How Long Can A TANF Family Receive Benefits?
Families who have received assistance for five cumulative years will no longer be eligible for cash assistance. Up to 20 percent of the caseload can be exempt from this requirement due to hardship factors. States have the discretion to restrict the lifetime cap on benefits to a shorter period of time. All members of the family who are connected to the adult recipient are subject to this time limit. However, the five-year limit does not apply to child-only cases (those cases where the child is living with no eligible adult).
