North Dakota Hardship Relief: TANF, Heating Help, Medicaid, and Emergency Housing

What “North Dakota hardship relief” really means

It is a search phrase that fee-charging “grant” sites like to target. The federal government funds the state’s programs but does not pay people directly; HHS states that “the federal government does not provide TANF cash assistance directly to the public” on its TANF overview. In North Dakota, state HHS sets the rules, its Customer Support Center (1-866-614-6005) handles questions, and human service zones, the county-based offices, take applications in person.

How North Dakota TANF works

TANF pays monthly cash to low-income families with children and pairs it with the JOBS program, which offers work readiness, training, and job placement through Community Options, Job Service North Dakota, and Turtle Mountain Employment and Training. A relative raising a child whose parents are absent, deceased, or disabled can also apply, and pregnant women may qualify. North Dakota’s maximum for a family of three is $916 a month, about 40% of the poverty line, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty’s 2025–26 profile, up from $872 in its 2024 profile. HHS’s TANF page says benefits can last up to 60 months, with some exceptions, and are loaded onto an Electronic Payment Card. Earnings reduce the payment, so a parent with steady part-time work may get a partial amount or none. If you are denied, you can ask for a hearing on form SFN 162.

North Dakota heating assistance and income limits

North Dakota winters make LIHEAP one of the most important hardship programs in the state. HHS accepts applications year-round, and benefits are no longer tied to a fixed heating season; help continues until the household’s review date. The program uses 60% of North Dakota’s median income instead of the poverty line, which lets many working families qualify. These are the monthly limits on the HHS LIHEAP page for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027:

LIHEAP pays part of the heating bill for natural gas, electricity, propane, fuel oil, coal, wood, or other fuel, straight to the vendor. It can also pay for furnace cleaning, repair, or replacement, chimney cleaning and inspection, emergency help such as an empty propane tank, weatherization like insulation and weather stripping, and the cost of a cooling device or repair. In the 2023–24 year, HHS reported 14,405 households received $11.2 million in heating help. Community Options helps with applications at (800) 823-2417, and the state LIHEAP office is at (701) 328-2332. Our North Dakota utility relief guide covers utility payment plans and shutoff rules.

Emergency housing help

ND Rent Help, the pandemic program, ended its rental assistance on September 15, 2025. The Community Action Partnership of North Dakota told the Minot Daily News in July 2026 that the state’s Homeless Grant Program received a record $10 million from the Legislature for the biennium, but most of it funds emergency shelters, and only about 80 to 100 households a month can get direct housing stability help. That is roughly a tenth of what the pandemic program served at its peak. Priority goes to people at imminent risk of homelessness. Call ND 211 and your regional community action agency, apply for Housing Choice Vouchers through your local housing authority, and use emergency shelters if needed. Our North Dakota rent relief guide goes deeper.

Property tax credits for homeowners

For homeowners on fixed incomes, property tax relief can matter as much as a cash program. North Dakota has two credits that stack, with the Homestead Credit applied first.

Homestead Credit. The Office of State Tax Commissioner says it is for owners who live in the home and are 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled, with household income up to $70,000 in the prior year. There is no asset limit.

Applications go to your local assessor or county director of tax equalization and are due April 1 of the year the property is assessed. A renter’s refund also exists for older and disabled renters; ask the Tax Commissioner’s office for the current rules.

Primary Residence Credit. In 2025 the Legislature (House Bill 1176) raised this credit from $500 to up to $1,600 per household, for any owner-occupied primary home, with no age or income test. Apply online at tax.nd.gov/prc; the window for the 2026 tax year runs January 1 to April 1. The Governor’s office said about 50,000 households, roughly 30% of those eligible, owed no property tax for 2025 after the change.

Support for single adults and couples

• SNAP: a single adult with gross income at or below $1,729 a month can get up to $306 in food benefits (Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2027); our SNAP calculator gives an estimate.
• Medicaid expansion for adults 19–64 with income up to 138% of poverty.
• LIHEAP and weatherization year-round, using the table above.
• SSI or SSDI for people with disabilities, through Social Security. North Dakota’s state-funded SPED program can help pay for in-home care for older or disabled adults who need help with daily tasks; ask your human service zone whether you qualify.
• Unemployment benefits through Job Service North Dakota, which resets its weekly maximum each July; see our unemployment guide.
• Charities through ND 211, run by FirstLink, including the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities North Dakota.

A North Dakota household, worked through

Here is how the programs fit together for a made-up but realistic family. Kayla rents in Bismarck with her two children. She works part time and earns about $1,800 a month before taxes. Her landlord bills her separately for propane, and the tank is nearly empty in December.

• LIHEAP: her income is far under the $5,567 limit for three, so she applies through the Self-Service Portal and marks it as an emergency. Help goes straight to the propane company.
• SNAP: the gross limit for three is $2,960 a month, so she qualifies; her amount depends on rent and child care costs.
• Medicaid: 138% of poverty for a family of three is about $3,140 a month in 2026, so Kayla qualifies under expansion, and her children qualify too.
• TANF: her earnings count against the payment, so she may get a reduced amount or none. She lists it on the same application and lets HHS decide.
• Rent: if she falls behind and gets an eviction notice, she calls ND 211 and her community action agency the same day.

Her grandfather, 72, owns a home in Mandan on $30,000 a year. He applies with the county for the Homestead Credit (a 100% reduction, up to $9,000 of taxable value) and online for the Primary Residence Credit. Together they may wipe out most or all of his property tax bill.

Papers HHS asks for

For TANF, the HHS TANF page lists proof of identity, age, residence, citizenship or immigration status, relationship to the children, Social Security numbers, income for last month and this month, assets, and allowable expenses. LIHEAP also asks for your fuel or utility account details. Our document checklist explains substitutes for papers you cannot find.

How to apply, step by step

1. Apply online through the HHS Self-Service Portal at hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp for TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and LIHEAP, or visit your human service zone office.
2. Prefer paper? Ask the Customer Support Center (1-866-614-6005 or 701-328-1000, 711 TTY) to mail an application, then return it by mail.
3. Facing eviction or homelessness? Call ND 211 and your community action agency the same day.
4. Homeowner 65+ or disabled? File the Homestead Credit with your county by April 1, and the Primary Residence Credit online.
5. Lost a job? File a claim with Job Service North Dakota in the first week.

For more specifics, see our guides on North Dakota assistance programs and LIHEAP energy help.

Related guides

• Hardship grants for individuals
• The real programs behind “hardship relief program”
• Benefits for low-income families
• Government assistance programs by state

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice, and not an application. Program rules change; confirm with ND HHS, your human service zone, or your county. National Relief Program is an independent website, not a government agency.