South Dakota TANF Benefit Amount and Income Limits

Current Payment Standards

South Dakota's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program sets payment amounts based on the number of eligible people in the assistance unit and their living arrangement.

For child-only cases where a non-needy relative caregiver applies on behalf of grandchildren or other related children, the monthly payment standards are:

• 1 child: $414
• 2 children: $486
• 3 children: $557

Each additional child adds roughly $70 to the monthly payment. These are maximum amounts — the actual grant is the payment standard minus 100% of the child's countable income after allowed deductions.

For adult-included cases where a parent or needy caregiver is in the assistance unit, the maximum for a family of three is $672 in an independent living arrangement (where the household pays its own shelter costs) or $486 in a shared living arrangement. A DSS fiscal note projected average monthly payments of about $509 after a 6.4% increase took effect.

Any calculated grant below $10 per month is not issued.

Income Rules: Child-Only vs. Adult-Included

The income rules differ dramatically between the two TANF tracks, and confusing them is the number-one reason grandparents skip the application entirely.

Child-only (non-needy caretaker relative): DSS counts only the child's income and assets. The caregiver's wages, Social Security, pension, savings, real estate — all excluded. A grandparent collecting $3,000 a month in Social Security can still qualify the child for the full $414 grant.

Adult-included: The caregiver's income is counted against the household. The caregiver is subject to work requirements through the Department of Labor and faces a 60-month lifetime limit on benefits.

For most grandparents and relatives, the child-only track is the right path. You are not required to apply as an adult-included case.

Payment Timing

South Dakota DSS issues TANF payments electronically by direct deposit or to a Way2Go card. Payment dates follow a monthly schedule set by DSS — check your account on your assigned date each month.

Recertification is required every 12 months. You must report changes in the child's income or living situation within 10 days of the change occurring.

What This Means in Practice

A grandmother in Sioux Falls raising two grandchildren on Social Security retirement income can apply for child-only TANF and receive up to $486 per month in cash assistance. Her Social Security check, her savings account, and her home are invisible to the eligibility calculation. If neither child has direct income (no child support, no survivor benefits, no trust), the full $486 applies.

That same grandmother would also likely qualify the children for Medicaid, SNAP, and free school meals — all through separate applications, each with its own income rules.

The South Dakota Financial Help Guide lays out every program's income rules side by side so you can see exactly which benefits apply to your family's situation.

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