48-month lifetime limit:

You cannot receive FIP for more than 48 months in your lifetime unless you qualify for an extension or an exception. Months before October 2007 do not count. Months do not count if you are:

• Deferred.*
• Working and following your Family Self-Sufficiency Plan.*
• Live in a county with a high unemployment rate.

      *  Follow Work Rules and Penalties.

Who is in the FIP group?

To qualify for FIP, children must be under the age of 18, or a highschool student age 18-19. The child's parents, stepparents, and siblings who live together normally make up the FIP group. A relative acting as a parent or legal guardians may be included in the group if the parent is not in the home.

A person can sometimes be eligible for FIP when there is no child in the group - such as a pregnant woman; or parents whose child is in foster care but is expected to return home within one year.

FIP Residency Requirements

A person must be a Michigan resident and intend to remain in Michigan and not be receiving cash assistance from another state.

Citizenship Requirements

A person must be a U.S. citizen or have an acceptable alien status to qualify for FIP.

Asset Limits

Assets are cash or any other personal or real property you own. The asset limit for FIP is $3,000.  Only cash assets are counted, such as:

• Cash on hand.
• Bank and credit union accounts.
• Investments.
• Retirement plans.
• Trusts.

Assets such as your home, vehicles and personal belongings are not counted.

Countable Income

Most types of earned and unearned income are counted.  Countable income is considered when determining the amount of FIP your family is eligible to receive.  Some examples of countable income are:

• Wages.
• Self-employment earnings.
• Rental income.
• Child support.
• Social Security benefits.
• Veterans benefits.

Child Support from Absent Parents

If you are requesting FIP for a child under age 18 whose parent(s) is not in the home, you may be required to help the department establish paternity for that child and/or obtain child support from the absent parent. You will have the opportunity to show good cause for not cooperating (e.g., pursuing child support may endanger you or the child). If you do not have good cause, the DHS support specialist will work with you to establish a support order with the local Friend of the Court.  Visit our Child Support Web pages for more information.

If child support payments are collected for children on the FIP grant, we may send you some of what is collected each month. We will keep the rest. If the child support collected is more than your FIP grant for at least two (2) months, we will close your FIP case so you can receive the child support payments directly.

There are other eligibility requirements a family must meet to receive FIP that are not outlined here.

A Family Independence Specialist or an Eligibility Specialist at DHS can accurately determine your family's eligibility for FIP. Ask for details when turning in a completed application at the DHS County Office in your area.