Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

We are offering an online payment process as a convenience to our customers who wish to pay for their SNAP or TANF overpayment claim. snapBy using the link below, you will be directed to another web page which will allow you to pay your repayment claim by either electronic check or by credit card (VISA, Mastercard, or America Express). You may pay the full claim amount of a portion of the claim amount.

The provider of these services does charge a transaction fee to their services.

  • Electronic Check--$1.19
  • Credit card service $1.19 ­+ 3% of the payment claim amount.

If you choose to use this service; the total transaction amount will be displayed once you enter the repayment amount and choose the appropriate payment method. Once a payment has been entered and submitted, processing may take up to two weeks for your payment to post to your account.

If you have any questions regarding the use of this payment system, you may contact the Business and Financial Services Collection Tech at 444-0020.

This service is for SNAP or TANF overpayment claims only-please do not submit any other DPHHS payments here.

Pay For Snap/TANF Over Issuance Online Now

(Basic Eligibility for TANF Cash Assistance)

TANF cash assistance is a program providing temporary financial assistance to needy families. The receipt of TANF cash assistance is limited to 60 months in an adult's lifetime. Temporary financial assistance may be provided to the following families and individuals:

  1. Minor Children;
  2. Specified relatives with whom the children are living;
  3. The minor children's blood-related/adoptive siblings with whom the children are living;
  4. Pregnant women in their last trimester who have no other eligible children; and
  5. Refugees with minor dependent children.

Temporary financial assistance will not be provided to the following:

  1. Minor children who are absent from the home for a period of 90 consecutive days;
  2. Families whose specified caretaker relatives do not assign certain child support rights to the State;
  3. Families whose specified caretaker relative does not cooperate in establishing paternity or obtaining child support as required;
  4. Families containing an adult who has received 60 months of TANF cash assistance, unless an extension is granted by the State.
  5. Persons receiving SSI;
  6. Teenage parents not living in adult-supervised settings as defined by the State;
  7. Fugitive felons and probation and parole violators;
  8. Individuals convicted after August 22, 1996 (under Federal or State law), of any offense which is classified as a felony and which has an element the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance, unless the individual is complying with the conditions of supervision or if the sentence associated with the felony conviction has been discharged and the individual is actively participating in treatment, if required.
  9. Individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain assistance in two or more states;
  10. Caretaker relatives who fail to notify the State of a child's absence from the home for a period of 90 or more days:
  11. Minor children receiving Foster Care Payments unless the absence is considered temporary (not to exceed 90 days); and
  12. Ineligible or illegal aliens.

Eligibility for TANF cash assistance is determined by evaluating specific nonfinancial and financial criteria established by federal and state regulations. Families and individuals must meet the following nonfinancial criteria:

  1. Age limitations (dependent children only);
  2. Minor living with a specified caretaker relative as a dependent child;
  3. Furnishing a social security number;
  4. Residency (intending to reside in the state) requirements;
  5. Citizenship/alien status requirements;
  6. Cooperating with Child Support Enforcement (CSED), Third Party Liability (TPL) and Health Insurance Premium Payment System (HIPPS);
  7. Cooperating with program integrity reviews; and
  8. Negotiating, signing and complying with all requirements of the Family Investment Agreement/WoRC Employability Plan (FIA/EP).

Families and individuals must also meet the following financial criteria:

  1. Countable resources must be less than $3,000;
    *Resources are real and personal property owned by the family or individual as of the date of application. Some resources can be excluded from consideration such as the home of usual residence and basic maintenance items essential for day-to-day living;
  2. Countable income (earned or unearned), which is determined by allowing the appropriate income disregards, cannot exceed the income standards for the family size requesting assistance; and
  3. The right to any child support payments must be assigned to the State.

Following is a table showing different family sizes and the income amounts used to test for initial and on-going eligibility for the appropriate family size:

Family Size  GMI  Benefit Standard Payment Standard
1 642 272 347
2 867 368 467
3 1092 463 588
4 1317 559 709
5 1542 654 830
6 1767 750 950
7 1992 845 1071
8 2217 941 1193
9 2442 1036 1314
10 2667 1132 1435
11 2892 1227 1557
12 3117 1323 1678
13 3342 1418 1799
14 3567 1514 1921
15 3793 1609 2042
16 4018 1705 2163
17 4243 1801 2285
18 4468 1897 2406
19 4693 1993 2527
20 4918 2089 2649

GMI= Gross Monthly Income Standards effective 07/01/2016
Benefit Standard effective 07/01/2016
Payment Standard effective 07/01/2016

To Apply For TANF

  1. Apply online at   apply.mt.gov.
  2. Call the Public Assistance Helpline-1(888)706-1535
  3. Visit your local   Office of Public Assistance.
  4. Email for a PDF application

TANF Pathways Contractors

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