TANF Assistance for Single Mothers in Colorado

Where to start

Quick reference

What Colorado Works offers

The official Colorado Works page describes the program as monthly cash assistance plus schooling, training, employment help, goal setting, and community connections.

Basic Cash Assistance is the regular monthly payment for an eligible assistance unit. The amount depends on household makeup and countable income. A family with earnings or other income may receive less than the maximum.

Counties may also provide case management, employment services, referrals, and help building an individualized plan. Services can differ because Colorado Works is county-administered.

Supportive payments are separate from the monthly grant. Before July 2026, these payments could sometimes help with an assessed work or training need. They are now paused until further notice. Ask about county, workforce, child care, transportation, housing, or nonprofit alternatives instead of assuming the expense will be covered.

Who may qualify

Colorado Works serves families with children in the home. The state says a person may apply when pregnant or caring for a child under age 18, living in Colorado, meeting citizenship or eligible immigration rules, and meeting the program’s financial rules.

The public state page lists family income below $75,000 a year as a broad application condition. This is not the same as the final cash-assistance income test. The official Colorado Works rules use much lower need standards, income disregards, and household calculations to decide Basic Cash Assistance.

Apply even when you are unsure. The county must review the actual household, countable income, assistance-unit members, and deductions. Ask for the written budget if you do not understand the result.

Some children may receive assistance when the adult caretaker is not included in the cash grant. A pregnant applicant, relative caregiver, or two-parent family may also have a different assistance-unit setup.

Current monthly cash amounts

The official Colorado Works rules list the maximum Basic Cash Assistance grant for a household with no countable income. A 2026 Colorado law suspended the grant cost-of-living increase for state fiscal year 2026-2027, so the July 1, 2025 grant standards remain in place as of July 15, 2026.

A verified pregnancy adds a $10 monthly pregnancy allowance through the month the pregnancy ends. These figures are maximums for zero countable income, not guaranteed payments. Earnings, child support, Social Security, unemployment, and other countable income may reduce the grant.

How to apply

You can apply online through PEAK, use the MyCOBenefits mobile app, submit a paper form, or contact the county for help. The state cash assistance page provides English, Spanish, and large-print applications.

1. Submit the application. Keep the confirmation number or a dated copy.
2. Complete the interview. Tell the worker about urgent needs, safety, disability, pregnancy, child care, and transportation.
3. Send requested proof. Ask what other proof is accepted when a document is hard to get.
4. Read every notice. Notices explain approval, denial, payment, work steps, reporting duties, and appeal rights.

State rules require counties to process Colorado Works applications as quickly as possible and no later than 45 calendar days after the application date, unless the applicant asks for more time to provide needed proof.

Documents to gather

Do not delay the application because one paper is missing. Ask the county what it can verify and what substitute proof it accepts. The documents checklist gives a longer list.

Work, training, and activity rules

Most adults receiving Colorado Works take part in an individualized work or family-stability plan. Activities may include work, job search, training, education, work experience, or another approved step.

Federal TANF rules generally use 30 hours a week for many work-eligible adults. A single custodial parent with a child under age 6 can meet the federal participation standard with 20 hours a week. Your personal county plan may use different activities and schedules.

Tell the worker before you miss an activity. Child care problems, pregnancy, disability, family violence, a child’s disability, lack of transportation, illness, and work-schedule changes may affect what is reasonable or whether Good Cause applies.

The Colorado Works employment program connects some participants who face major barriers with work opportunities and services. Availability depends on county and partner programs.

Because supportive payments are paused, do not assume Colorado Works can currently pay for a bus pass, gas, work clothing, a vehicle repair, license fee, or training cost. Ask your worker for another funding source. The Colorado child care guide and Colorado transportation guide may help with two common barriers.

Child support, Good Cause, and safety

Colorado Works may refer a family to Child Support Services. Colorado passes through child support collected for families receiving Colorado Works, but child support activity can create safety risks in some cases.

The official safe child-support page says a Colorado Works applicant or recipient may request Good Cause when pursuing child support could put the parent or children at risk of physical or emotional harm.

Ask the Colorado Works eligibility worker about Good Cause. You may also ask Child Support Services about non-disclosure of information, separate appointments, remote participation, or other safety changes.

Use a safer phone, email, or mailing address if someone may monitor you. The Colorado safety guide and Colorado child-support guide provide related next steps.

The 60-month TANF time limit

A household that includes an adult can generally receive federally funded TANF cash assistance for up to 60 cumulative months. Months received in another state may also count.

Colorado law allows counties to provide an extension when a household shows Good Cause or hardship under the applicable rules and county process. An extension is not automatic.

Ask the county how many months are listed for each adult well before the case reaches 60 months. If you need an extension, ask for the application process, proof needed, decision in writing, and appeal rights.

Receiving and protecting cash benefits

Approved cash assistance can be placed on an EBT card or paid by direct deposit or a prepaid debit option. The Colorado EBT page explains the current choices.

Freeze the card when it is not in use and never share the PIN. Colorado, counties, and the EBT vendor will not call or text asking for your card number and PIN.

Call 1-888-328-2656 if a card is lost, stolen, or damaged, or if you need transaction information. Report suspicious activity to the county as soon as possible.

If the case is denied, delayed, reduced, or sanctioned

Read the complete notice. It should explain the decision, effective date, rule, and appeal steps. If you do not understand the result, ask for the written budget and the exact reason.

For a delay, ask whether the county is waiting for an interview, document, verification, or worker action. Remind the county when the application is close to the 45-day processing limit.

For a sanction, ask which activity was missed, whether Good Cause was considered, how to cure the sanction, and when cash will restart. Give proof of child care, transportation, illness, disability, pregnancy, work schedule, or safety barriers.

You may ask for a county conference and a state hearing. The CDHS appeals office explains the state process. Follow the deadline in your notice, especially if you want to ask whether benefits can continue during the appeal.

Colorado Legal Services may help with some denials, terminations, reductions, sanctions, or overpayments. The benefits problem guide can help you organize the case. The Colorado legal guide lists other civil legal resources.