANF in Indiana Without Your Income Counting

If you are a grandparent or relative raising a child in Indiana and want to apply for Child-Only TANF without your income being counted, the key is making sure the FSSA Benefits Portal processes your application as a child-only case — not a family case that includes you in the assistance unit. When the case is filed correctly, only the child's own income and resources are evaluated. Your Social Security, pension, wages, and savings are not part of the calculation.

Child-Only TANF pays up to $248 per month for one child and up to $409 for two. Eligibility depends on whether the caregiver is a specified relative within the fifth degree and whether the child's countable income falls within the applicable limit; for one child, the gross monthly income standard is $457.

Why Your Income Gets Counted When It Shouldn't

One source of confusion is the FSSA Benefits Portal: it does not clearly explain how a non-needy relative caregiver applies for child-only TANF without having their income counted. A grandparent may see household-income questions and assume their income must be included, then abandon the application or submit it in a way that includes them in the assistance unit.

When a non-parent relative is included in the TANF assistance unit, their income is counted. When they are excluded — which is what a child-only case does — only the child's income matters. The difference between these two outcomes often comes down to how the application is filled out and how the county DFR office processes it.

Step-by-Step: Filing as a Child-Only Case

Step 1: Gather the child's documents

Before you open the FSSA Benefits Portal, collect:

• The child's birth certificate or proof of age
• The child's Social Security number
• Proof that the child lives with you (school enrollment showing your address, a medical record, or a letter from the school)
• Your own ID (to identify yourself as the applicant on behalf of the child)
• If applicable: a Power of Attorney, guardianship order, or DCS placement letter showing your legal relationship to the child

Step 2: Apply through the FSSA Benefits Portal

Go to the FSSA Benefits Portal and start a new application. For a child-only case, the child is the only person in the assistance unit. You apply as the non-needy relative caregiver and payee on the child's behalf, not as a co-applicant.

If the portal's interface is unclear about this distinction — and it often is — you have two alternatives:

• Apply at your county DFR office in person. Tell the intake worker you are filing a child-only TANF case for a relative child. Ask them to confirm that your income will not be evaluated. Walk out with a receipt or case number.
• Call the FSSA helpline and ask them to walk you through the application as a child-only case.

Step 3: File State Form 53460 (Authorized Representative)

State Form 53460 is the SNAP/TANF Authorized Representative form. It can identify you as the person who manages the child's case — handles correspondence, attends interviews, and reports changes. The form does not by itself establish child-only eligibility: DFR determines the assistance unit under the non-needy relative caretaker rules.

Bring the completed form to your county DFR office or fax it to the FSSA Document Center.

Step 4: Confirm the case type at intake

After you submit the application, you will receive an intake interview — usually by phone. During that interview:

• Confirm with the caseworker that the case is being processed as a child-only TANF case
• Confirm that your income is not being counted in the eligibility determination
• Ask what the next step is and when to expect a decision

If the caseworker mentions your income or asks about your bank accounts as part of the eligibility determination, ask whether the case is being treated as child-only. If it is not, ask them to correct it. You have the right to have the application processed correctly.

Step 5: Document everything

Keep a record of:

• The date you submitted the application
• The name of the caseworker at your intake interview
• Whether they confirmed the child-only case type
• The case number

If the application is denied, you have 33 days from the denial notice to request a fair hearing. To ask to keep existing cash or Medicaid benefits at the current level while the appeal is pending, file within 10 days of the notice or before the change takes effect. If the decision is upheld, you may have to repay benefits paid during the appeal. That continued-benefits window is why documentation matters — you need to act fast and know exactly what happened at intake.

What "Child-Only" Actually Means

In a standard TANF case, the parent and child are both in the assistance unit. The parent's income, resources, and work requirements are all part of the evaluation.

In a child-only case, only the child is in the assistance unit. The non-parent relative caregiver is not a recipient — they are a caretaker managing the case on the child's behalf. The caregiver's income and assets are excluded, but eligibility is not automatic: DFR compares the child's countable income with the applicable limit and checks relationship and residence requirements.

This is not a loophole or a special exception. Indiana's TANF policy provides for child-only cases when a child lives with a specified relative within the fifth-degree relationship rule. The caregiver's income is excluded by design, not by accident.

Who This Is For

• Grandparents on Social Security, SSDI, or a pension who were told — or assumed — their income disqualified the child
• Aunts, uncles, and older siblings providing primary care for a child and paying for food, clothing, and school costs out of pocket
• Relatives who started a TANF application on the FSSA Benefits Portal and abandoned it because the income questions seemed too high
• Caregivers who were denied TANF and suspect the application was processed as a family case instead of a child-only case

Who This Is NOT For

• Parents applying for their own children — the parent is included in the assistance unit by default
• Anyone who has already been approved for Child-Only TANF and is looking for additional benefits — see the full programme list in the Indiana Kinship Financial Help Guide
• Anyone needing emergency food assistance today — call 211 or visit your local DFR office

What to Do If You Were Denied

If you received a denial letter and believe the application was processed as a family case instead of a child-only case:

1. Read the denial notice. It should state the reason for denial and the income or resources that were counted. If your income appears in the calculation, the case was not processed as child-only.
2. Request a fair hearing within 33 days of the notice date. The request form is on the notice itself or available from your county DFR office.
3. To ask to keep existing cash or Medicaid benefits at the current level while the appeal is pending, file within 10 days of the notice or before the change takes effect. If the decision is upheld, you may have to repay benefits paid during the appeal.
4. At the hearing, explain that you are a non-parent relative caregiver and that your income should not have been counted. Bring your ID, the child's birth certificate, and any documentation of your living arrangement.

The Complete Picture

Child-Only TANF is one of several programmes that evaluate the child separately from the caregiver's finances. Hoosier Healthwise (Medicaid for children), the DCS unlicensed relative stipend, and KinGAP guardianship assistance all have their own rules about whose income counts. The Indiana Kinship Financial Help Guide covers every programme in one place — with an income decision tree showing which programmes ignore your income, a legal arrangement matrix, and document checklists for every application.

The free Indiana Kinship Benefits Checklist lists every programme and the agency to contact. If you want the full application walkthroughs and tracking worksheets, the complete guide is there when you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Child-Only TANF affect my Social Security or SSDI payments?

No. The TANF grant is paid on behalf of the child, not the caregiver. It does not count as income to the grandparent and has no effect on Social Security retirement, SSDI, or SSI benefits.

Do I need guardianship to apply for Child-Only TANF?

No. You can apply with informal custody, a Power of Attorney, or a guardianship order. The child-only case type is available to a specified relative within Indiana's fifth-degree relationship rule who provides the child's primary home. A private guardianship by itself does not qualify for KinGAP, which requires a qualifying DCS ward placement, age and permanency criteria, foster-care licensing, six months in the licensed home, and a DCS agreement before the final guardianship order. Guardianship is not required for TANF.

How long does it take to get approved?

Indiana processes Child-Only TANF applications within 30 to 45 calendar days. If you submit all required documents at the time of application, the process can go faster. Delays usually come from missing documents or scheduling the phone interview.

Can I apply for Child-Only TANF and SNAP at the same time?

Yes, and the FSSA Benefits Portal lets you do this in a single application. Note that SNAP counts household income differently — your income is included if you are part of the SNAP household, which includes people who live together and purchase and prepare meals together. Indiana uses Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility with a gross income limit of 130% FPL; ask DFR how current resource rules apply to your household.

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