Michigan Child-Only FIP Grant for Grandparents and Relative Caregivers

What a Child-Only FIP Grant Actually Means

Michigan's Family Independence Program has a provision most grandparents never hear about until they've already spent weeks worrying. When a relative caregiver applies for cash assistance on behalf of a child — without requesting benefits for themselves — MDHHS classifies the adult as an "Ineligible Grantee" under BEM 210. That single designation changes everything about how the state evaluates the application.

Your pension doesn't count. Your Social Security retirement doesn't count. Your savings account, your spouse's wages, your home equity — none of it enters the calculation. The state looks only at the child's own income, which for most children in kinship care is zero or close to it.

This isn't a loophole. It's how the program is designed. A child who needs help doesn't stop needing help because their grandmother has a retirement check.

How Much the Grant Pays

The monthly amount depends on how many children are in your care. MDHHS sets these figures in its Reference Tables Manual (RFT 210):

• 1 child: $283 per month
• 2 children: $403 per month
• 3 children: $583 per month
• 4 children: $597 per month

If a child receives direct child support from a biological parent, the state applies a $50 pass-through disregard before counting the remainder against the grant. A child receiving $100 in monthly support on a one-child case would receive $233 per month in FIP ($283 minus the $50 of countable support after the disregard).

If the child has earned income — a teenager with a part-time job, for example — MDHHS applies a $200 standard earned-income disregard and then removes another 20% of what remains before subtracting from the payment standard.

No Time Limit on Child-Only Cases

Michigan recently extended the adult FIP lifetime limit from 48 months to 60 months, effective April 2025. That change matters for parents who receive FIP in their own name, but it has no bearing on child-only cases.

Because the adult relative is classified as an ineligible grantee and isn't receiving benefits themselves, the 60-month federal clock and the state clock simply don't apply. The child may qualify while under age 18, or at age 18 if enrolled full-time in high school or an equivalent vocational program.

There are no PATH work requirements either. The mandatory job search, employment verification, and participation hours that regular FIP recipients face are entirely absent from child-only cases.

Who Qualifies as a Relative

The child-only FIP grant requires a recognized family relationship between the caregiver and the child. MDHHS accepts grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, nephews, nieces, first cousins, and step-relatives of the same degree.

Family friends and unrelated caregivers are not eligible for the child-only FIP grant, regardless of how long the child has lived in the household. If you're a non-relative caregiver, the child may still qualify for food assistance (FAP), Medicaid, and childcare subsidies through other programs that use broader definitions.

The Income Misconception That Stops People Cold

The MSU Kinship Care Resource Center and administrative hearing records both document the same pattern: fixed-income grandparents assume their retirement income disqualifies the child and never apply. Some are told as much by well-meaning family members or even by workers who don't specialize in child-only cases.

The BEM 210 rule is unambiguous. When the caregiver is an ineligible grantee, the caregiver's income and assets are excluded from the eligibility determination. A grandmother receiving $2,400 per month in Social Security and holding $15,000 in savings would see $0 counted toward her grandchild's FIP eligibility.

If a caseworker asks for your pay stubs or bank statements during a child-only application, you can reference BEM 210 and ask the specialist to review the ineligible grantee provisions. You have the right to request a supervisor review if the application is processed incorrectly.

What You Need to Apply

Applications go through MI Bridges (newmibridges.michigan.gov). When setting up the application, identify yourself as a relative caregiver applying on behalf of the child — not as someone requesting personal assistance.

Gather these documents before starting:

• The child's birth certificate or other proof of age and identity
• Social Security numbers for the child (and for you as the applicant)
• Proof that the child lives with you — a utility bill, lease, or letter from a neighbor or school
• Documentation of your relationship to the child — birth certificates showing the family connection, a court order, or a power of attorney
• Any income the child receives directly — child support statements, SSA benefit letters, or bank statements for accounts in the child's name

MDHHS must issue a FIP decision within 30 calendar days of application submission. Keep a screenshot or confirmation number from MI Bridges after every document upload.

Next Steps After Approval

A child-only FIP grant also triggers automatic Medicaid enrollment for the child, which covers medical, dental, and vision care. You don't need to file a separate health coverage application.

The grant is paid on a Michigan Bridge Card, and you can use it for the child's basic needs — food, clothing, school supplies, personal care. The child's eligibility is reviewed periodically. Report household-composition or address changes, and unearned gross-income changes exceeding $125 per month, within 10 calendar days.

For a complete walkthrough of every Michigan benefit available to kinship caregivers — including food assistance, childcare subsidies, emergency relief, and the guardianship assistance program — the Financial Help for Grandparents and Relatives Raising a Child in Michigan guide organizes the applications, documents, and deadlines into one system so nothing falls through the cracks.

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