TANF Assistance for Single Mothers in Wyoming

Where to start

Quick reference

How Wyoming POWER works

The official program is a pay-after-performance cash program. This means payment is tied to the family’s approved plan and required participation. A POWER Work participant usually works with a Department of Workforce Services case manager.

The POWER Work page says case managers help families build Individual Responsibility Plans. Activities may include job search, resume help, interviews, skills training, parenting work, budgeting, recovery activities, or other steps that fit the family’s needs.

The Caretaker Relative program is different. It helps a relative who has daily care and control of a child when the parents are not in the home. The caretaker’s own income and resources are not counted, but the child’s income and resources are reviewed.

POWER may also help with employment costs after approval. Examples on the state page include work clothes, transportation, vehicle repairs, tools, equipment, and relocation costs. These services depend on the approved plan and available funding.

Current income, resources, and benefit amounts

Wyoming updated its POWER income table for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The table is more complex than one income cutoff. It includes household size, earned-income rules, shelter status, and payment levels. A government housing subsidy, free shelter, or some SSI and minor-parent situations may change which shelter column applies. Ask DFS which column fits your household.

The resource limit remains $5,000 for the assistance unit, as the DFS resource rules confirm. Countable resources can include checking and savings accounts, income-producing property, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Wyoming allows two registered and licensed vehicles to be excluded from personal assets. Do not confuse this POWER limit with SNAP rules.

The current benefit page uses these examples. They are not promised payments. Ask DFS for the written calculation if your amount is lower than expected.

Who may qualify

DFS decides each case. In general, a family must live in Wyoming, include a child younger than 18 (or meet a school-related exception), meet citizenship or eligible immigration-status rules for people requesting assistance, and meet income and resource rules. Check the DFS eligibility page before applying. An adult need not be a single mother to ask about POWER.

A parent applying for POWER Work should expect questions about income, resources, household members, work history, child care, transportation, health limits, housing, and child support. DFS may also ask about school attendance for older children and minor parents.

A relative caregiver should clearly ask for the Caretaker Relative program. The child’s parent generally must not live in the home, and the relative must have daily care and control of the child.

How to apply for POWER

1. Download the application. Use the application linked on the DFS cash assistance page.
2. Submit it to DFS. The state accepts applications and proof through a local office, mail, fax, or the program email listed on the official page.
3. Keep proof. Save a sent email, fax report, mail receipt, or date-stamped copy.
4. Complete the interview. After submitting the TANF application, call 307-777-8550 for the interview line on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. The line is closed Thursday; you can also ask about an in-person interview.
5. Send requested records. DFS lists snappowerservice@wyo.gov for applications and proof and asks for your full name and date of birth in the subject line. Confirm the address on the official DFS page. Use the local office if you are worried about email privacy.
6. Read the notice. It should explain approval, denial, missing proof, payment, or the next required step.

Use the DFS office finder for case questions and status updates. The interview line is only for completing interviews, not for checking a pending case. General POWER questions can be directed to the program manager at 307-473-3948.

Documents and information to gather

You can ask to submit an application even if one paper is missing. Ask DFS which other records it can accept, and keep copies of every document and receipt. Make one folder for your notices, pay stubs, and case number.

Work rules, participation, and support

POWER Work participants must follow an approved Individual Responsibility Plan. The state says weekly participation is required to receive payment. The number of hours depends on family composition and federal TANF rules.

Federal work participation rules vary by family type and the age of the youngest child. These are not the same as a promise of fixed weekly hours for every POWER parent. Your case manager sets the actual activities and schedule. Ask for your plan in writing.

Tell the case manager quickly if child care, transportation, illness, disability, housing, court, or family safety makes an activity hard to complete. Ask what proof is needed and whether the activity can be changed.

Wyoming says POWER can help with child care and transportation. Use the ASMOM Wyoming child care guide and Wyoming transportation guide for related state resources.

People dealing with a temporary illness or injury may still receive case-management support while recovering or waiting for a disability decision. The ASMOM Wyoming healthcare guide lists coverage options.

Child support cooperation and safety

Wyoming says an approved POWER family must cooperate with child support services. The child support rule says services are provided at no cost.

If cooperation may put you or your child in danger, tell DFS that you need to make a child support good-cause claim. Wyoming’s POWER notices include good-cause approval and denial decisions. Ask how to submit the claim and what safe proof can be used.

For child support or legal questions, ask DFS for the current child support office contact and request a referral to a qualified local legal advocate. Do not share a new address or a safe contact number until you have spoken with a trained advocate if that could put you at risk.

The five-year POWER limit

Wyoming generally limits adult POWER assistance to five years. Months of cash assistance received in Wyoming, another state, or a U.S. territory can count toward the limit. A partial payment month can count as a full month.

The five-year policy lists exceptions and hardship extensions. A non-parent caretaker who is not included in the assistance payment may still be able to seek help for an eligible child after an adult reaches a time limit. Ask DFS how the rule applies to the people in your grant. DFS also reviews some cases for extensions involving domestic violence, severe disability, full-time care of a disabled family member, or abandonment.

Extensions are not automatic. The state begins reviewing some cases around month 53. Participation, eligibility, and child support rules can continue during an extension.

Other Wyoming help to check

POWER may not cover every basic need. Apply for separate programs that fit your family.

• Use Wyoming WIC applications for pregnancy, infants, and children under 5. The ASMOM Wyoming WIC guide gives more steps.
• Use the official Medicaid application page for Medicaid and Kid Care CHIP.
• Use the DFS ECARES child care page to find care or apply for a child care subsidy if it is needed for work, school, or another approved activity. Child care help has its own rules and application.
• The 2026–2027 LIEAP page accepts heating-help applications October 1, 2026–April 30, 2027. You can apply online or call 800-246-4221 for phone help. Crisis applicants generally need proof of at least one payment toward a covered utility in the past 60 days, among other rules. LIEAP pays vendors, not applicants. The ASMOM Wyoming utility guide covers other options.
• Check the Wyoming SUN Bucks update if your child received a 2026 card. Applications closed August 31, 2026, but cards can still have unused benefits. Each card expires 121 days after it was mailed; check yours now.

If you worked during the tax year, check the ASMOM Wyoming tax credit guide and the IRS Earned Income Tax Credit rules. A tax refund is not POWER cash help; the rules and filing steps are separate.

If rent or housing is the larger problem, ask Wyoming 211 about local shelter and rent programs rather than waiting only for POWER approval.