Do I Qualify for Cash Assistance in Massachusetts?

To qualify for cash assistance in Massachusetts, you need to fit one of two program categories, have gross monthly income below the limit for your household size, and meet state residency and citizenship rules. The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) runs two programs: Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) for families with kids or a pregnant parent, and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) for people 65 and over, people with disabilities, and certain caregivers. You can receive benefits from only one at a time.

Which Program Covers You

Start here, because the category question decides everything else.

TAFDC

TAFDC is for households with dependent children. You may qualify if you have a child age 18 or younger, you are pregnant at any stage, or you are a caretaker relative looking after a child you are related to but did not give birth to or adopt.¹ A child who turns 18 can remain on the case through the end of the month they graduate if they are a full-time student below the college level and will finish before turning 19.²

EAEDC

EAEDC covers people who don’t fit TAFDC. You may be eligible if you are 65 or older and not receiving Supplemental Security Income, 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.³ People receiving care in a licensed rest home also qualify, under a different financial rule noted below.

Income Limits

Both programs apply what DTA calls the Standard of Need. Your gross monthly income has to fall below the standard for your household size. Countable income includes wages, unemployment, and Social Security. SSI is excluded.¹

The limits track 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For 2026, that is roughly $2,660 per month for one person, $3,607 for two, $4,553 for three, and $5,500 for four.⁴ If your gross income is above the figure for your household size, you won’t qualify.

If You Are Working

DTA doesn’t count every dollar you earn when deciding TAFDC eligibility. There is a flat $200 deduction from monthly gross earnings for work-related expenses.⁵ If you received TAFDC within the last four months, you also get to subtract half of your remaining earnings after that $200.¹

New workers get a larger break. For up to six consecutive months after you start a new job, or start TAFDC while already employed, 100 percent of your earned income is disregarded, as long as total household income stays below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.⁶ Unused months carry over if you leave a job before the six are up.

Assets Usually Don’t Matter

Massachusetts eliminated asset limits for both TAFDC and EAEDC in 2021. For most applicants, DTA will not ask about your savings, bank accounts, car, or home.⁷ The one exception: EAEDC recipients living in a licensed rest home still face a $2,000 asset limit.⁸

Residency and Citizenship

You have to be a Massachusetts resident. You also need to be a U.S. citizen or a qualified noncitizen. Noncitizen eligibility depends on immigration status and sometimes how long you have been in the country, and DTA reviews those cases individually.

What’s Expected of You on TAFDC

Work Participation

Most TAFDC parents and caretakers have to take part in work-related activities each week. The required hours depend on the age of your youngest child: 20 hours if the youngest is between 2 and school age (usually 6), and 30 hours if the youngest is school age or older. Work-related activity is broader than a paid job and includes job search, community service, education, and vocational training.⁹

You are exempt if you have a documented disability, are caring for a disabled child, spouse, or co-parent who lives with you, are caring for a child under 2, are in your third trimester of pregnancy (week 27 or later), are a teen parent under 20 in a full-time high school or equivalent program, are a non-parent caretaker not receiving benefits for yourself, or are 60 or older.¹⁰

Child Support Cooperation

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

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 you receive benefits adds a month to the clock, and if you leave and come back, the clock picks up where it stopped rather than resetting. Months during which you are exempt do not count, and neither do months where you receive less than $10 in benefits. After the 60-month period ends, a new period begins and you can apply for another 24 months.¹⁰¹² Children keep receiving benefits regardless of the adult’s time limit.

How Much You’d Get

Your monthly grant is the difference between the Payment Standard for your household size and your net countable income after disregards. Families paying their own unsubsidized housing receive the higher “with rent allowance” figure.

Current TAFDC payment standards for common household sizes:

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. A family of three with $400 in net countable income would receive $501.⁴

EAEDC pays a single person living alone with shelter costs up to $441 per month.³ Rest home residents are calculated separately based on the facility’s monthly rate plus a personal needs allowance. These figures reflect a 10 percent increase that took effect in April 2025.¹³

Applying and Appealing

You can apply online through the DTA Connect portal, by phone at 877-382-2363, or in person at a local DTA office.¹⁴ DTA schedules an interview, usually by phone, and asks for documents verifying your identity, address, and income. TAFDC applications must be approved or denied within 30 days. Approved benefits load onto an EBT card; EAEDC pays twice a month.³

If DTA denies your application or cuts your benefits, you can request a fair hearing using the form that came with your notice, in a written letter, or by calling the Division of Hearings. Your request needs your name, mailing address, DTA Agency ID number, and a description of what you are appealing.¹⁵ If you already receive benefits and they are being cut, appealing quickly can keep them at the previous level while the hearing is pending, though you will owe that money back if you lose.¹⁶ Denials based on missing paperwork or miscalculated income are common and often reversible.

1
Mass.gov. Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
2
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 703.230 – TAFDC Dependent Child 18 Years of Age
3
Mass.gov. Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children (EAEDC)
4
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Need and Payment Standards
5
Mass.gov. How to Calculate TAFDC Benefit
6
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 704.281 – TAFDC Earned Income Disregards for Grant
7
Department of Transitional Assistance. TAFDC and EAEDC Implementation of the Asset Limit Repeal
8
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. EAEDC
9
Mass.gov. TAFDC Work Rules
10
Mass.gov. TAFDC Benefits Time Limit
11
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 703.500 – TAFDC Cooperation with Child Support Requirements
12
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 106 CMR 703.120 – TAFDC Time-limited Benefits
13
Department of Transitional Assistance. Online Guide Transmittal 2025-10
14
Mass.gov. Department of Transitional Assistance
15
Mass.gov. File an Appeal with DTA
16
Mass.gov. FAQ on DTA Appeal Process