Apply For Louisiana TANF

This page provides the Louisiana TANF eligibility requirements. Applicants must meet both state and federal guidelines for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Individuals who apply for TANF must meet the monetary and non-monetary state guidelines, complete work-related activities, provide paternity information about the children in the household and report as required by the state.

Louisiana residents who qualify for welfare are required to furnish information such as citizenship, income, resources, and age. Only household members who are eligible can receive Louisiana welfare benefits. Read on for more information about applying for TANF. If you have additional questions or issues about this program, then contact TANF Louisiana.

Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP)

The Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) provides cash assistance to families with children when the financial resources of the family are insufficient to meet subsistence needs.

The goal of FITAP is to decrease the long-term dependency on welfare assistance by promoting job preparation and work. Public assistance is no longer a lifetime benefit but an opportunity to become independent after a financial crisis.


FITAP Benefits

The graph shows how much assistance a family receives based on family size.

The average family consists of a mother and two children. The average grant in Louisiana is $200 per month


Do I Qualify for FITAP?

To be eligible for FITAP, the family must meet all the conditions listed below:

Residence
The client must be living in the state, must intend to make a home here and the stay cannot be temporary.

Citizenship
The client must be either a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

Need
A family must be considered financially needy to be eligible. It is not necessary that a parent be incapacitated, absent or unemployed.

Enumeration
All applicants or recipients must provide or apply for a Social Security number for each member of the assistance unit.

Age
Children must be under the age of 18 to be eligible or in school and able to complete the course of study or obtain a GED by the 19th birthday.

Relationship
In order to receive FITAP assistance for a child, an individual must be a qualified relative by meeting certain relationship requirements, i.e., must be related by blood, marriage or adoption.

Home
It must be verified that the child actually lives in the same home with the qualified relative.

Support Enforcement Services
The client must assign any child support and medical support rights to the state, and must cooperate with the agency's Support Enforcement Services in establishing paternity and obtaining child support and medical support from the absent parent(s), unless good cause has been established.

STEP
Work eligible applicants and recipients are required to participate in the STEP Program.

Income
Monthly countable income, both earned and unearned, cannot exceed the flat grant amount for the number of persons in the assistance unit. Total countable income is subtracted from the flat grant amount to determine the client's grant amount. The allowable earned income deductions are:


Immunization
Sufficient evidence of immunity or immunization against vaccine preventable diseases according to the Office of Public Health schedule, or evidence that such an immunization program is in progress, must be provided for each recipient under the age of 18.

Parenting Skills Training
Each applicant/recipient who is pregnant or has a child under the age one must attend parenting skills training.

Time Limits
The family is ineligible to receive assistance if a parent or either parent in a two-parent family has received benefits for 24 of the prior 60 months. There is a 60 month lifetime limit if the assistance unit includes a parent/caretaker relative.

Minor parent restriction
Minor unmarried parents and their children must reside in the home of a parent, legal guardian, other adult relative or in an adult-supervised living arrangement in order to qualify for assistance.

Drug screening
Applicants/recipients age 18 and over must cooperate in screening for the use of illegal drugs, and, if necessary, drug testing, education and rehabilitation.


How and Where Do I Apply?

To apply for the Louisiana TANF online, click here. You can also download an application and fill it out by hand. You can call 1-888-LAHELP-U (1-888-524-3578) for assistance. Mail the completed application to the Document Processing Center:
DCFS Economic Stability
P.O. Box 260031
Baton Rouge, LA 70826
Or fax the completed application to:
(225) 663-3164


How are My Benefits Issued?

You can check your balance online through your EBT card at JPMorgan Chase. Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is a method of delivering governmental benefits to recipients electronically. Louisiana uses magnetic stripe card technology. The card, which is referred to as the Louisiana Purchase Card enables recipients to access benefits at ATM’s and Point-of-Sale (POS) machines.

Cash benefits are posted to recipient accounts during the first five days of the month. Recipient benefits are accessible by 5:00 a.m. the morning after they are posted. Benefits are posted on the same date every month regardless of the day of the week. Holidays and weekends do not affect the date of benefit availability.

Benefits are secure and accessible only to persons authorized by the recipient. The Personal Identification Number (PIN) is selected by the recipient and must be correctly entered in order to successfully complete all electronic transactions. As purchases or cash withdrawals are made at grocery store checkout lanes and ATM’s, recipient accounts are debited and the recipient is given a receipt which provides the remaining account balance.


Louisiana Employment Search

Part of the requirement, while on the TANF program, is finding a job to help sustain your financial needs. Louisiana provides an online job site for you to search for employment. You can view the job site by clicking here.


Apply Online For Louisiana TANF

If you have questions about applying for TANF benefits, or you want to see if you can apply for TANF Georgia online, then visit the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families website here.