You must work for pay or take part in an Employment Services Program (ESP) activity for 20-30 hours a week to be eligible for TAFDC, unless you are exempt from the work requirements.

You are exempt if:

you are disabled with a disability that will last at least 30 days and makes it hard for you to earn a living
you are needed at home to care for a disabled family member
you are in the last four months of pregnancy
you are age 60 or older
you are caring for a child under age two who is not excluded by the family cap
you are caring for a child under 3 months who is excluded by the family cap
you are a teen parent attending school full time or a work/training program at least 20 hours per week,
you are not the parent of the child(ren) in your care and you are not getting benefits for yourself,
you have gotten a domestic violence waiver of the work requirement
(see How do I get a domestic violence waiver?)
in certain other circumstances

In a two-parent family, both parents must be exempt for the household to be considered exempt. Your DTA worker will let you know if you must work or if you are exempt. If you are not exempt, you have 60 days to find an activity that meets the program requirements once you begin receiving TAFDC.

The number of hours of work activity you need depends on the age of your youngest child. Required work hours range from 20 hours if your youngest child is pre-school aged, to 30 hours for children age 9 or older.

What is the Employment Services Program (ESP)?

The Employment Services Program is a program for TAFDC recipients who must meet the work requirements but are not able to find paid work. The goal of this program is to help people get the skills and experience they need to find long-term jobs that will allow them to support themselves.

You must choose an activity or several activities approved by TAFDC for at least 20-30 hours a week. You can do unpaid community service work through the Community Service Program, or take part in education or job training programs.

What is the Community Service Program?

The TAFDC Community Service Program is one way TAFDC recipients can meet their work requirements. In this program, you work without pay at a public or nonprofit organization for at least 20-30 hours per week. You can find your own community service placement or your DTA worker can suggest a place for you to work.

The goal of this program is to give you valuable work experience that will help you find a paying job later. Therefore, you should choose work that will help you develop job skills and establish good references. You might volunteer at a shelter in your community, for example, or at a day care center or food pantry.

What are the TAFDC school attendance requirements?

All children under 14 must meet DTA’s school attendance requirements, called Learnfare, in order to be eligible for TAFDC. You must make sure that your child attends school regularly. If your child has too many unexcused absences from school, you will lose your child’s portion of your grant.

If you are a teen parent (or pregnant teen), you must also meet school attendance requirements. If you do not have a high school or GED diploma, you must go to school or to a GED program full time. If you are in school less than 20 hours a week, you must take part in an approved training or employment activity in order to reach the 20 hours. If you do not meet the school attendance requirements, you will lose benefits for you and your child.

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