How to Get TANF for Your Grandchild Without Losing Your Retirement Savings in Washington
Washington has a TANF pathway that gives your grandchild cash assistance without looking at your Social Security, your pension, your savings account, or your house. It's called the non-needy caretaker relative grant. WAC 388-408-0025 allows a non-parent caretaker relative who does not live with the child's parents to choose a child-only assistance unit. DSHS does not count a non-needy caregiver's personal income and assets; the state evaluates the child's income and resources. A child with little or no countable income may qualify.
The application pathway matters. If you apply for TANF that includes your own needs as a needy caregiver, DSHS evaluates your income and resources. A non-needy caretaker relative application for the child excludes your personal income and assets from the child's eligibility test.
The Two TANF Pathways: What Happens With Each
Washington runs two distinct TANF tracks for relative caregivers, and the consequences of choosing the wrong one are severe:
| Factor | Standard TANF (Household Grant) | Child-Only TANF (Non-Needy Caretaker Relative) |
|---|---|---|
| Whose income counts | The adult caregiver's income and resources are tested | Only the child's income and resources |
| Retirement savings counted | Subject to adult TANF resource rules | Caregiver's personal assets are excluded |
| WorkFirst work requirements | Yes — mandatory participation | No — you are not the applicant |
| 60-month lifetime limit | Yes — clock ticks on your months | No — the grant is for the child |
| Monthly payment (1 child) | Varies by assistance unit | $450/month |
| Monthly payment (2 children) | Varies by assistance unit | $570/month |
The non-needy pathway exists because Washington recognized that grandparents raising grandchildren shouldn't be penalized for having retirement savings. Your pension is yours. The child's grant is the child's.
How to File the Right Application
Step 1: Go to Washington Connection (washingtonconnection.org) and begin an application for cash assistance. Request the non-needy caretaker relative or child-only pathway, and make clear that you are applying for the child, not seeking assistance for yourself.
Step 2: When asked about income, report the child's income. If the child has no income (no wages, no child support received directly by the child, no SSI), report zero. Your Social Security, pension, employment income, and savings are excluded from the child's eligibility determination on a non-needy application.
Step 3: At the eligibility interview, if a caseworker asks about your income or assets, state clearly that you are applying for a child-only TANF assistance unit under WAC 388-408-0025 and that your income is excluded from the eligibility determination. You have the right to file on this pathway.
Step 4: Keep your documentation organized. You will need proof that the child lives with you (school enrollment, medical records showing your address, a letter from the child's school), proof of your relationship to the child (birth certificates showing the family connection), and the child's Social Security number. The application doesn't require a court custody order.
What Can Go Wrong
The most common mistake is applying for a grant that includes your own needs as a needy caregiver when you intended to apply only for the child. In that case, DSHS evaluates your income and resources, WorkFirst rules apply, and adult TANF months count toward the 60-month lifetime limit. If the application is still pending, contact DSHS promptly to ask how to have it considered under the child-only pathway.
The second most common mistake is assuming you need a court order. You don't. Informal kinship caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings — can apply for child-only TANF without legal custody, guardianship, or any court involvement. You need to establish that you are caring for the child and that the child lives with you. That's it.
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What Else the Child Qualifies For
Child-only TANF is one important program, but it's not the only one. The recommended sequence starts with Apple Health for Kids and Basic Food, followed by child-only TANF. A child receiving TANF is directly certified for free school meals. Basic Food uses separate purchase-and-prepare household rules; receiving child-only TANF does not automatically create a separate Basic Food assistance unit. Apple Health for Kids uses MAGI household rules: a relative caregiver's income is excluded unless the caregiver claims the child as a tax dependent, and eligibility and any premium depend on the applicable income tier.
The Washington Kinship Benefits Navigator walks through the relevant programs in application order — which to file first, how each affects the next, and how to track renewal dates across agencies so nothing lapses.
Who This Is For
- Grandparents on Social Security, a pension, or SSDI who cannot afford to have their retirement income counted against a grandchild's benefit eligibility
- Retired relatives with savings accounts or property who worry that applying for TANF will trigger a means test on their assets
- Informal caregivers with no court order who were told they can't get TANF without custody
- Any relative caregiver who has already filed the wrong application and needs to switch pathways
Who This Is NOT For
- Parents applying for TANF for their own children — the non-needy caretaker relative pathway is specifically for non-parent relatives
- Caregivers receiving R-GAP (Relative Guardianship Assistance Program) payments — R-GAP is a separate program through DCYF for children who were in foster care and placed with a relative through dependency court
- Non-relatives (family friends, godparents) who are not legal guardians and do not meet the in loco parentis criteria for the child-only pathway
Frequently Asked Questions
Will DSHS check my bank account if I file for child-only TANF?
No. On a non-needy caretaker relative application, DSHS evaluates the child's income and resources and excludes your personal income and assets. WAC 388-450-0162 explains that a child's income is budgeted against the child-only payment standard.
What happens if I'm already receiving Social Security — does the child's TANF affect my benefits?
The non-needy caretaker relative is not included in the TANF assistance unit: DSHS evaluates the child's income and resources and excludes your personal income and assets from the child's eligibility test. For how public assistance interacts with a specific Social Security or SSI benefit, check with SSA.
Can I apply for child-only TANF and Basic Food at the same time?
Yes. Washington Connection allows you to apply for multiple programs in a single session. You can submit Basic Food and child-only TANF applications together, but each program has separate household rules: a child-only TANF grant does not automatically create a separate Basic Food assistance unit. Children receiving TANF are directly certified for free school meals.
How long does the child-only TANF grant last?
There is no time limit on the child-only grant itself. The 60-month lifetime limit applies to adult recipients of standard TANF, not to children receiving non-needy grants. The grant continues as long as the child is eligible (living with you, under 18, or under 19 if attending high school or vocational training full-time, and meeting income requirements based on the child's own income). Respond to DSHS review and renewal notices by the deadlines shown on the notices to maintain eligibility.
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