45 CFR § 260.20 - What is the purpose of the TANF program?

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t45/s260.20"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "45 CFR § 260.20 - What is the purpose of the TANF program?"
title_number: 45
title_name: "Public Welfare"
section_number: "260.20"
section_name: "What is the purpose of the TANF program?"
chapter_name: "OFFICE OF FAMILY ASSISTANCE (ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS), ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES"
part_number: "260"
part_name: "GENERAL TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) PROVISIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "42 U.S.C. 601, 601 note, 603, 604, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 619, and 1308."
regulatory_source: "64 FR 17878, Apr. 12, 1999, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "260"
---


# 260.20 What is the purpose of the TANF program?

The TANF program has the following four purposes:

(a) Provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;

(b) End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;

(c) Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and

(d) Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.