Frequently Asked Questions

MFIP is Minnesota’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It helps families pay for food and other basic needs while assisting with job training and finding employment.

MFIP is for families with children who cannot afford to pay for basic needs.

MFIP defines children as people under 18 who live with their parents or guardians. This age limit is 19 for people who are in school full time. A family could include biological kids, step kids, adopted kids, and children of relatives.

For MFIP, you have to have less than $10,000 in assets. However, if your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $18,000 each year and not have it count as assets for MFIP. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

No. Some examples of assets that MFIP doesn’t count are:

• The home your family lives in and any other real property;
• Personal goods like pets, furniture, clothing, jewelry, appliances, and tools;
• The value of one car per family member who is 16 or older (if you have more cars than that, they will be counted as assets); and
• Assets in a tax-free ABLE account. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

MFIP’s income limits can vary depending on:

• How many people are in your family;
• Whether or not people in the family work; and
• Whether or not people in the family are related to one another.

MFIP will take the income limit for your family and subtract the family’s net income. The result is the amount that the family gets each month.

No. Your MFIP benefit will go down but the combination of your earnings and MFIP benefit will always be higher when you work. In other words, you’ll always be better off financially working.

You can choose to get MFIP benefits through:

• An Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which looks and works like a debit card;
• Direct deposit to a bank account; or
• A check from the State of Minnesota.

People on MFIP participate in MFIP’s employment services. You will meet with an employment counselor to come up with an Employment Plan.

An MFIP Employment Plan includes:

• Your employment goals;
• The things you need to do to reach those goals;
• Timelines;
• Information on your job search;
• A statement saying that you are willing to take an appropriate job when it’s offered; and
• Information on the help you'll get from your employment counselor.

Your family can get MFIP benefits for up to 60 months. The months don’t have to be one right after another. This time limit can be extended in some cases.

Apply for MFIP online at MNbenefits or by filing a paper application. After your form is received, you’ll be interviewed.

The county will let you know within 30 days whether or not you've been approved for MFIP.

Yes. Families with members with disabilities have different requirements for income, assets, and Employment Plans. Click here for more details.

If you have a disability and apply for MFIP, you have to apply for SSI as well. You can’t be on both SSI and MFIP at the same time.