How to Apply for Child Care Assistance in Hennepin County

To apply for child care assistance in Hennepin County, submit an application through the MNbenefits online portal at MNbenefits.mn.gov, or use one of the county’s digital access points if you don’t have reliable internet. You’ll need to prove your address, identity, income, and work or school schedule, and the county has 30 calendar days to decide whether you’re approved, denied, or placed on the Basic Sliding Fee waitlist.¹²

Know Which Track You’re Applying Under

Hennepin County’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) runs on two separate funding streams, and the one that applies to you shapes how long you’ll wait.

If your family receives Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Diversionary Work Program (DWP) cash assistance and you’re participating in employment and training services, you apply under MFIP child care. This track generally has no waitlist, and your income must be at or below 67 percent of the State Median Income (SMI) at application.³

Everyone else applies through Basic Sliding Fee (BSF). This is the track most working families use. The income entrance threshold is tighter at 47 percent of SMI, and because BSF funding is capped, Hennepin County keeps a waitlist when the money runs out.⁴⁵

Check That You Qualify Before You Apply

Income is the first gate. For BSF applicants, your household gross income must fall at or below these annual thresholds, which hold through October 12, 2026:¹

2 people: $46,022
3 people: $56,850
4 people: $67,679
5 people: $78,508
6 people: $89,336
7 people: $91,367
8 people: $93,397
9 people: $95,427

Income alone isn’t enough. You also need to be doing something the program counts as an authorized activity: working, actively looking for work, or enrolled in education or training that leads to employment. The county matches approved child care hours to the hours you spend on these activities, so your schedule matters.⁴

Children must be under 13 to qualify. If a child has a documented disability, the age limit extends to under 15. Your household must physically live in Hennepin County. And if you have a non-custodial parent involved with any child in the home, you must cooperate with child support enforcement, or your application can be denied outright.⁶

Gather Your Documents and the Right Form

Hennepin County will ask you to verify your address, identity, income (including any child support you receive), work schedule, and school schedule.⁵ Pulling these together before you start saves weeks of back-and-forth later.

For income, recent pay stubs or a signed employer statement usually work. If you’re self-employed, tax returns and business records serve the same purpose. For residency, bring a current lease, utility bill, or mortgage statement showing your name and Hennepin County address. You’ll also need your child care provider’s name and license number so the county can set up payments directly to them.

Which form you file depends on what else you’re applying for. If you only need child care help, use the DHS-3550, officially the Child Care Assistance Program Application.⁷ If you also want SNAP, cash assistance, or health care coverage, file the Combined Application Form (DHS-5223) along with the Child Care Addendum (DHS-5223D) instead. Report gross monthly income, meaning total earnings before taxes or insurance premiums come out, and include wages, bonuses, and benefits for every adult in the household.

How to Submit Your Application

The fastest route is MNbenefits.mn.gov. If you can’t apply online, Hennepin County operates digital access points around the community where you can use a computer, scan documents, and reach a representative by phone.⁵

Once the county receives your application, a caseworker reviews it and may contact you to clarify your schedule or care needs. Decisions come within 30 calendar days, and the county can extend that to 45 days if it tells you so.² Families experiencing homelessness get priority processing within five business days if they appear eligible. You’ll receive a written notice telling you whether you’ve been approved, denied, or placed on the BSF waitlist.

If You’re Placed on the BSF Waitlist

Because BSF funding is capped, approval alone doesn’t always get you benefits right away. Hennepin County doesn’t publish a standard wait estimate, and when spots open the county works through applicants by priority, not by date applied:⁸

First: parents without a high school diploma or GED who are enrolled in an education program, with parents under 18 served first.
Second: families with a veteran who was honorably discharged after meeting minimum service requirements.
Third: all other eligible families.
Fourth: families eligible for the Portability Pool.
Fifth: families who have completed their Transition Year after leaving MFIP.

While you wait, the county runs a preliminary eligibility check on your family size, income, and activity so you can be activated quickly when funding opens.

What Happens After You’re Approved

Approval comes with ongoing responsibilities, and missing any of them can end your benefits.

You’ll pay a copayment directly to your provider based on your family size and income after allowable deductions, following the schedule the state publishes.⁹ The current schedule (DHS-6413N) took effect October 13, 2025. Fall behind on the copayment and Hennepin County will end your benefits until you pay the balance or arrange something with your provider.⁵

Your provider has to be eligible too. That means a licensed family child care home or center, a certified license-exempt center, or a legal non-licensed (LNL) provider who meets state requirements.¹⁰ Any provider you use must also be registered in Hennepin County specifically, and if you switch, the new provider has to complete that registration before payments start.

Report any change to the county within 10 days: starting or ending a job, income or work hour changes, school schedule changes, marital status or family size, address changes.⁵ Eligibility runs for 12 months, after which you complete a redetermination form (DHS-5274) with updated verification.¹¹ Miss the 10-day reporting window or skip redetermination, and you may lose benefits and have to reapply, which could put you back on the BSF waitlist.

If You’re Denied or Lose Benefits

If the county denies your application, reduces your benefits, or terminates your eligibility, the notice will explain two options: an informal conference with your CCAP agency to try to resolve the issue, or a formal appeal to the Minnesota Department of Human Services Appeals Division for a fair hearing before a Human Services Judge.¹² You can skip the informal conference and go straight to the fair hearing. Appeal rights cover actions against your family, not actions against a provider.

For questions about your application or case, call Hennepin County’s child care assistance line at 612-348-5937. For provider billing or payment questions, call 612-348-3445.⁵

1
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Child Care Assistance Program
2
Minnesota Department of Human Services. 3.7 Processing Applications
3
Minnesota Department of Human Services. 6.3 Income Limits
4
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 142E.10 – Child Care Fund; Eligible Participants
5
Hennepin County. Child Care Assistance
6
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Rules 3400.0040 – County Responsibilities
7
Minnesota Department of Human Services. Common Application Forms
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Minnesota Department of Human Services. 4.3.12.9 BSF Priorities
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Minnesota Department of Human Services. 9.24.3 Child Care Rates, Registration Fees, Copayments
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Minnesota Department of Human Services. 11 Providers
11
Minnesota Department of Human Services. 10 Redetermination of Eligibility
12
Minnesota Department of Human Services. 15.6 Family and Provider Appeal Rights