Maryland TCA Child-Only Grant for Relative Caregivers

If you are raising a grandchild or a relative's child in Maryland and you assume your Social Security check or pension disqualifies you from cash help, you are likely wrong. Maryland's Temporary Cash Assistance program has a child-only pathway that ignores every dollar of your personal income.

How the Child-Only Grant Works

Under COMAR 07.03.03.07-1.D(6), a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other non-parent relative can apply for TCA strictly on behalf of the child. You are classified as a "non-needy caretaker relative," which means the state evaluates only the child's finances — not yours. Your wages, retirement benefits, pensions, savings, and property are completely excluded from the eligibility calculation.

There is no asset limit for TCA in Maryland. A grandmother with a paid-off house, a pension, and a savings account still qualifies to receive TCA on behalf of a grandchild who has little or no income of their own.

The child's own income — mainly child support collected from the biological parents and any survivor benefits paid in the child's name — is the only money that counts. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is excluded entirely: if the child receives SSI, that child drops out of the TCA assistance unit, and the SSI amount is never counted against siblings who do receive TCA.

Payment Amounts (Effective October 2026)

The monthly maximums under Maryland's October 2026 income guidelines for a child-only assistance unit are:

• 1 child: $348 per month
• 2 children: $612 per month
• 3 children: $773 per month
• 4 children: $926 per month
• 5 children: $1,074 per month

The actual grant is the maximum minus the child's net countable income. If the child has zero income, you receive the full amount. If child support of $150 per month is collected for one of two children, the grant for the two-child unit drops from $612 to $462. Maryland also passes through current support of up to $200 per month for two or more children, capped at the amount paid; this payment is based on support received in the prior month.

No Work Rules, No Time Limit

When no children of your own are in the assistance unit, you are exempt from Maryland's work-activity requirements, job-search mandates, and Family Independence Plan obligations. You do not have to attend employment training or prove you are looking for work.

The federal 60-month TANF lifetime limit applies only to adult recipients. Child-only months do not count against you or against the child's future adult eligibility. The grant can continue until the child turns 18, or 19 if enrolled full-time in secondary school.

What You Need to Know About Child Support Cooperation

TCA requires cooperation with the Child Support Administration unless Good Cause applies. If cooperation could cause serious physical or emotional harm to you or the child, you can claim a Good Cause Exemption under COMAR 07.03.03.10. Written evidence is not required, though records such as a protective order, police report, or statement from a domestic violence agency may support the claim. If an active TCA recipient fails to cooperate without Good Cause, the grant is reduced by 25% after the conciliation process; an initial application may be denied if the child support requirements are not met and no Good Cause claim is pending.

How the Child-Only Grant Connects to Other Benefits

Receiving TCA does not block other programs. The child can simultaneously receive SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid through the Maryland Children's Health Program, WIC if under 5, and free school meals through direct certification. TCA payments do count as unearned income in the SNAP household budget, but SNAP has its own deductions that often absorb them.

The Maryland Financial Help Guide walks through every one of these programs, the application forms, and the documents you need for each — so nothing slips through while you are managing multiple applications at once.

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