DTA Daycare Voucher: Eligibility, Referral, and Costs

A DTA daycare voucher is a child care subsidy issued through the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance so a parent on TAFDC (or recently off it) can work, train, or go to school. If you currently receive TAFDC and are meeting your Employment Development Plan requirements, your DTA case manager sends a referral to your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency, and the CCR&R sets you up with a provider. The voucher itself costs you nothing while your TAFDC case is active, and it can continue for up to 24 months after your case closes if you are working or in school.¹

Who Qualifies

The clearest path is being an active TAFDC recipient with an approved Employment Development Plan or Extension Agreement who is meeting participation requirements. That covers parents satisfying the TAFDC Work Program, parents in an Employment Services Program (ESP) component, and parents who volunteered for ESP activities such as self-initiated education.²

Several less obvious situations also qualify:

Teen parents receiving SSI or foster care maintenance payments who also receive TAFDC for their own children.
A noncitizen parent who is ineligible for TAFDC but is required to participate in the ESP Community Service component.
A parent who is personally ineligible for TAFDC but has a dependent child receiving TAFDC, if the parent is working or in an ESP activity.²

Former TAFDC Recipients

If your TAFDC case closed recently and you are working or in an education or training program, transitional child care can continue for 24 months after the closure date.¹ An existing voucher does not end the day your TAFDC benefits stop. It stays valid until its expiration date.

SNAP Path to Work Participants

Parents in SNAP Path to Work can also get a child care referral, but it comes from a SNAP Employment and Training specialist rather than a regular DTA case manager. The SNAP E&T specialist verifies your enrollment in an approved activity, issues the referral, and gives you the contact information for your local CCR&R.³

Families Experiencing Homelessness

If you meet the state’s definition of homelessness, you qualify for full-time child care regardless of your work hours, asset limits are waived, and parent co-payments are waived entirely.⁴ Federal rules also require the state to prioritize enrollment for children experiencing homelessness and permit immediate enrollment while documentation is gathered.

What to Gather Before You Ask

Missing paperwork is the single most common reason a referral stalls. Get these together before you ask your case manager to submit the referral:

Service need verification: a work schedule from your employer, a school enrollment letter, or documentation of your ESP activity showing weekly hours.
Income verification: pay stubs, or a signed letter on employer letterhead listing hours worked, pay frequency, and gross pay.⁵
Proof of your own identity. The child care referral itself documents your relationship to the children listed on it, so you generally do not need to bring separate birth certificates or guardianship papers for each child.⁶

You can upload documents through the DTA Connect website or mobile app rather than delivering copies in person.⁵

How the Referral and Voucher Actually Happen

Your DTA case manager (or SNAP E&T specialist for Path to Work) reviews your documentation, confirms you meet the requirements, and generates an electronic child care referral. The referral goes to the CCR&R agency for your area.

Call the CCR&R as soon as your case manager tells you the referral has gone out. Referrals can expire in the system if no one acts on them, and this is where families most often lose the voucher before it starts. The CCR&R schedules a meeting with a child care counselor who explains available providers, the terms of the voucher, and your rights under the program.

Once you pick a provider, you and the provider both sign the voucher agreement, which sets the start date, the rate the state pays, and any parent fee. DTA authorizes child care for 12 months at a time, and that authorization holds for the full 12 months even if your activity changes or your TAFDC case closes during that period.⁷

Picking a Provider

Your CCR&R counselor gives you a list of providers who accept vouchers and have openings for your child’s age group. You can choose a licensed center or a family-based provider; both accept vouchers. The choice comes down to location, schedule, and what you want for your child.

Check that any provider you consider is licensed by the state and look at their inspection history. Massachusetts previously rated programs through a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), but that system is currently paused while the state develops a new framework, and quality funding has been folded into base reimbursement rates.⁸ You can still ask providers about outside accreditation, such as from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

What You Pay

Active TAFDC recipients pay nothing. The regulations explicitly exempt TAFDC families from parent fees.⁶

Transitional and income-eligible families pay a weekly parent fee on a sliding scale tied to household income, family size, and program type. When more than one child is enrolled, the fee is layered:

Full weekly fee for the oldest child in subsidized care.
Half the weekly fee for the second oldest child.
One-quarter of the weekly fee for each additional child.⁹

Fees are due no later than the first business day of each week of care and are collected by your provider. Persistent nonpayment can put your placement at risk. Families experiencing homelessness have fees waived, and some families in the Department of Children and Families supportive child care program can have fees waived case by case.⁴

One boundary on income: at the transitional or income-eligible stage, initial enrollment generally requires gross monthly income at or below 50 percent of State Median Income, with continued eligibility up to 85 percent. Families with a child who has a disability or special need enroll at up to 85 percent and can remain eligible up to 100 percent. Foster parents, temporary guardians, and caretakers are exempt from income caps but must earn at least minimum wage for their working hours.

Keeping the Voucher Active

Two things keep a voucher from lapsing: reporting changes on time, and completing your annual reauthorization.

Reporting Changes

Report changes in income or your approved activity to your case manager within 10 days. If your TAFDC case has already closed and you are on transitional child care, report income changes to your CCR&R counselor within the same 10 days.¹⁰ Failing to report can lead to termination or a requirement to pay back overpaid subsidies. Household changes such as family size or address can generally wait until your next reauthorization without penalty.⁹

Annual Reauthorization

Every 12 months you reauthorize by submitting updated income documentation and proof of your continuing service need. The administrator must send at least two notices that your eligibility period is ending, with a written notice at least 60 days before the expiration date.⁹ Missing the deadline ends the voucher automatically.

If you lose your approved activity in the last 30 days before reauthorization, you may receive a 12-week provisional authorization to find and document a new activity. Treat it as a short window, not a guaranteed extension.

If You Are Denied or Terminated

If DTA denies your referral or terminates an existing authorization, you can request a fair hearing through DTA’s hearing process.¹¹ File promptly. The written notice you receive should include filing instructions, and your case manager or CCR&R can walk you through the details.

Taxes and the Voucher

Only what you actually pay out of pocket can count toward the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. The portion covered by the state voucher is not a qualifying expense. If total care cost $3,000 and the state paid $2,000, only the $1,000 you paid counts.¹² Active TAFDC families, who pay no co-payment, have no qualifying expense to claim.

1
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. DTA TAFDC Child Care Fact Sheet
2
Cornell Law Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 707.210 – Employment Services Program Support Services
3
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. Child Care for SNAP Path to Work Participants
4
Cornell Law Institute. Massachusetts Code 606 CMR 10.04 – Income Eligible Child Care Financial Assistance
5
Mass.gov. Help Using DTA Connect
6
Cornell Law Institute. Massachusetts Code 606 CMR 10.05 – Department of Transitional Assistance Related Child Care Program
7
Mass Legal Services. 93. Who Is Eligible for Child Care Through DTA?
8
Mass.gov. Promoting High-Quality Early Education and Care
9
Department of Early Education and Care. Massachusetts Code 606 CMR 10.00 – Child Care Financial Assistance
10
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. Field Operations Memo 2005-1A – Child Care Referral Notice
11
Cornell Law Institute. Massachusetts Code 606 CMR 10.10 – Denial and/or Termination of Services
12
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 503 – Child and Dependent Care Expenses