This is the first installment of TDC's Federal Reporting Fundamental Series for staff that may be new to TANF reporting or for anyone who wants a refresher. In this posting, we go over the basics of the ACF-199, one of several required forms for states and territories receiving federal TANF funding. Future posts will focus on other required reports.
What is the ACF-199/TANF Data Report?
- Contains disaggregated and aggregate information about TANF Caseloads (e.g., size, composition, characteristics, work participation, etc.)
- It is organized into four sections:
| Section 1: Active | Families receiving assistance Disaggregated Population: universe or sample |
|---|---|
| Section 2: Closed | Families no longer receiving assistance Disaggregated Population: universe or sample |
| Section 3: Aggregate | Families applying for, receiving, and no longer receiving assistance Aggregated Population: universe |
| Section 4: Stratum | Families receiving and no longer receiving, by stratum Aggregated Requires approved sampling plan N/A for states submitting data on universe population |
What's included
- The report includes a range of data categories, including basic reporting information, family/case information, person information, counts of families, and counts of families by stratum.
| Data Categories | Section 1: Active (77 data elements) | Section 2: Closed (30 data elements) | Section 3: Aggregate (18 data elements) | Section 4: Stratum (6 data elements) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic reporting information (e.g. state, county, reporting month) | x | x | x | x |
| Family/case information (e.g. case numbers, type, status, assistance types and amounts) | x | x | ||
| Person information (e.g. social security numbers, demographics, work activites, time limits) | x | x | ||
| Counts of familes (e.g. Approved, denied, open, closed, two-parent) | x | |||
| Counts of familes, by stratum (e.g. new, ongoing, closed, two-parent) | x |
Why is it important?
- Provides a better understanding of the TANF population
- Legislatively mandated reporting to help the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) to monitor the program's performance and compliance
- These data are used in the several ACF/OFA published data tables and reports
| Publication | Frequency | Section 1: Active | Section 2: Closed | Section 3: Aggregate | Section 4: Stratum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caseload | Quarterly | x | |||
| Characteristics and Financial Circumstances | Annually | x | x | x | x |
| Work Participation Rates | Annually | x | x | x | |
| Time Limits | Annually | x | x | x | |
| TANF Annual Report to Congress | Annually | x | x | x | x |
When is it due?
- Due within 45 days of the end of each fiscal quarterFiscal QuarterDue Date
| 1 | 02/14 |
| 2 | 05/15 |
| 3 | 08/14 |
| 4 | 11/14 |
- Sampling plan is due when sampling methods change
- Data must be complete and accurate - you'll receive monthly feedback from OFA to help!
How and to whom do I send questions?
- States can submit multiple ways:
- Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) (all sections
- Cyberfusion (all sections)
- Allow 2 business days after transmission for confirmation receipt
- Transmission reports for each section file are emailed within 2 business days. Please review them - there may be errors in your data.
- If you don't receive a report, contact tanfdata@acf.hhs.gov with details like:
- Fiscal year and quarter (that you were reporting on)
- File name
- Transmission date and method
- Contact tanfdata@acf.hhs.gov with any questions about the transmissions process, data elements, instructions, and Feedback reports. Please include your OFA TANF Regional Contact on the email as well.
