South Carolina Child Only TANF for Grandparents

What Child-Only TANF Actually Means in South Carolina

South Carolina calls its TANF cash assistance program Family Independence, and it has two tracks that work very differently for grandparents.

In a caregiver-inclusive grant, you join the benefit group alongside the child. Your Social Security, pension, wages — everything gets counted against the income limit. That limit for a three-person household is $2,053 a month gross. You also face a 24-month time limit within any ten-year period and mandatory work requirements.

In a child-only grant, you apply strictly on behalf of the child and exclude yourself from the assistance unit. Your income, savings, retirement benefits, and assets are completely disregarded. The only income that matters is money paid directly to the child — child support or survivor benefits in the child's name. There are no work requirements for you and no time limits on the child's benefit.

For most grandparents on fixed incomes, child-only is the right choice by a wide margin.

How Much the Child Receives

Payment amounts are set by the SCDSS Policy Manual (Volume 65) and updated each October. For 2026:

• One child: $229 per month
• Two children: $308 per month
• Three children: $388 per month

These amounts go to households with zero countable child income. If the child has their own income — say, $350 a month in survivor benefits — that amount is compared directly to the payment standard. A child whose own income exceeds the payment standard does not qualify.

Payments arrive monthly on a South Carolina EBT card.

Your Retirement Income Does Not Count

This is the single most misunderstood rule in the system. When you file for child-only Family Independence, SCDSS disregards 100% of the caregiver's finances. A grandmother collecting $2,400 a month in Social Security retirement, with $50,000 in savings, can qualify her grandson for the full $229 monthly grant — because the eligibility test looks only at what the child has in his own name.

Caseworkers sometimes make errors here, applying standard household income rules instead of child-only rules. If you are asked about your income during a child-only application, that is a red flag. The TANF Policy Manual Volume 65 is the controlling document.

How to Apply: DSS Form 3800

You apply through one of three channels:

1. Online at benefits.sc.gov through the SC Benefits portal
2. In person at your county SCDSS office with a completed Form 3800
3. By mail or fax to the county office

The application date is locked the moment SCDSS receives a form with your name, address, and signature — even if the rest is incomplete. Benefits backdate to that filing date. SCDSS has 30 calendar days to process a standard TANF application.

You will need an intake interview, either in person or by phone, before benefits are authorized.

Documents to Bring

• Child's birth certificate (or hospital records, baptismal certificate, or school enrollment records)
• Child's Social Security number or proof you have applied for one (Form SS-5)
• Proof the child lives in South Carolina — lease, utility bill, mortgage, or a written statement from a landlord
• Proof of your relationship to the child — birth certificates linking generations, a court order, or a Power of Attorney under S.C. Code § 63-15-720
• Child's bank statements or benefit award letters if the child has any income

You do not need a court order to apply. Informal caregivers qualify.

Child Support Cooperation

To receive Family Independence for the child, you must cooperate with the SCDSS Integrated Child Support Services Division in establishing paternity and collecting support from the child's absent parent. If contacting that parent would put you or the child at risk, you can request a Good Cause Exception with supporting evidence.

Redetermination

Child-only cases are reviewed every 12 months. You must report changes in household composition — like the child's parent returning to the home — within 10 days.

Getting the Full Picture

Child-only TANF is often the first benefit grandparents apply for, but it is not the only one. The child may also qualify for Partners for Healthy Children Medicaid, SNAP food assistance, SC Voucher child care scholarships, and eventually KinGAP if the child enters the foster care system. The South Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through every program, what to bring, and how each one interacts with the others.

See more South Carolina guides →