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individual, and any amount of income deemed from a stepparent, the parents of a minor mother, or individual sponsor of an alien to the budget group except: • Income which a federal law prohibits considering in assistance benefits eligibility determinations, income in-kind, and income from another agency or organization that meets certain specifications. Refer to Chapter 4, Income Totally Disregarded, for a more detailed listing. Also, see Chapter 4, Gross Income Tested, for the exception for income being recouped from a benefit from another agency. • Certain business expenses which can be deducted from self-employment income. Refer to Chapter 4, Computing Gross Monthly Earned Income - From Self-Employment. • As an incentive for two-parent families, when a TANF PI marries on or after October 1, 1999, the income of the newly married spouse is to be disregarded for six consecutive months. See Marriage Disregard and Stepparent Situations later in this chapter. Income to be tested against 100% of the need standard consists of the gross income described above less certain deductions which should be disregarded under specified circumstances. Refer to Chapter 4, Establishing Earned Income and Support from Absent Parent of TANF Children, for further discussion on establishing net earned income, and for budgeting child support. Mississippi does not allocate income of TANF parents to provide for the needs of spouses or dependent children who are not included in the assistance budget. However, Mississippi does consider the needs of spouses and dependent children of caretaker relatives other than a parent and individual sponsors of aliens, as well as dependent children of stepparents and parents of minor mothers, in testing need or the amount of income available to the assistance unit. Refer Special Budgeting Procedures within this chapter. The income of an unrelated adult living in the home is not considered available to the budget group unless the unrelated adult makes cash contributions to the budget group.

Totally disregard the income and resources of an SSI recipient or of an SSI ineligible spouse who was converted with the SSI recipient and whose income is still included in the SSI test. The system will disregard the income and resources when the participation code is SS. Length of Budget Period: TANF cases will receive a 6 or 12 month review period. Cases with special circumstances will receive a one or two month review period. For example, a case is eligible in the month of application and the following month but due to an anticipated change is ineligible in subsequent months. This case would receive a two month review period. AMOUNT OF BENEFIT Computing Benefit The amount of the potential benefit for each TANF and refugee eligible group is controlled by: MISSISSIPPI [ BUDGETARY PROCESS: GENERAL PRINCIPLES ]

Revised 12 - 01 - 17