Idaho TAFI Child-Only Grant for Grandparents and Relative Caregivers

What the TAFI Child-Only Grant Actually Is

Temporary Assistance for Families in Idaho — TAFI — is Idaho's version of the federal TANF cash assistance program. It has two tracks: one for low-income parent households, and one for relative caregivers. The second track is the child-only grant, and it is how roughly 96% of Idaho TAFI cases work.

The child-only grant puts monthly cash directly into the caregiver's hands when a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or other relative is raising a child whose parents are absent or unable to provide care. The money is for the child's basic needs — food, clothing, school supplies, transportation to appointments.

The maximum payment is $309 per month. That cap is per household, not per child, so it stays at $309 whether you are caring for one grandchild or three.

The Income Rule That Changes Everything

Most grandparents assume their Social Security, pension, or wages will disqualify them. They are wrong.

On a TAFI child-only grant, the adult caregiver's income is completely excluded from the eligibility calculation. Your retirement check, your part-time earnings, your savings — none of it counts. The grant calculation considers the child's countable income, such as Social Security survivor benefits. A child receiving SSI is excluded from the TAFI household, school-attending dependent children's earnings are excluded, and child support assigned to the State is excluded from countable income.

If the child has no countable income and no applicable penalties, the eligible grant can be $309. If the child receives, say, $150 in countable survivor benefits, that amount is deducted dollar-for-dollar, leaving a $159 monthly grant before any penalties.

Who Qualifies as a Relative Caregiver

You must be an adult specified relative of the child, other than the child's parent. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, and great-aunts qualify. Stepparents are defined as parents, not caretaker relatives. Close family friends do not qualify for the TAFI caretaker-relative grant; foster-care payments are a separate program.

You do not need a court order. Informal caregivers — grandparents with no guardianship papers, an aunt who simply took the child in — can apply. You will need to show that the child lives with you through documents like school enrollment forms, a pediatrician's record, or a landlord statement.

How to Apply

Apply through one of these channels:

• Online: idalink.idaho.gov — the fastest route
• Phone: 1-877-456-1233 (IDHW Self Reliance)
• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0026
• In person: any regional IDHW field office

The application covers TAFI, SNAP, Medicaid, and child care assistance in one form, so you can check every box in a single submission.

Documents You Should Have Ready

Pull these together before you start:

• Child's birth certificate (hospital birth record, baptismal certificate, or school transcript also accepted)
• Child's Social Security card or verification receipt
• Proof of your relationship — an IDHW-listed record such as a parent or stepparent statement, legal documentation, birth record, marriage license, divorce decree, obituary, baptismal record, or school record
• Proof the child lives with you — school registration showing your address, pediatrician records, or official mail in the child's name
• Any income records for the child (Social Security award letter, child support payment history)

Your own income documents are not required for the child-only grant, but IDHW may ask for them if you also apply for SNAP or ICCP on the same form.

What Happens After You Apply

IDHW must process your TAFI application within 45 days. You will likely receive a phone interview from a caseworker. Come prepared to explain the living arrangement and confirm the child's income sources.

If approved, the $309 (or adjusted amount) arrives monthly. There is no 24-month lifetime limit for child-only cases, and you are not required to meet work participation hours — those requirements apply only to adult-included grants.

The Child Support Cooperation Question

When a child receives TAFI, IDHW may ask the caregiver to cooperate with Child Support Services to identify and locate the absent parent and establish or enforce support. If pursuing child support would put you or the child at risk — domestic violence, fear of retaliation, history of abuse — you can request that this requirement be waived with supporting documentation like a protective order, police report, or written evaluation from a social worker. Idaho's good-cause rule recognizes proof that the noncustodial parent may inflict physical or emotional harm on the child, custodial parent, or caretaker relative.

What the $309 Does and Does Not Cover

The grant is modest. It is not meant to cover the full cost of raising a child. Think of it as a foundation — steady monthly cash that arrives regardless of your own income — which you can layer with SNAP food benefits, Medicaid for the child, child care help through ICCP, and WIC if the child is under five.

If you want every Idaho benefit mapped out in one place — what counts, what to bring, and which office handles what — the Idaho Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through each program step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the TAFI child-only grant affect my Social Security or pension?

The child-only TAFI grant does not reduce your Social Security or pension. If the child is part of your SNAP household, the TAFI payment counts as unearned income for SNAP.

Can I get TAFI if I do not have legal guardianship?

Yes. Informal caregivers can receive the child-only grant as long as they can verify the family relationship and that the child lives with them.

Does the $309 amount increase if I am caring for more than one child?

No. Idaho's TAFI maximum payment standard is $309 per household regardless of how many eligible children live there.

What if the child's parent comes back — do I have to repay the grant?

You must report changes in living arrangements to IDHW within 10 days. You do not repay benefits that were correctly issued while the child was in your care.

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