TAFDC Child-Only Grant Amount in Massachusetts

Current Payment Standards

TAFDC child-only grant amounts in Massachusetts follow a schedule published in 106 CMR 704.420. The grant depends on how many children are in the assistance unit and whether the household has qualifying housing expenses for the rent allowance.

For a child-only case where the caregiver pays housing costs:

• One child: $488 base + $40 rent allowance = $528 per month
• Two children: $613 base + $40 rent allowance = $653 per month
• Three children: $738 base + $40 rent allowance = $778 per month
• Each additional child: add $125 to the base

The $40 rent allowance is a flat supplement per assistance unit — it doesn't increase with more children. If the household has no qualifying housing expenses, the rent allowance does not apply and the grant is the base amount only.

How Child Income Reduces the Grant

DTA subtracts the child's own countable income dollar-for-dollar from the total grant. The most common source is Social Security survivor benefits — if a child receives $200 per month in survivor benefits, the TAFDC grant drops by exactly $200.

Example: Two grandchildren in a child-only case. One receives $200 per month in Social Security survivor benefits. The other has no income. The maximum grant is $653, minus $200, for a net TAFDC payment of $453 per month.

Court-ordered child support payments paid to the assistance unit count as the child's income. The caregiver's own income — Social Security retirement, pension, wages — is never counted in a child-only case.

These Are Not the Same as Adult Grant Amounts

Older or out-of-date figures sometimes circulate online. Some reference two-person or three-person adult-inclusive assistance units ($648/$688 for two persons, $783/$823 for three). Those apply when a parent is included in the grant as a recipient. Child-only cases use the payment standards listed above, which reflect the child-only unit structure.

If you see a figure that looks different from what DTA approved, ask the caseworker to confirm your case type is "child-only" with a non-needy caretaker relative. The case type determines the payment schedule.

The Grant Loads Onto an EBT Card

TAFDC cash benefits are deposited monthly onto a DTA EBT card. The card works at ATMs (with a small withdrawal fee at non-network machines) and at point-of-sale terminals. The same card carries SNAP food benefits if the household is also approved for SNAP.

DTA issues replacement cards at local offices if one is lost or stolen. Benefits that go unspent roll over from month to month — they do not expire at the end of a 30-day cycle.

The Massachusetts kinship financial help guide includes a side-by-side benefits calculator that shows how a child's Social Security income, TAFDC cash, and SNAP interact — along with the exact documents to bring so DTA can process everything in one visit.

See more Massachusetts guides →