The Wisconsin Caretaker Supplement is a monthly cash payment for parents who receive SSI in Wisconsin and are raising their own minor children. It pays $275 a month for the first eligible child and $165 for each additional child, and the money is added to your regular SSI payment rather than sent separately.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement
Who Qualifies
You have to be an SSI recipient living in Wisconsin, and you have to be caring for your own biological or adopted child in your home. Stepchildren and foster children do not count, because the handbook ties eligibility to children “by birth or adoption.”2Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Handbook Release 24-02 You must live with the child and provide the majority of their physical care and financial support.
The rule that catches the most families is the two-parent requirement. If two parents live in the household, both have to be receiving SSI for the family to qualify.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement One parent on SSI and one working parent means no CTS, even when the working parent earns very little.
A few other bars shut the door regardless of SSI status. You cannot receive CTS for any month you are in Wisconsin Works (W-2) or receiving W-2 cash. Incarcerated parents do not qualify, with a narrow exception for release under the Huber Law to care for children.3Wisconsin Department of Health Services. SSI Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Handbook Release 21-01 You also have to cooperate with the Child Support agency to establish paternity and pursue support for the children, unless good cause for an exemption is approved.
The child must be under 18, or 18 and still in high school or equivalent vocational training with an expected graduation date before turning 19.2Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Handbook Release 24-02 A child who receives their own SSI cash is not eligible for CTS, though a child whose SSI was terminated and is on appeal without continued cash, or a child on Medicaid through Section 1619(b), can still count.
There is a financial test beyond SSI itself. The assistance group’s combined countable assets cannot exceed $1,000, not counting the SSI recipient’s own assets (which SSI already limits). A divestment above that line disqualifies the family until two years pass or the divested amount is spent down.4Wisconsin Department of Health Services. SSI Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Policy Handbook – 3.2 Financial
How Much the Supplement Pays
The first eligible child brings $275 a month, and each additional eligible child adds $165.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement For a sense of the monthly totals:
- One child: $275
- Two children: $440
- Three children: $605
- Four children: $770
You will not see a separate CTS check or deposit. The supplement is folded into your state SSI payment, so you receive one larger monthly amount on the normal SSI schedule.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement
How to Apply
You can apply online through ACCESS Wisconsin, by phone, by mail, or in person at your local or tribal income maintenance agency.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement Online is the fastest. For paper, use the Caretaker Supplement Application, form F-22571, available from DHS or your local agency.
Have these ready before you start:
- Social Security numbers for every household member, including each child
- Proof you currently receive SSI in Wisconsin
- Birth certificates or hospital records establishing each child’s age and your parental relationship
- Your Wisconsin address
- Information on any income or assets held by the children or by non-SSI household members
Mismatched names, dates, or Social Security numbers slow the file down because the agency has to verify the discrepancy before deciding. The agency generally has 30 days to process the application and issue a written decision, and the date it receives your application is the official filing date for benefit calculations. Don’t sit on a completed form.
How CTS Affects Your Other Benefits
CTS does not change your Medicaid or BadgerCare eligibility. It does count as income for FoodShare, so your FoodShare amount may drop. The CTS payment is larger than the FoodShare reduction, so your household still comes out ahead in cash terms.1Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Information About Caretaker Supplement
Because CTS is paid as part of your SSI, it carries the same tax treatment. SSI is not taxable federally, and Wisconsin does not tax it either. If your overall finances are complicated, a tax preparer who knows disability benefits is worth the call.
Overpayments and Appeals
If the state decides it paid you too much, recovery runs through SSI since that is how CTS is delivered. You will get a notice listing the overpaid amount by month, the recoupment schedule, and your appeal rights.5Wisconsin Department of Health Services. SSI Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Policy Handbook – 4.3 Recoupment of Incorrect Benefits The standard recoupment is 10% of each future SSI payment until the balance is cleared. You can pay the full amount at once or ask to pay a higher percentage each month to close it out faster. The state can only reach back 12 months from the date it discovered the overpayment, so older errors beyond that window are not collectable from you.
If your application is denied or your benefits are reduced or terminated, you have 45 days from the date on the notice (or the effective date of the adverse action) to request a fair hearing with the Division of Hearings and Appeals.6Wisconsin Department of Health Services. SSI Caretaker Supplement (CTS) Policy Handbook – 4.7 Fair Hearing Calling the local agency to work it out informally does not pause that clock. File the hearing request right away and pursue the informal fix alongside it. There is no extension for missed deadlines.