TANF in Wisconsin: W-2 Eligibility, Time Limits, and How to Apply

To get Wisconsin Works (W-2), the state’s TANF cash assistance program, you generally need to be a parent or a pregnant woman, have household income at or below 115 percent of the federal poverty level, and have countable assets under $2,500. You apply online at access.wisconsin.gov, in person at your local W-2 agency, or on a paper form in English or Spanish. W-2 is run by the Department of Children and Families and delivered through a network of private and nonprofit agencies around the state.¹

Who W-2 Is For

W-2 is a parent program first. It covers custodial parents age 18 and older, custodial parents under 18, and pregnant women 18 and older. It also covers unmarried pregnant women in the third trimester of an at-risk pregnancy who are unable to work. Noncustodial parents can qualify too, but only if they owe child support and the custodial parent participates in W-2 or in Wisconsin Shares child care.²

If none of those categories fit you, W-2 isn’t the right program. Adults without children in the home generally cannot get W-2 cash assistance.

Income and Asset Limits

Your household’s gross income must be at or below 115 percent of the federal poverty level. Total countable assets cannot exceed $2,500. The asset count excludes one homestead (subject to valuation caps) and vehicles worth up to $10,000. If your assets stay above $2,500 for two consecutive months, your group becomes ineligible.²

The $2,500 asset cap is specific to W-2. If you’re applying for Wisconsin Shares child care alongside W-2, note that Wisconsin Shares uses a much higher $25,000 asset limit.³

Other Requirements

Beyond income and family status, applicants must be U.S. citizens or qualifying noncitizens and Wisconsin residents. You must provide Social Security numbers, cooperate with child support and paternity establishment, and report changes within 10 days. You cannot be a fugitive felon or in violation of probation or parole conditions. Wisconsin also requires a 60-day state residency period for cash assistance, though child care and health care assistance are available to those who haven’t yet met it.⁴

Under 2017 Wisconsin Act 59, applicants for paid placements are screened and tested for controlled substances. Anyone who tests positive without a valid prescription must participate in treatment to remain eligible.²

What You’re Signing Up For

W-2 is a work program, not an open-ended monthly check. When you’re approved, a Financial and Employment Planner at your local W-2 agency works with you to build an Employability Plan, and you’re assigned to a placement tier based on your current abilities. The expectation is that you move up the ladder toward unsubsidized employment.

The paid placement tiers are:

Unsubsidized Employment, for participants already working who need case management for job retention or advancement rather than cash benefits.
Trial Employment Match Program (TEMP), a subsidized job for people who have basic skills but need real work experience. The W-2 agency subsidizes all or part of your hourly wage, which must be at least minimum wage. TEMP is open to custodial and noncustodial parents.
Community Service Job (CSJ), for people who need to build basic work skills and habits. You may be assigned up to 40 hours a week, with up to 10 hours in education and training and the rest in work experience, job search, vocational rehabilitation, and related appointments.
W-2 Transition (W-2 T), for people who cannot perform independent work because of a disability, domestic abuse, or serious family obstacles. Activities are set by a formal assessment and can include community rehabilitation, vocational assessment, job coaching, and volunteer work tailored to your limitations.²

Two placements carry no work requirement. Custodial Parent of an Infant (CMC) covers caretakers with a child under 12 weeks old, who receive a monthly grant. At-Risk Pregnancy (ARP) covers unmarried pregnant women in their third trimester with high-risk pregnancies. Participants in either category may volunteer for preparatory activities but are not required to.⁴

Time Limits You Should Know About Before Applying

Wisconsin applies two separate clocks. The state imposes a 48-month lifetime limit on paid W-2 placements for any adult. This clock is cumulative: it counts months in CSJ, TEMP, and W-2 T even if your payment was reduced to zero, and it counts months of TANF cash assistance received in any other state or from Tribal TANF.⁵ Within each tier, you can spend up to 24 months in TEMP, CSJ, or W-2 T per placement type.²

A separate 60-month federal lifetime limit applies to months funded in whole or in part with federal TANF dollars. The two clocks are counted differently, and a month that counts toward one does not necessarily count toward the other. Months qualify for the federal count when you receive at least one dollar in a CSJ or W-2 T placement, or when certain other conditions apply, such as receiving transportation assistance in a case-management-only placement.⁶

