Cash Assistance for Relative Caregivers in New York

The Cash Program Built for Relatives

When a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or older sibling takes in a child, the most immediate pressure is money. Food, clothes, school supplies, diapers — these costs land without warning and without a budget. New York's child-only Temporary Assistance grant is the primary cash program available to relative caregivers, and it is specifically designed for this situation.

The grant provides a monthly payment calculated from three components: the child's Basic Needs Allowance ($183 for one child), the Home Energy Allowance plus Supplemental HEA ($38.70 combined), and the local Shelter Allowance. The 2026–27 baseline examples for one child are $439.70 in New York City, $411.70 in Monroe or Erie County, and $511.70 in Suffolk or Nassau County; actual grants follow each district's shelter allowance schedule.

Why Relative Caregivers Qualify When They Shouldn't "On Paper"

Many relatives assume they earn too much to qualify for public assistance. The child-only grant sidesteps that assumption entirely. When you file as a non-needy caretaker, your income — Social Security, pension, wages, investment income — is excluded from the calculation. The caseworker evaluates only the child's income: Social Security survivor benefits, SSI, or child support received in the child's name.

Most children in informal kinship care have little or no personal income. If a child also meets the program's resource and other eligibility requirements, this can mean the full grant without reduction. A retired grandparent drawing $2,500 a month in Social Security, a working aunt earning $70,000 a year, or an uncle with a modest pension — none of these caregiver incomes touch the child's eligibility.

No Work Requirements, No Time Limits

The child-only track exempts the caregiver from the work activity requirements that apply to standard public assistance cases. You will not be assigned to a job training program or required to attend mandatory employment workshops. The child's grant is also exempt from the federal 60-month TANF time limit — benefits continue as long as the child meets age and deprivation requirements, generally up to age 18 (or 19 if enrolled full-time in high school or vocational training).

How to Apply

File through ACCESS HRA (NYC) or myBenefits.ny.gov (upstate), or submit a paper Form LDSS-2921 at your county DSS office. The application covers Temporary Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid in one filing. At the eligibility interview, make clear that you are filing as a non-needy caretaker for a child-only case.

Bring the child's birth certificate, Social Security card (or proof of SSN application), your photo ID, proof of your shared address, and documentation of your relationship to the child. Documents showing the child's income — if any — are needed, but your own financial documents are not required for the child-only determination.

The standard processing window is 30 days from receipt of the application. Temporary Assistance cash benefits are issued through an EBT account; check the award notice for the grant amount and start date.

What Else Is Available Beyond Cash

The child-only grant is often the starting point, not the full picture. Relative caregivers in New York can also access SNAP (food benefits), Medicaid or Child Health Plus (health coverage), CCAP (childcare subsidies), HEAP (heating assistance), WIC (for children under 5), and Summer EBT (SUN Bucks). Each program has its own income rules and application process, but filing for the child-only grant through LDSS-2921 starts several of these applications simultaneously.

The New York Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through every cash and non-cash program available to relative caregivers, with county-specific grant tables and a document checklist for each.

See more New York guides →