Family Cap Policies

Welfare benefits are most often calculated based on family size. Many states passed family cap policies, which deny additional benefits or reduce the cash grant to families who have additional children while on assistance. According to the State Policy Documentation Project (a joint project of the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) and NCSL legislative summaries, 20 states currently have a family cap policy and an additional two states have a flat cash assistance grant regardless of family size. Most of these state policies were passed in or around 1996 - 1997.

Since 1997, some states have revised their policies. Minnesota first implemented their policy in 2003. Illinois repealed their family cap effective January 2004, and Maryland repealed their provision in September 2004.

State	Traditional Cash Increment Denied	Traditional Cash Increment Reduced	Child’s Benefit in Voucher Form	Child’s Benefit to 3^rd Party Payee	Flat grant regardless of family size
Arizona*	X
Arkansas	X
California	X
Connecticut		X
Delaware	X
Florida		X
Georgia	X
Idaho					X
Illinois**	X
Indiana	X
Maryland***				X
Massachusetts	X
Minnesota	X
Mississippi	X
Nebraska	X
New Jersey	X
North Carolina	X
North Dakota	X
Oklahoma			X
South Carolina			X
Tennessee	X
Virginia	X
Wisconsin					X
Wyoming	X

* Arizona includes exemption provisions (2002 SB 1037)

** Illinois repealed their family cap provision effective January 1, 2004 (2003 HB 3023, PA 93-598)

*** Maryland allows counties to opt out of the provision. All counties have opted out, and the state provision expired September 2004.

For more information on welfare reform issues, please contact Rochelle Finzel in the Denver office at 303.364.7700 or cyf-info@ncsl.org or either Sheri Steisel or Lee Posey in the D.C. office at 202.624.5400 or fedhumserv-info@ncsl.org.