Some exemptions exist. Adults living on a federally recognized reservation, Alaskan Native village, or Indian country are exempt from the state 48-month limit during any month in which at least 1,000 individuals reside there and at least 50 percent of adults are unemployed; the same reservation exemption applies to the federal limit.⁵ Qualified noncitizens are exempt from the federal clock because their benefits are paid with state rather than federal funds. The Department of Children and Families has also established hardship criteria that allow extensions beyond the 48-month state limit in certain circumstances.³

How to Apply

There are three main ways to apply:

Online at access.wisconsin.gov. The MyACCESS mobile app lets you upload documents and track your application status.⁷
In person at your local W-2 agency.
By paper application, available in English and Spanish.¹

To find the right local agency, use the agency locator on the Department of Children and Families website or call the W-2 eligibility line at 1-855-733-1311. The general customer service number is 855-757-4539.⁸ Some county offices operate by appointment only or provide services virtually, so call ahead before visiting in person.

Which agency you work with depends on where you live. Milwaukee County is divided into four districts: Ross Innovative Employment Solutions (Northern), Maximus Inc. (West Central), America Works of Wisconsin (East Central), and UMOS (Southern).⁹ Outside Milwaukee, Forward Service Corporation covers a wide swath of central, eastern, and southern Wisconsin; Workforce Resource, Inc. serves northwestern counties; Workforce Connections Inc. handles the western region; and Equus Workforce Solutions operates in Kenosha, Racine, and Ozaukee counties.⁸

Be ready to document income, assets, identity and Social Security numbers for everyone in the household, Wisconsin residency, citizenship or noncitizen status, and anything that affects child support cooperation. If you’re applying for a paid placement, expect the controlled-substance screening and possible drug test described above.

If You Miss Required Activities

Once you’re placed in a Community Service Job or W-2 Transition, your monthly grant is reduced by $4.25 for every hour of assigned activity you miss. Noncompliance is defined broadly: any verbal or written refusal, or any failure to appear for a job interview, work, or training without good cause. Three refusals to participate in a designated employment position end your eligibility for that level of subsidized employment.⁴

Harsher sanctions apply in fraud cases, including Intentional Program Violations and criminal referrals. If you believe a sanction was applied improperly, you can request a Fact Finding review through your W-2 agency.¹⁰

Related Help You Can Apply For

If you’re turning to W-2 because of an immediate crisis, Wisconsin’s Emergency Assistance program provides one-time cash payments and referrals to families facing impending homelessness, domestic violence, natural disasters, or energy emergencies. Eligibility mirrors W-2’s financial test: income at or below 115 percent of the federal poverty level and assets under $2,500. Benefit amounts vary by crisis and household size (for example, $1,200 for a general crisis involving two to five people, or $750 for an energy crisis). Assistance is limited to once every 12 months.¹¹

Wisconsin Shares helps low-income parents pay for child care while they work or participate in W-2 activities. As of state fiscal year 2025, the eligibility threshold is 200 percent of the federal poverty level, with a copay structure designed to rise gradually as income grows.³

If you live in Milwaukee County, are unemployed, aren’t enrolled in W-2, and don’t qualify for unemployment insurance, Transform Milwaukee Jobs offers subsidized employment, job training, and support services. It’s aimed at noncustodial parents, young adults without children, former foster youth, and parents with criminal convictions. UMOS operates the program for general applicants and Equus Workforce Solutions runs it for former foster care participants.¹²

Two other TANF-funded benefits don’t carry work requirements: the Caretaker Supplement, which provides cash to children of parents who receive Supplemental Security Income, and Kinship Care, which pays $215 per child per month for children living with relative caretakers.¹³

1
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. W-2 Program Information for Parents
2
Wisconsin WIOA Combined State Plan. Wisconsin W-2 Program Plan
3
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. 2026 TANF Section WIOA Combined Plan Modifications
4
Institute for Research on Poverty. Wisconsin Works (W-2) Program Overview
5
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. W-2 Manual – State 48-Month Lifetime Limit
6
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. W-2 Manual – Federal 60-Month Lifetime Limit
7
ACCESS Wisconsin. ACCESS Wisconsin Home
8
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. W-2 Agency Locator
9
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Milwaukee County W-2 Agency Locator
10
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. W-2 Manual – Sanctions
11
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Emergency Assistance Program
12
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Transform Milwaukee Jobs
13
Urban Institute. Recent Changes in Wisconsin Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems