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Minnesota Family Investment Plan (MFIP)
The Minnesota Family Investment Program, or MFIP, helps families with children meet their basic needs while helping parents move to financial stability through work. Parents are expected to work, and are supported in working with both cash and food assistance. Most families have a lifetime limit of 60 months on MFIP.
Eligibility & Requirements
MFIP is for families with children and/or pregnant women. To qualify, your family must:
- Meet an initial income test
- Meet an initial asset limit of $10,000
- Provide needed verifications
- Applicants that have a convicted drug felony from within the recent 10 years will be subject to an initial and random ongoing drug testing
- Comply with child support requirements:: A child support referral is sent for each child on an approved MFIP case where both parents are not in the home
- A referral will not be sent if Good Cause has been established. Your worker can tell you more.
Asset Limit
- The asset limit is $10,000. The total value of your counted assets must be less than $10,000.
- Assets counted include cash, bank accounts, stocks and bonds you can access without financial penalty, and some vehicles.
- We do not count one vehicle per member of the assistance unit who is 16 years old or older. Additional vehicles are counted as part of the $10,000 asset limit.
Talk to your worker to get more information on how vehicles and assets are counted toward the limit.
Income Guidelines (updated Sept. 2022)
| # Eligible People | Full Standard | Cash Portion | Food Portion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $677 | $615 | $380 | $235 |
| 2 | $1,115 | $1,014 | $583 | $431 |
| 3 | $1,436 | $1,305 | $686 | $619 |
| 4 | $1,727 | $1,570 | $782 | $788 |
| 5 | $1,991 | $1,810 | $865 | $945 |
| 6 | $2,305 | $2,095 | $947 | $1,148 |
| 7 | $2,510 | $2,282 | $1,030 | $1,252 |
| 8 | $2,781 | $2,528 | $1,102 | $1,426 |
| 9 | $3,049 | $2,772 | $1,172 | $1,600 |
| 10 | $3,310 | $3,009 | $1,232 | $1,777 |
| Each add'l Person | $260 | $236 | $58 | $178 |
Benefits
Cash and food benefits are issued automatically through an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. Benefits change depending on your income. You are better off working when you are on MFIP. When you get a job, the first $65 you earn does not count. After that, half of the rest of your earnings do not count in deciding the amount of your benefits.
Employment Services
- Most people are required to work with a job counselor to create an employment plan.
- If you are younger than 20 and have not completed high school or any equivalency program, you may need to finish your education. Your job counselor or social worker will help you make a plan to get your high school diploma or go to work.
- You may get child care help while you are looking for work, going to school, or working.
Apply
- You can apply online at mnbenefits.mn.gov
- Come into our agency located at 204 Laurel St. Brainerd, MN 56401 to pick up an application. Our agency is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Call our agency at 218-824-1250 to request a paper application be mailed to you.
- Print an application and complete it by hand or complete it electronically and submit to your agency by one of the following methods:
In person at 204 Laurel St. Brainerd, MN 56401
Mail to P.O. Box 686 Brainerd, MN 56401
Fax to 218-824-1141
Email to cwcss@crowwing.us
Put in our drop box located outside our agency
Combined Application Form DHS-5223
** Each case and client is different. This is just basic information. Verifications required vary on a case by case basis. Please check with your local County Financial Worker for case specific information.