New Hampshire Guardianship Assistance Payments for Relatives

You went to court, got guardianship of your grandchild under RSA 463, and assumed a monthly support check would follow. It's one of the most common — and most frustrating — misconceptions in New Hampshire kinship care. The state doesn't write a check just because you have Letters of Guardianship.

The Guardianship Subsidy Gap

New Hampshire does not operate a universal, state-funded guardianship subsidy for relative caregivers who obtain private legal guardianship through the Circuit Court Probate Division. There is no Title IV-E Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) for private guardians, and no broad state-funded monthly payment tied to an RSA 463 guardianship order.

This means obtaining legal guardianship — which gives you parental powers and responsibilities for the child's support, care, and education, subject to any limits in the court order — does not trigger a monthly guardianship stipend. That's the gap.

When Guardianship Subsidies Do Exist

Guardianship assistance payments in New Hampshire are tied to the child welfare system, not the private court system. They apply when:

1. A child was formally removed from parents by DCYF due to abuse or neglect
2. The child was placed with a relative as a kinship foster placement
3. The relative became licensed as a foster parent under He-C 6446. A He-C 6447 kinship care home license is separate and does not authorize foster care.
4. The caregiver then transitioned from foster care to permanent legal guardianship

In this pathway — and essentially only this pathway — a monthly stipend may continue after the guardianship is finalized. The key distinction: DCYF was involved first, and the child was in foster custody before the guardianship.

What Private Guardians Can Access Instead

If you obtained guardianship through the Probate Division on your own — the far more common route for kinship caregivers — your primary financial pathway through DHHS is the Child-Only FANF cash grant. Under this program:

• Your income is completely excluded from the eligibility test
• Only the child's income counts
• A child with zero income receives up to $798/month (one child) or $1,082/month (two children)
• No work requirements, no lifetime time limits

Beyond FANF, you can also apply for Children's Medicaid (child's income test only), SNAP (household income counted), and the NH Child Care Scholarship (if you're working or in training).

Emergency and Community Support

The Kinship Navigator Program, operated through Family Resource Centers statewide, provides free assistance regardless of your legal arrangement. Navigators can help with benefit applications and connect you with food assistance, gas for appointments, school supplies, respite care, and additional financial assistance.

Step Up Parents offers one-time emergency grants specifically for relatives raising children due to parental substance use.

ServiceLink serves grandparent caregivers aged 55+ with Title III-E respite vouchers and peer support.

Should You Still Get Guardianship?

Absolutely — legal authority matters enormously even without a subsidy attached. With Letters of Guardianship, you can enroll the child in school without hassle, consent to medical treatment, and make decisions about the child's residence and care, subject to any limits in the court order. And you remain fully eligible for child-only public benefits.

The absence of a private guardianship subsidy is a policy gap, not a reason to avoid the court process. The complete New Hampshire kinship financial help guide explains every program available to both informal caregivers and legal guardians, with the documents and forms you need for each.

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