Apply For Tennessee TANF

This page provides the Tennessee 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.

Tennessee 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 Tennessee welfare benefits. Read on for more information about applying for TANF. If you have additional questions or issues about this program, then contact TANF Tennessee.

You can apply for Families First or SNAP/Food Stampbenefitsat a DHS office. An application must be completedand the DHS application can be accessed online or completed at the DHS office. You may use this form to file a joint application for more than one program or for the SNAP/Food Stampprogram only.Your SNAP/Food Stamp application will not be denied solely on the basis that your application for another program has been denied. You must give us proof of who you are,your income, and other facts needed to approve your application. If you need help getting proof, ask your DHS caseworker.

If you or the person for whom you are applying is eligible for benefits, SNAP/Food Stamps or TANF benefits will be provided from the date that we receive the application with your name, address, and signature on it. The filing date will be different if the household is in an institution and applying for SNAP and SSI at the same time. In this case, the filing date is the date of release from the institution.

Anyone in the household applying for Families Firstor SNAP/Food Stampbenefitsmust give us a Social Security Number and citizenship or immigration status. The Food and Nutrition Act lets us use Social Security Numbers to make sure you get the right amount of aid, to change the amount of aid you get, to check computer and government records, and to make sure you qualify.When we check computer records, we use the Income Eligibility Verification System.If those records don't match what you say, it may affect whether you can get help and how much cash or SNAP/food stamps you get. If you do not have a Social Security number, we can help you ask for one
If you have a Social Security Number, and you are a U.S. citizen, legal alienor eligible immigrant, then you must apply for benefits if you are a mandatory family member
- Example: Spouses and children and their parents must apply in the same household, unless you are opting not to apply for benefits for someone who opts notto give their SSN or immigration status
DHS does not needSocial Security numbers or citizenship/immigration status for household members not applying for benefits. If a Social Security Number is provided for someone who is not applying for benefits, it will not be sent to Immigration and Naturalization Services in order to verify their status
You may apply for benefits for citizens and eligible immigrants even if you do not apply for benefits yourself

Persons not applying for benefits will still havetheir resources and income considered. If you are applying for help from DHS, we may give your Social Security Number to:

Police who are looking for lawbreakers when the law allows or requires us or a court orders us to do so
Other federal or state agencies if the law allows or requires us to do so

How long do we take to decide about your application?

Families First cash payments: We have 45 days to decide if you can receive them
SNAP/Food Stamps: It can take up to 30 days to decide and to give you SNAP/Food Stampbenefits if you qualify
To make a decision on time, DHS must have your help to get all the proof we need

Your caseworker will tell you what changes you must report. If you receive Families First, you must report toDHS about any changes about your living situation within 10 days.

Families First Information:
If you get Families First cash payments you don't qualify for, you must pay the State back. You can:

Pay from your Families First cash payments
Pay in cash, if you don't receive Families First

If you give incorrect information or hide facts to get Families First cash payments, you can be taken to court. You may be charged with perjury (lying under oath), theft,or another crime, and may be sentenced to time in jail. If you break Families First rules on purpose, we call this an Intentional Program Violation.If you are found guilty, you could be cut off Families First for:

6 months the first time
1 year the second time and
Forever the third time

It is illegal to get cash payments in two states at the same time. Anyone who does this may be cut off cash payments for 10 years.

Your children can get Families First ORSNAP/Food Stamps benefits but you cannot if you are:

A fleeing felon
A parole or probation violator
Guilty of a drug-related felony that was committed after August 22, 1996, unless you meet a specific exception

Your caseworker can give you more information about the exception. To get Families First cash payments, you must sign and follow a Personal Responsibility Plan. This plan may require you to go to a work-related activity.

Important information about Child Support and Families First
You may be able to get Families First cash payments and child support at the same time.If you get Families First, you must help us prove who the child's father is. You must also work with us to collect child support for the children on Families First.We won't try to collect support if you prove there is a good reason not to do so. All child support must go first to DHS. If the parent gives you money directly, you must send it to DHS. You may be able to get some or all of the child support back.We call these payments child support pass-through payments.

The amount of your child support pass-through payment depends on both your "unmet need" and the amount of child support paid. We figure your unmet need based on:

How many people the Families First cash payment covers
How much other income you have
You can ask your DHS caseworker how much your unmet need is

Tennessee Employment Search

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

Apply Online For Tennessee 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.