TANF Claims Payment

What is a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Claim?

A Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Claim is an amount owed by a TANF recipient to the Department due to receiving an overpayment in the TANF program benefits due to either:

  1. A recipient mistake in reporting their circumstances to the Department;
  2. A Department error in determining the benefit amount for a TANF recipient;
  3. A TANF recipient making a false or misleading statement, misrepresenting, concealing or withholding facts; or
  4. A TANF recipient using their TANF benefit at a restricted location which includes liquor stores, adult entertainment establishments, casinos, and at ATMs in tobacco stores in Tennessee.

TANF overpayment claims are established by the Department’s Program Integrity Division. When a TANF overpayment claim is established, the TANF recipient will receive a letter informing them about the overpayment claim and how to repay the claim.


How can my TANF claim be repaid?

If the TANF recipient is currently receiving benefits, a portion of their benefits will be withheld to pay back the TANF overpayment. This is called benefit reduction. The TANF recipient will receive a letter informing them of the TANF benefit that the recipient will receive after the benefit reduction is applied.

If the TANF recipient is no longer receiving benefits, the recipient will need to contact the Department to establish a repayment agreement to pay back the TANF overpayment claim in monthly installments.


How can I make my payment?

BY TOUCHPAY 

Touchpay

TANF Households can also make TANF overpayment claim payments online through the Department’s vendor, TouchPay. TouchPay is the Department’s vendor for online payments, specifically Child Support payments. TouchPay now accepts TANF overpayment claim payments online. In order to use TouchPay to make a TANF claim payment, you must:

  1. Go to the TN TouchPay website at : www.tpchildsupport.com
  2. Select the Register button
  3. Select the Benefit Repayment option
  4. Enter the following information
    1. First Name
    2. Last Name
    3. Claim Number
    4. Last 4 of your SSN
  5. Confirm your information
  6. Enter your payment amount and form of payment. * TouchPay accepts Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover Card, and Paypal
  7. Confirm your payment and fee. * A 2.95% fee is applied to all credit/debit card payments.
  8. Enter your payment details and confirm your payment

Note: Payments made for Benefit Repayment are not applied to Child Support. Payments made through TouchPay will be credited to your claim within 2-3 days.


BY MAIL

TANF recipients who are not currently recieving benefits will receive claim statements monthly to remind them of their claim balance and the amount due each month per the agreement. These statements will have a prepaid envelope where the payment can be mailed back to Fiscal Services. The Fiscal Services return address is

TN DHS Fiscal Claims Repayment
505 Deaderick Street, 16th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243-1403 

Note: Please allow sufficient time for processing when sending payment through the mail in order to prevent late payment.

What happens if I do not pay my TANF claim?

If a TANF recipient fails to pay their TANF claim, the claim will become delinquent. A delinquent TANF claim may be subject to additional fees, liens, and garnishment of wages.

Who should I contact if I have questions about my TANF repayment claim?

If you have questions about your TANF claim, you can contact the Program Integrity Hotline at 800-241-2629.