Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in 2026

Who This Guide Is For

This guide is for grandparents raising their grandchildren. Around 2.4 million grandparents in the United States are responsible for grandchildren living with them, and a large share of them are doing it without any formal legal arrangement.

It covers what you can claim for the children, what you can claim for yourself, and the one distinction that changes the money more than anything else.

The Distinction That Changes Everything

Before any programme, understand this. It determines how much you receive and it is the thing most grandparents do not know.

Most benefit programmes offer two versions of the same help: a child-only version and a family version.

A child-only grant counts only the child’s income and resources. In almost every state your own income is not counted at all. Because children rarely have income, almost every grandparent qualifies regardless of their own pension, Social Security or savings. Arizona, Nevada and Oregon are the known exceptions and do test caregiver income. No state is known to test caregiver assets.

A family grant counts your income too, and pays more when you qualify, but many grandparents on a modest fixed income are ruled out.

The practical consequence: a retired grandparent living on Social Security who assumes they earn too much for TANF is usually wrong. The child-only grant ignores their income entirely.

Ask specifically for a child-only grant when you apply. Not every caseworker volunteers it.

TANF Child-Only Grants

This is the most important programme in this guide and the most commonly missed.

Every state runs TANF, and every state offers a child-only version for children living with a relative who is not their parent. Your income is irrelevant to it. So are your assets, in most states.

Payment amounts vary enormously between states, which is true of TANF generally. Our TANF guide lists what each state pays.

A child on a TANF child-only grant is also automatically eligible for Medicaid in most states, so approving the grant usually resolves the child’s health coverage at the same time.

Three things worth knowing:

Child-only grants are usually exempt from the federal five-year TANF time limit, because the limit applies to adults receiving assistance, not to children in a relative’s care.

Work requirements generally do not apply, for the same reason. You are not the recipient, the child is.

You do not usually need legal custody. Most states accept that the child lives with you, verified through school or medical records. This surprises people who assume they need to go to court first.

SNAP

Apply early, because SNAP enrolment automatically qualifies you for several other programmes including Lifeline phone service and free school meals.

One rule matters especially here. If you are 60 or older, or receive disability benefits, your household is exempt from the gross income test entirely and is measured on net income after deductions instead. Those deductions include out-of-pocket medical costs above a threshold, which many older adults have and few think to report.

So a grandparent who looks over the limit on paper often is not. Medical expenses, rent above a threshold and childcare costs all come off before the calculation.

Our eligibility guide covers the deductions in detail, and the state income limits guide gives the figure for where you live.

Health Coverage for the Children

Grandchildren almost always qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, and in most cases they qualify on their own income rather than yours when you are not their legal parent.

This means the children can be covered even when your own income is well above the adult threshold. Apply for them separately and specifically. Our Medicaid guide covers the state differences.

For yourself, if you are 65 or older you are on Medicare. The 2026 standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month with a $283 annual deductible. If your income is limited, Medicare Savings Programs can pay that premium for you, and Extra Help can reduce prescription costs. Both are underclaimed by a wide margin.

What You Can Claim for Yourself

Tax credits

If a grandchild lives with you for more than half the year and you provide more than half their support, you can generally claim them as a dependent. That opens the Child Tax Credit, and potentially the Earned Income Tax Credit if you have earned income.

The EITC has an age ceiling for filers without children, but that ceiling does not apply when you are claiming a qualifying child. A working grandparent raising a grandchild can claim it regardless of age.

File a return even if you owe no tax. Both credits are partly or fully refundable, meaning you receive money rather than just reducing a bill.

Housing

Adding grandchildren to your household changes your family size for housing programmes, which changes the income limit that applies to you and may make you eligible when you were not before.

It may also mean your current unit is too small under occupancy rules. If you are in subsidised housing, report the change rather than hiding it. Unreported occupants are grounds for termination, and reporting usually results in a transfer to a larger unit rather than a problem.

Utility help

LIHEAP prioritises households with older adults and young children, and you now have both. Many states give priority placement rather than just eligibility. Apply as early in the season as you can, because funding is fixed and stops when it runs out. See our LIHEAP guide.

Kinship Care Programs

Most states run something called kinship care or relative caregiver assistance, separate from TANF. These vary enormously and are often poorly advertised.

Depending on the state, they can include a monthly payment higher than the TANF child-only grant, one-off payments for beds, clothing and school supplies, legal help with guardianship, respite care, and support groups.

The catch is that in many states the higher payments require formal involvement with the child welfare system. If the children came to you through a family arrangement rather than a placement, you may not qualify for the licensed foster care rate.

Ask your state’s child welfare agency specifically about kinship navigator programmes. Most states have one and they exist precisely to help you find what you are entitled to.

The Legal Question

You do not need legal custody for most benefit programmes. You do need it for some practical things, and the difference matters.

Without a legal arrangement you can usually still receive TANF child-only grants, SNAP, and Medicaid for the children. What becomes difficult is enrolling them in school in some districts, consenting to medical treatment beyond emergencies, and adding them to insurance.

Most states have a shortcut. A caregiver authorisation affidavit, or educational consent form, is a signed document that lets you handle school and medical decisions without going to court. Names differ by state. It is far faster and cheaper than guardianship.

Full legal guardianship gives the most authority and is usually needed if the parents object or are absent long-term. It requires a court process and legal aid organisations often help with it free.

What Gets Missed Most Often

Not asking for the child-only grant by name. The single most expensive mistake in this guide. Ask specifically.

Assuming your income disqualifies you. For child-only benefits, your income is not counted at all.

Not applying because there is no court order. Most programmes do not require one.

Not reporting the children to your housing authority. This feels risky and usually is not. It changes your income limit in your favour and may get you a larger unit. Not reporting risks losing the housing entirely.

Not claiming the children on a tax return. If they live with you more than half the year and you support them, they are generally your dependents.

Overlooking Medicare Savings Programs. If you are on Medicare with limited income, these can pay your $202.90 monthly Part B premium in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need legal custody to get benefits for my grandchild?

Usually not. Most states will provide TANF child-only grants, SNAP and Medicaid based on the child living with you, verified through school or medical records. Legal custody helps with school enrolment and medical consent, but a caregiver authorisation affidavit often covers those without going to court.

Will my Social Security or pension disqualify me?

Not for child-only benefits. TANF child-only grants and, in most cases, the children’s Medicaid count only the child’s income. Your own income is not part of the calculation.

What is the difference between a child-only grant and a family grant?

A child-only grant counts only the child’s income and pays less. A family grant counts yours as well and pays more. Most grandparents on a fixed income qualify for the child-only version and not the family version, which is why asking for it specifically matters.

Can I claim my grandchild on my taxes?

Generally yes, if they lived with you more than half the year and you provided more than half their support. That opens the Child Tax Credit and possibly the Earned Income Tax Credit. File a return even if you owe no tax, because both are refundable in part.

Does taking in my grandchildren affect my subsidised housing?

It changes your household size, which usually works in your favour for income limits and may qualify you for a larger unit. Report it. Unreported occupants are grounds for termination.

Is there help with the legal costs of guardianship?

Often. Legal aid organisations frequently handle kinship guardianship free, and many states’ kinship navigator programmes will connect you with one. Ask your state child welfare agency.

Where to Start

Two calls this week will do more than anything else.

Call your state’s TANF office and ask specifically about a child-only grant for a relative caregiver. Use those words.

Then call your state child welfare agency and ask for the kinship navigator programme. That is the person whose job is finding what else you qualify for.

If you want a quick view of which programmes may fit your household, our free eligibility checker takes about two minutes.