If your family qualifies for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, your TANF cash and your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits usually arrive on a single EBT card, but they sit in two separate accounts with different rules. The cash side is meant for rent, utilities, clothing, and other household needs; the SNAP side is limited to groceries. Being approved for one program does not enroll you in the other, and each has its own income limits, work requirements, spending restrictions, and reporting duties.
Two Pots of Money on One Card
The SNAP account works only at authorized food retailers and covers food for home preparation: produce, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread, cereals, and seeds or plants that grow food for your household. It does not cover alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared foods, vitamins, medicines, cleaning supplies, or paper products.1eCFR. 7 CFR 271.2 – Definitions
The TANF cash account behaves more like a debit card. You can withdraw cash at ATMs, get cash back at the register, and use the funds for ongoing basic needs.2Administration for Children and Families. Frequently Asked Questions – TANF Federal law requires states to provide at least one way to access cash benefits with no fee.3Administration for Children and Families. TANF-ACF-PI-2016-02 – Additional Guidance on Adequate Access Provisions Many states offer a set number of free ATM withdrawals per month or use surcharge-free networks; withdrawing larger amounts less often, or using cash back at the grocery store, keeps per-transaction fees down.
Qualifying for Each Program
Because SNAP and TANF have separate eligibility rules, a family that easily clears the SNAP thresholds may still be denied TANF cash.
Income
SNAP uses two federal income tests. Gross monthly income generally cannot exceed 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and net income (after allowed deductions) cannot exceed 100 percent.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility Allowed deductions include shelter costs, dependent care, and medical costs over $35 per month for elderly or disabled household members. Some income doesn’t count at all: the Earned Income Tax Credit, most educational grants and scholarships used for tuition, earnings of school-age children, and nonrecurring lump-sum payments such as tax refunds or insurance settlements.5eCFR. 7 CFR 273.9 – Income and Deductions
TANF income limits are set by each state, and most run significantly lower than the SNAP thresholds. There is no single federal income ceiling, and states also decide what income counts and what gets deducted.6Regulations.gov. Work Participation Rate Calculation Changes Maximum monthly TANF benefits for a family of three typically range from roughly $260 to $840 depending on where you live.
Assets
For federal SNAP during the October 2025 through September 2026 benefit year, households can hold up to $3,000 in countable resources such as cash and bank accounts. The cap rises to $4,500 if any household member is age 60 or older or has a disability. Your home, most retirement accounts, and resources belonging to anyone already receiving SSI or TANF don’t count.7Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Special Rules for the Elderly or Disabled Most states have adopted broad-based categorical eligibility, which raises or eliminates the SNAP asset test by tying it to their TANF-funded programs; in those states you may qualify even with savings above $3,000.
TANF asset limits are entirely state-set. Some states keep them very low; others have dropped the asset test altogether.
Citizenship, Residency, and Household
Both programs require you to live in the state where you apply. U.S. citizens and certain categories of noncitizens qualify. Most lawfully present immigrants face a five-year waiting period before accessing either program, though refugees, asylees, and certain other groups are exempt. Some states use their own funds to cover immigrants during the waiting period.
Household composition matters because the agency looks at who lives together and shares meals. Adding or removing someone changes both the income thresholds you’re measured against and the size of your allotment.
Work Rules and Time Limits
Both programs demand work participation from most adults, but the rules are structured differently and can cost you benefits in different ways.
TANF
Single parents on TANF must participate in work activities at least 30 hours per week, with at least 20 of those hours in core activities such as employment, job training, community service, or job search. Two-parent families face a combined 35 hours per week, with 30 in core activities.8eCFR. 45 CFR 261.32 – Two-Parent Work Participation If the family receives federally funded child care and neither parent has a disability, the combined minimum jumps to 55 hours per week.
Federal law caps TANF cash assistance at 60 months over a recipient’s lifetime. Once an adult hits that ceiling, no more federal TANF funds can go to their family. States may grant hardship exemptions for up to 20 percent of their caseload, covering situations like domestic violence, a parent’s disability, or good-faith efforts in areas with high unemployment. Some states use their own funds to extend benefits, and others impose shorter time limits.
SNAP
SNAP has a general work registration requirement for most adults ages 16 through 59. The stricter rule targets able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) ages 18 through 54. ABAWDs who don’t work or participate in a qualifying program for at least 80 hours per month can only receive SNAP for three months within a three-year period. To become eligible again, you must meet the 80-hour requirement for a full 30-day period or wait for the three-year window to reset.9Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
You’re excused from the ABAWD time limit if you’re pregnant, have a child under 18 in your SNAP household, have a physical or mental limitation that prevents work, are a veteran, are experiencing homelessness, or were in foster care on your 18th birthday.9Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements Failing to meet either program’s work rules can strip benefits from the noncompliant individual, and if that person is the head of household, the state may disqualify the entire family from SNAP.10eCFR. 7 CFR 273.7 – Work Provisions
Where You Cannot Spend or Withdraw
Federal law prohibits states from allowing TANF cash to be spent or withdrawn at liquor stores, casinos or other gambling establishments, and strip clubs.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 608 – Prohibitions and Requirements The ban covers any EBT transaction at those locations, including ATM withdrawals from machines inside the establishment and online transactions. States must maintain policies to enforce these limits.
SNAP has its own boundary: it doesn’t pay for hot prepared foods ready to eat. One narrow exception is the Restaurant Meals Program. In participating states, certain SNAP recipients can use their benefits at authorized restaurants, but every member of the household must be elderly (60 or older), disabled, or homeless.12Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Restaurant Meals Program Eligible households are coded automatically; if you’re not eligible, the card just declines at those restaurants.
Keeping Your Benefits After Approval
Approval is only half the work. Both programs require you to report changes in your household’s circumstances, and the rules differ.
TANF recipients generally must report all changes to income, household size, or address within 10 days. SNAP households on simplified reporting have fewer obligations during the certification period. You typically must report if your gross income rises above 130 percent of the poverty level for your household size, and you’ll complete a mid-certification report around the six-month mark. At 12 months, full recertification is required, meaning updated paperwork and another interview. If you receive both benefits, you follow whichever program’s reporting rules are stricter, and a change reported for one is applied to the other.
Missing a report or a recertification deadline can suspend or terminate your benefits. If the agency overpays you because of unreported income, you’ll owe the money back. Overpayment debts can be collected through reductions to future benefits, tax refund offsets, or other federal collection methods.
Penalties for Program Violations
SNAP intentional program violations carry escalating disqualification periods:
- First violation: 12 months of ineligibility.
- Second violation: 24 months of ineligibility.
- Third violation: permanent disqualification.
Some violations bring harsher consequences on the first offense. A court finding that you used SNAP benefits in a transaction involving controlled substances brings 24 months for a first offense and permanent disqualification for a second. Using benefits in a transaction involving firearms or explosives, or trafficking benefits worth $500 or more, results in permanent disqualification the first time.13eCFR. 7 CFR Part 273 Subpart F – Disqualification and Claims Claiming benefits under a false identity or applying in multiple states at once carries a 10-year ban. If you suspect a store is engaging in fraud, you can report it to the USDA without risking your own benefits.