Do I Qualify for Cash Assistance in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts runs two cash assistance programs through the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), and which one fits depends on your household. Families with children or a pregnancy can apply for Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC). Older adults, people with disabilities, and certain caregivers can apply for Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC). To qualify for either, your gross monthly income must fall below the program’s Standard of Need for your household size, and you have to meet residency and other non-financial rules. You can only receive one of the two at a time.

Which Program You Fit

Start with the category question, because income doesn’t matter if you don’t fit either program.

TAFDC is for households with dependent children. You may qualify if you have a child age 18 or younger, you’re pregnant at any stage, or you’re a caretaker relative caring for a child you’re related to but didn’t give birth to or adopt.¹

EAEDC covers people who don’t qualify for TAFDC. You may be eligible if you are 65 or older and not receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), unable to work because of a disability expected to last at least 60 days, living with and caring for a child who is not closely related to you, or living with and caring for a disabled person who would otherwise need institutional care.² People receiving care in a licensed rest home also qualify, under a different set of financial rules.

Income Limits

Both programs measure your gross monthly income against a Standard of Need tied to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For 2026, that comes out to roughly $2,660 per month for a single person, $3,607 for a household of two, $4,553 for three, and $5,500 for four.³ Above those thresholds, you won’t qualify regardless of your other circumstances.

Countable income includes wages, unemployment benefits, and Social Security payments. SSI is excluded.¹

If you’re working, DTA does not count every dollar. For TAFDC applicants who just started a job (or who begin TAFDC while already employed), 100 percent of earned income is disregarded for up to six consecutive months, as long as total household income stays below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.⁴ After that, a $200 monthly deduction for work expenses applies, and recent recipients also get to subtract half of their remaining earnings.⁵

Assets

Massachusetts eliminated asset limits for both TAFDC and EAEDC in 2021. For most applicants, DTA will not ask about savings, bank accounts, cars, or property.⁶ The one exception is EAEDC recipients living in a licensed rest home, who face a $2,000 asset limit.⁷

Work Requirements on TAFDC

Non-exempt parents and caretakers on TAFDC generally have to participate in work-related activities each week. Required hours depend on the age of your youngest child:

20 hours per week if your youngest child is between age 2 and school age (usually 6)
30 hours per week if your youngest child is school age or older

Work-related activities are broader than paid employment. Job search, community service, education programs, and vocational training all count.⁸

You’re exempt from these rules if you are disabled with medical documentation, caring for a disabled child, spouse, or co-parent living with you, caring for a child under age 2, in your third trimester of pregnancy (week 27 or later), a teen parent under 20 in full-time high school or an equivalent program, a non-parent caretaker not receiving benefits for yourself, or age 60 or older.⁹

The 24-Month Time Limit

TAFDC limits non-exempt adults to 24 months of benefits within any rolling 60-month period. Each full calendar month of benefits adds one month to your clock, and if you leave the program and come back, the clock picks up where it stopped rather than resetting.⁹

Months when you are exempt do not count toward the 24-month total. Neither do months when you receive less than $10 in benefits. After the 60-month period expires, a new period begins and you can apply for another 24 months.¹⁰ Children in the household keep receiving benefits regardless of the adult’s time limit.

Residency, Citizenship, and Child Support

You have to be a Massachusetts resident and either a U.S. citizen or a qualified noncitizen. Noncitizen eligibility depends on immigration status and, in some cases, length of time in the country. DTA evaluates these cases individually during the application.

TAFDC parents and caretakers must also cooperate with the Department of Revenue in identifying noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, and enforcing child support orders.¹¹ Refusing can trigger a sanction that reduces benefits. You can request a good cause waiver if cooperation would put you or your child at risk, including situations involving domestic violence.¹

How Much You Can Receive

Your monthly grant is the difference between the Payment Standard for your household size and your net countable income after all deductions. Households paying for private, unsubsidized housing get a higher amount with a rent allowance.

Current TAFDC payment standards:

1 person: $564 without rent allowance, $604 with
2 people: $713 without, $753 with
3 people: $861 without, $901 with
4 people: $1,003 without, $1,043 with

A family of three with no income paying private rent would receive $901 per month. A family with $400 in net countable income would receive $501.³

For EAEDC, a single person living alone with shelter costs can receive up to $441 per month.² Rest home residents get a different calculation based on the facility’s monthly rate plus a personal needs allowance. These amounts reflect the 10 percent increase that took effect in April 2025.¹²

How to Apply

You can apply three ways: online through the DTA Connect portal, by phone at 877-382-2363, or in person at any local DTA office.¹³ After you submit, DTA schedules an interview, usually by phone, to go through your household circumstances. You’ll provide documents verifying your identity, where you live, and your income.

DTA must approve or deny your TAFDC application within 30 days.¹ Approved benefits load onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. EAEDC pays out in two installments per month rather than one.²

If You Are Denied

You can appeal a denial or reduction by requesting a fair hearing. Use the form included with your denial notice, send a written letter, or call the Division of Hearings and leave a detailed message. The appeal has to include your name, mailing address, a description of what you’re appealing, and your DTA Agency ID number.¹⁴

If you were already receiving benefits and they’re being cut or terminated, appealing promptly may keep your benefits at the previous level while the hearing is pending. If you lose, you have to repay what you received during that period.¹⁵ Denials based on missing paperwork or miscalculated income are common and often reversible on appeal.

1
Mass.gov. Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
2
Mass.gov. Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children (EAEDC)
3
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Need and Payment Standards
4
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 704.281 – TAFDC Earned Income Disregards for Grant
5
Mass.gov. How to Calculate TAFDC Benefit
6
Department of Transitional Assistance. TAFDC and EAEDC Implementation of the Asset Limit Repeal
7
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. EAEDC
8
Mass.gov. TAFDC Work Rules
9
Mass.gov. TAFDC Benefits Time Limit
10
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 703.120 – TAFDC Time-limited Benefits
11
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 703.500 – TAFDC Cooperation with Child Support Requirements
12
Department of Transitional Assistance. Online Guide Transmittal 2025-10
13
Mass.gov. Department of Transitional Assistance
14
Mass.gov. File an Appeal with DTA
15
Mass.gov. FAQ on DTA Appeal Process