TANF — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, sometimes still called "welfare" — works differently from almost every other major federal benefit program: there's no federal income limit at all. Congress funds it through block grants to states, and each state decides its own income cutoff, benefit amount, and rules from there. * Instead of a percentage of the federal poverty level like SNAP or Medicaid use, most states set what's called a "standard of need" — their own internal benchmark for a household's basic costs — and then set the actual income cutoff for cash assistance somewhere between 50% and 100% of that standard. After allowed deductions for things like work expenses and child care costs, whatever income remains has to fall under the state's payment standard to qualify. * That state-by-state flexibility produces enormous swings in the actual benefit: a family of three receiving TANF cash assistance might get roughly $170 a month in one of the lowest-paying states, or over $1,000 a month in one of the most generous ones — a gap of nearly six times for an identically sized family with similar circumstances. * Most states also apply an asset limit on top of the income test, typically somewhere between $1,000 and $3,000 in countable savings or property, though a number of states have eliminated asset testing altogether in recent years to make it easier for families to build any savings cushion without losing eligibility. * Because there's no standard number to point to, the only way to know what you'd actually qualify for is to contact your specific state's TANF or human services agency directly.