1525 Income

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
TANF Policy Manual

Policy Title:

Income

Effective Date:

May 2024

Chapter:

1500

Policy Number:

1525

Previous Policy Number(s):

MT 59

Updated or Reviewed in MT:

MT-77

Requirements

Money received from any source by the assistance unit (AU) is income. All countable income must be considered in determining financial eligibility and the benefit amount.

Basic Considerations

Types of Income:

  • Earned – money received in exchange for services rendered. Earned income includes, but is not limited to, wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, tips, vacation pay or income received by working for a person or an entity.

  • Unearned – money received from any source other than employment or self-employment. Unearned income includes, but is not limited to, social security, SSI, pensions, contributions, interests, dividends, income from rental property, capital gains and income that is derived from investments.

Refer to Types of Income, Chart 1530.1 in this section.

Eligibility based on income is determined by resolving the following questions:

  • What is the income limit?

  • Whose income is considered?

  • What is the source of the income?

  • Is the income available to the AU to meet its needs?

  • Is the income included or excluded in the budgeting process?

  • How often is the income received?

Income Limits

Income limits are established by each state and are based on AU size.

The Gross Income Ceiling (GIC) is the maximum amount of countable income an AU can have and remain potentially eligible for the benefits.

The Standard of Need (SON) is the amount of income an AU must have to meet its basic needs, as established by the state.

The Family Maximum is the maximum amount of cash assistance an AU may receive based on the AU size.

The countable income of the AU is first applied to the GIC and then to the SON for the AU size. If the AU’s income is insufficient to meet its needs, the AU may be eligible for cash assistance, which cannot exceed the family maximum for the AU size.

Refer to Chapter 1600, Eligibility Budgeting.

Consideration of Income

Income of the following individuals is considered when determining eligibility:

  • AU members

  • disqualified individuals

  • non-AU members who have financial responsibility for an AU member

  • ineligible parents

  • Penalized individuals.

Refer to Chapter 1600, Budgeting.

Income Source

The source of income must be identified to determine how the income must be treated.

Refer to Types of Income, Chart 1530.1 in this section.

Jointly Received Income

If an AU member receives income jointly with another person or a group of persons, the portion that belongs to the AU member is determined as follows:

  • If there is an agreement between the parties that specifies how they will divide the income, this agreement is used to determine the amount that belongs to the AU member.

  • If there is no agreement, a pro rata share of the income is calculated to determine the amount that belongs to the AU member.

Income Accessibility

Income is considered in determining eligibility or the benefit amount of an AU only if it is currently accessible to the AU for daily use and the AU has the legal ability to use it.

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a condition in which a debtor, either voluntarily or invoked by a creditor, is judged legally insolvent, and the debtor’s remaining property is administered and distributed to his/her creditors by a bankruptcy court.

Income directed to pay creditors is considered managed income. For information on income managed by the bankruptcy court, refer to Managed Income, Chart 1530.1, in this chapter.

Excluded Income

Income from some sources is excluded and is not considered in determining eligibility or the benefit amount. This income is not considered in the budgeting process and does not have to be verified.

Refer to Types of Income, Chart 1530.1, in this chapter.

Frequency of Receipt of Income

The frequency of the AU’s receipt of income affects how the income is treated in the budgeting process and must be determined.

Financial Management

In determining eligibility, the case manager must establish whether the AU has income that is sufficient to meet its current living expenses. The AU’s expenses, particularly expenses that are being paid, must be compared to the AU’s declared income.

Questionable Situations

The agency may request verification of any questionable situation that may influence the AU’s eligibility and/or benefit level.

The AU has the primary responsibility for providing verification for reported income and supporting its statements of declared expenses.

Sources of Verification

All income must be verified. The following sources of verifications can be used to verify earned income in order of priority:

The following sources can be used to verify unearned income:

  • Award letter that is not more than 12 months old.

  • Written statement received from, but not limited to, Social Security Administration, Office of Child Support Services, Department of labor, etc.

  • Copy of the most current check with the stub.

  • Form 139 – Contribution Statement.

  • Written, signed and dated statement of payer.

  • Computer match.

A copy of check without stub is not acceptable verification of income. If the income cannot be verified through an interface or a third-party source, client statement may be accepted as a last resort. The client’s statement of income may be accepted as verification if all other attempts to verify income are unsuccessful, the A/R has cooperated with previous attempts to obtain verification, and the case record documentation verifies that all efforts to obtain a written verification were unsuccessful.

The Work Number: The Income and Employment Verification System

The Work Number is an automated service that provides access to the employment and wage information contained in the database of the Income and Employment Verification System. This service is provided by TALX Corporation. It is a nationally accessible database that is available to verify accurate and current information of individuals who are employed by the companies or individuals participating in the database.

The Work Number enables DHS/DFCS staff to obtain employment information that is needed in order to determine an AU’s eligibility for certain public benefits, including TANF.

At this time the Work Number does not contain information of 100% employed population of the United States of America. Therefore, for those clients who are not found in The Work Number database, the case manager should utilize other existing procedures.

The Work Number provides current and accurate information that includes:

  • Gross income by pay periods

  • Dates of employment.

  • Employer Information

  • Easy access to Interstate database.

Terminated Income

Terminated income from any source must be verified. The verification should include a statement that the income has terminated, the amount of final payment if received within the last 30 days, and the date on which the final payment was received.

Documentation

For each type of income received, the following information must be documented:

  • source, including the payer’s name, address, telephone number

  • name of the individual(s) receiving income

  • date on which new or increased income is first received

  • frequency (monthly, weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) of payment

  • day of week income is received

  • gross amount

  • ending date of employment

  • date on which terminated income was last received

  • source of verification

Basis of the decision that income is not counted because the receipt or amount cannot be anticipated.