Supporting a family can be a real challenge and getting a job is just the beginning.

In order to keep a job, you need reliable and affordable child care, transportation, health insurance and more.

WFNJ offers a number of benefits and services to you when you leave WFNJ for a job or agree to close your case.

These are time-limited supports intended to help you stay employed and move closer to an independent life.

Paycheck Plus

If you are working at least 20 hours a week, you can keep all or some of your cash assistance in addition to your paycheck. Here’s how it works:

• You keep all of your cash assistance for the first month to help you as you start your job;
• For the next six months, we “ignore” 75 percent of your income, which means only 25 percent of your paycheck is subtracted from your cash assistance; and
• After that, 50 percent of your paycheck will count when figuring your cash grant, until you earn too much to still be eligible.

Supplemental Work Support

If you are now employed and have been working at least 20 hours per week for at least the past four months, you may be eligible to receive $200 per month for up to 24 months and continued child care along with other benefits. To be eligible, you must have been on WFNJ/TANF for at least six months and agree to voluntarily close your case.

This program is designed to support you in your efforts to stay employed and stay off cash assistance. For more information, contact your County Social Service Agency.

Transportation

You may be able to get assistance with travel costs when you begin to work. For more information, contact your County Social Services Agency.

Transitional Child Care

You may be eligible for extended child care benefits for up to 24 months through Transitional Child Care (TCC), which is a benefit of Supplemental Work Support. These benefits are available to individuals whose WFNJ/TANF cash assistance has ended due to earnings from employment. To receive TCC, let a CSSA worker know that you have a job. They will refer your case to the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency. A CCR&R representative will reach out to you and help you find child care that works for you if you aren't already using an eligible provider. 

You must also meet certain eligibility criteria, such as providing proof of your earnings, signing an agreement for services, and sharing the cost of child care using a sliding fee scale (meaning cost is adjusted depending on your income). This fee is know as a copayment or copay.

TCC benefits can be used at any licensed child care center, registered family child care provider, approved home (in-home and family, friend and neighbor provider), school-based program or summer youth camp that is approved by the state and accepts state payments. If you were receiving WFNJ/TANF child care benefits, you may not need to change providers. 

A case manager will give you a referral to the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Agency in your county that will help you find child care.

For more information, call toll-free: 1-800-332-9227 or visit www.ChildCareNJ.gov.

Career Advancement Vouchers

If you are no longer receiving cash assistance because of employment, you may be eligible to receive training or education vouchers worth up to $4,000.

To find out if you qualify and how to apply, ask about it at your One-Stop Career Center.

After you leave Work First New Jersey, you may still be eligible for various programs that strengthen working families with low incomes.

Some of the services that you received in addition to WFNJ may still be available to you. For example, you may continue to receive SNAP.

These programs – which are not connected to the cash assistance program – are available to income-eligible or qualified working families.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP provides food assistance to individuals and families with low incomes. To be eligible for SNAP, a single person can have a gross monthly income of $2,333. A household size of three can have a gross monthly income of $4,109 (figures valid October 2025 - September 2026). If you are eligible, you will receive at least $95 a month for food shopping. For more information, visit www.NJSNAP.gov or your CSSA.

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

After leaving WFNJ, there are several options for child care that may be available to you.

If you are working and just transitioning off WFNJ for work, you may be eligible for Transitional Child Care (TCC) available through Supplemental Work Support. If you were receiving WFNJ/TANF child care benefits, you may not need to change providers. A case manager will give you a referral to the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Agency in your county that will help you find child care.

You may be eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program, which can help income-eligible parents who are working, in school, or in job training to pay for child care. To give you a sense of whether you might be eligible to receive assistance, through CCAP, the maximum yearly income for a family of three (for example, a mom and two kids) is $53,300 for 2025. 

CCAP benefits can be used at any licensed child care center, registered family child care provider, approved home (in-home and family, friend and neighbor provider), school-based program or summer youth camp that is approved by the state and accepts state payments. If you were receiving WFNJ/TANF or TCC benefits, you might not need to change providers.

For more information on available child care in New Jersey, visit www.ChildCareNJ.gov.

Child Support

Once you are no longer receiving cash assistance, you will receive the full amount of child support collected.

For more information on child support, visit www.NJChildSupport.gov or call the customer service line 1-877-NJKiDS1 (1-877-655-4371).

NJ FamilyCare

You or your family may qualify for free or low-cost healthcare coverage through NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid.

For information, call the NJ FamilyCare hotline 1-800-701-0710 or visit www.NJFamilyCare.org. 

Energy Assistance

Even if you are working, you may still be eligible for help paying for your energy costs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or the Universal Service Fund (USF). For more information, call: 1-800-510-3102 or visit www.energyassistance.nj.gov.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

EITC is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. It reduces the amount of taxes you pay. If you qualify for the EITC and file a federal income tax return, you can get back some or all of the federal income tax that was taken out of your pay during the year. Families that are eligible for the federal EITC also qualify for additional tax refunds under the New Jersey state EITC.

For more information, call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) toll-free at 1-800-TAX-1040 (1-800-829-1040), or the NJ Division of Taxation at 1-888-895-9179 or visit www.njeitc.org.