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TANF maximum benefit ranges from $204 to $1,366 by state

Published on November 6, 2026

The maximum monthly cash benefit under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for a family of three ranges from $204 in Arkansas to $1,366 in New Hampshire, a comparison of all 50 states and the District of Columbia shows. The median is $583 a month, and 19 states pay less than 20% of the federal poverty guideline, or $455 a month.1

Most states apply the federal limit of 60 months of assistance, and a minority set a shorter limit, from 12 months in Arizona and Arkansas to 48 months in Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin.2

Resource limits, the most a household may own in countable assets at application, also differ by state, and several states apply no limit to most households.

Sources & notes

Data and figures on this page come from the sources and notes below:

Footnotes

  1. Maximum monthly benefit for a household of three from each state’s published TANF payment schedule. The poverty guideline is the 2026 guideline of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ↩

  2. 42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7) , limit on federally funded assistance, with state discretion to set a shorter period. ↩

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