Texas Financial Assistance: Cash, Food, Bills, and Health Care Help

Where Texas financial assistance starts

Texas runs its biggest help programs through a few state agencies, with local offices and nonprofits doing much of the hands-on work:

• Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) handles SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, CHIP, and Healthy Texas Women. You apply online at YourTexasBenefits.com, through the mobile app, by phone at 2-1-1 (option 2), or at a local benefits office.
• The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) funds local agencies that pay utility bills and weatherize homes.
• The Texas Workforce Commission runs unemployment benefits and works with local Texas Workforce Solutions offices on job search, training, and child care.
• Counties and hospital districts run indigent health care programs for very low-income residents.
• 211 Texas is a free, confidential referral line for rent, food, and other local help.

A single YourTexasBenefits application can cover several programs at once, so you do not need to apply separately for food and health coverage. If you need help filling it out, community partners such as food banks and clinics can often sit down with you at no charge.

TANF and One-Time TANF cash help

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is Texas’s monthly cash program for families with children. It is small and the income limits are very low, but it can help with basics like diapers, clothes, and rent. According to Texas HHS, the maximum monthly amounts are:

The HHS income limit table is far lower than most people expect. For a one-parent family of three it lists $188 a month, though HHS notes some families qualify above the table because of how income is counted. Adults usually must take part in work activities through Workforce Solutions.

One-Time TANF is a single crisis payment for families with children who have lost a job, lost a home, or faced a medical emergency. It is available once a year, and HHS does not publish a fixed amount. Taking it can affect when you can get monthly TANF, so ask the caseworker how it would work for your family.

One-Time TANF for Relatives pays $1,000, once in a lifetime, to grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and other relatives who are 25 or older and raising a related child who gets TANF. HHS lists a monthly income limit of $2,660 for a household of one and $4,554 for three.

SNAP food benefits in Texas

SNAP, sometimes still called food stamps, puts money for groceries on a Lone Star Card each month. It is the program most Texas households qualify for, including working families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Federal limits from October 2026 through September 2027 put the gross monthly income limit at $1,729 and the net income limit at $1,330 for a household of one, with a maximum benefit of $306 a month. Texas checks your household under its own SNAP rules, and expenses like rent, utilities, child care, and medical costs for older or disabled members can raise your benefit. You can read the federal rules on the USDA SNAP eligibility page.

If your household has almost no money, you may qualify for expedited SNAP, which must be issued within 7 days. Under federal rules, one way to qualify is gross monthly income under $150 and $100 or less in cash and bank accounts. Tell the caseworker if your money is that low.

Medicaid, CHIP, and Healthy Texas Women

Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. That means Medicaid mainly covers children, pregnant women, parents and caretakers with very low income, people 65 and older, and people with disabilities. Most adults without children or a disability do not qualify on income alone.

• Children’s Medicaid and CHIP cover children and teens in families with higher incomes than adult Medicaid allows. CHIP may have small enrollment fees and copays.
• Medicaid for pregnant women covers prenatal care, delivery, and care after the baby is born.
• Healthy Texas Women offers free women’s health and family planning services to eligible women ages 15 to 44 with income at or below 204.2% of poverty who do not have other coverage for these services. Learn more at HealthyTexasWomen.org.

Apply for all three through YourTexasBenefits. The Texas HHS Medicaid and CHIP page lists who is covered. If you earn too much for Medicaid, look at the federal Marketplace, where many Texans qualify for premium tax credits.

County indigent health care

If you cannot get Medicaid, your county may still help. The County Indigent Health Care Program is run by counties, hospital districts, and public hospitals. State rules set a minimum: income at or below 21% of the federal poverty guidelines and limited resources. Many counties and hospital districts are more generous, so ask your local office for its own limits.

Covered services can include doctor visits, hospital care, lab work, and some prescriptions. Large urban counties often run their programs through the hospital district. Also ask any hospital about its charity care policy before you pay a large bill. Our guide to medical hardship grants in Texas covers hospital financial assistance and disease foundations.

