At least 35 states have expanded their earned income disregards beyond federal guidelines. WIN Publications Earned Income Disregards Issue Note , by Marie Cohen, The Welfare Information Network, April 1997. State-Specific Initiatives Connecticut's Jobs First Program Connecticut disregards all of the earnings of TANF recipients, allowing them to receive the entire benefit until their earnings alone reach the poverty level. When earnings reach the poverty level, eligibility ends completely. Illinois' Work Pays Program Illinois disregards two-thirds of the earnings of TANF recipients.
Families can receive assistance until total income reaches the federal poverty level.
State TANF Income Calculator , Urban Institute, 1998. This is an interactive tool that allows policymakers and researchers to compute net income for a one-parent family with two children, taking into account various sources of income. Users can adjust wages, number of hours worked, state TANF rules, and sanction policies to examine if and how much work pays in various situations. In determining eligibility for financial assistance, Virginia disregards all earnings as long as the family earns less than the federal poverty level. In determining the amount of the grant, the state again disregards all earned income until a family's net earnings and benefits combined exceed the federal poverty level for its size.