Help with electric, gas, and water bills

The main source of Texas financial assistance for energy bills is the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), Texas’s version of the federal LIHEAP program. TDHCA funds local community action agencies and other providers that cover every county. CEAP pays part of your electric, natural gas, or propane bill directly to the company, and it offers crisis help if you have a disconnection notice. Under federal rules, agencies must act on a crisis within 48 hours, or 18 hours if it is life-threatening.

Income must be at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. For 2026 that is $23,940 a year for one person, and $8,520 more for each added person. Priority goes to households with someone 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a young child. Find your local agency through TDHCA’s Help for Texans page or by calling 2-1-1. Our full guide to the Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program explains how to apply.

The same agencies often run weatherization, which can insulate and seal a home to lower bills over time. For phone and internet, the federal Lifeline program gives a monthly discount to households on SNAP, Medicaid, or with low income. Electric customers can also ask their provider for a deferred payment plan. Texas also has state rules that limit electric shutoffs during extreme weather and for people with serious medical conditions.

Rent help now that Texas Rent Relief is closed

The statewide Texas Rent Relief program was funded by the federal Emergency Rental Assistance program, which has ended. The U.S. Treasury says the second round of funding could only be spent through September 30, 2025. Some cities and counties still run their own rent programs with local money, but funding is limited and often opens and closes quickly.

Today, renters in Texas usually find help through:

• 211 Texas, which keeps lists of local rent and deposit programs.
• Community action agencies, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and churches.
• One-Time TANF, for families with children facing a crisis.
• Free legal aid through TexasLawHelp.org if you have received an eviction notice. New state eviction rules apply to cases filed from January 1, 2026.

See our page on the Texas Rent Relief program for what replaced it.

Texas Workforce Solutions for jobs and child care

Texas Workforce Solutions offices are run by local workforce boards with the Texas Workforce Commission. They are a good place to go if your money problem is tied to work.

• Unemployment benefits: if you lost a job through no fault of your own, file a claim with the Texas Workforce Commission as soon as possible after your last day of work.
• Child care help: the TWC child care program helps eligible working parents and parents in school or training pay for care. Waiting lists are common, so apply early.
• Job search and training: free help with resumes, job leads, and some training costs.
• Support services: some local boards can help with work-related costs like transportation for people in their programs. Ask your local office what it offers.

Families on TANF are usually connected to the Choices employment program through the same offices.

Programs at a glance

211 Texas, charities, and other local help

When a state program cannot cover a bill, local groups often can. 211 Texas is free and confidential. Dial 2-1-1 or (877) 541-7905, or use the live chat on its website in English or Spanish. Ask about rent and deposit help, food pantries, utility funds, transportation, and free tax preparation.

Other places worth calling include your local community action agency, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul, and churches. Veterans can ask the Texas Veterans Commission and their county veterans service officer about emergency grants. If a car payment is the problem, see our guide to car payment assistance in Texas.

Be careful with websites that promise “free government grants” for a fee. Real Texas programs never charge to apply, and no new federal stimulus checks are scheduled.

What documents do I need to apply?

Expect to show photo ID, Social Security numbers for the people applying, proof of income for the last 30 days, and proof of where you live, plus any paper that shows the emergency itself. Our document checklist explains what counts for each item and what to do if something is missing. If you don't have everything yet, apply anyway and ask the office how long you have to bring the rest.

How to apply, step by step

1. Apply at YourTexasBenefits for SNAP, TANF, and health coverage in one application.
2. Answer the interview call. HHS usually calls from an unknown number; missing it delays your case.
3. Call your CEAP agency if you are behind on electric or gas bills, and say “crisis” if you have a shutoff notice.
4. Contact Workforce Solutions for unemployment, job search, and child care.
5. Dial 2-1-1 for rent, deposits, and anything the state programs do not cover.
6. Keep copies of every application and the date you sent it.

Related guides

• Hardship grants in Texas
• Eviction assistance in Texas
• Texas assistance programs
• Emergency housing vouchers in Texas

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Program rules and amounts are set by Texas agencies and can change, so confirm details when you apply. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with Texas Health and Human Services or any government agency.