Frequently Asked Questions

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Accessing TDP

Submitting in TDP

Bug Reporting & Feedback

Accessing TDP

Are there restrictions governing where TDP can be used?

The TANF Data Portal can be used from any computer in the US or US Territories. There is no need to get any particular computer or IP Address “pre-approved” in order to use TDP.

Can multiple users on my team request access to TDP?

Yes. We're not limiting the number of users who can request access per TANF program. We recommend that a minimum of two users request access per team to ensure coverage due to leave or unforeseen circumstances.

Can I access TDP with a Login.gov account that I use for other services?

Yes, a variety of Federal organizations utilize Login.gov. For example, if you use your Login.gov account to access GrantSolutions for submitting TANF expenditure reports in the On-Line Data Collection (OLDC) system, you may also use it to access TDP. Read more about how to use your existing Login.gov account.

What should I do if a member of my team should no longer have access to TDP data?

If a member of your team has recently offboarded or no longer requires access to TDP & TANF data for your program, please contact us at tanfdata@acf.hhs.gov to request the disabling of their TDP account. In your email, kindly provide the individual's first and last name, along with their email address. This information will assist the TDP admins in swiftly identifying the appropriate account.

Submitting in TDP

Do we need to change the way we prepare our files for submission?

Most TANF programs should not need to make changes to the way they prepare data. However, we do require that any programs currently submitting partial data revisions (i.e. data files only containing cases modified or added since the original submission) adjust their process to submit complete data. Read more about how to resubmit complete data.

What are TDP's file update indicator requirements?

The update indicator is an instruction to the system to add, update, or delete/replace records in the TDP database. For TDP, "D" is the only instruction the system accepts. When records are processed, the system will delete and replace any existing data in the TDP database for the specified quarter, program type, and section with the data included in the submitted file. Read more about the header record or how to export complete data using fTANF..

I'm receiving an "Invalid Extension" error when I upload my data, how do I correct it?

TDP requires data files to be submitted in recognizable format but some software tools produce files which lack this information. For these situations we recommend converting your data files to .txt format. Read more about how to save or convert your data in .txt format.

How much data can I submit per day?

You’ll only be able to submit one quarter’s worth of data at a time, but you’re welcome to submit data for multiple quarters in sequence within the same TDP session. For example, you could submit a TANF data file, followed by an SSP-MOE data file (for TANF programs that operate a separate state program). Or, you could submit a data file for the currently-due quarter, followed by revised data files from previous quarters. Read more about how to submit data in TDP.

Can I submit multiple quarters of data in a single file?

No. Each data file can only contain data associated with the specific quarter and fiscal year you've selected to upload to on the TDP Data Files page.

Does “Closed Cases” mean the same thing as “Negative Cases”?

Yes, “Closed Cases” and “Negative Cases” both refer to Section 2 data. There are no changes to the requirements of the data being submitted for this section.

I’m not familiar with Section 4 (Stratum) data—is it required?

No. Section 4 is only for TANF or SSP programs that submit data on a sample of their caseload rather than universe data. If you don’t already submit Section 4 through the legacy TANF Data Reporting system, then you don’t need to submit it in TDP either.

When can I expect to receive feedback on my submitted data?

In TDP you should receive an email from no-reply@tanfdata.acf.hhs.gov confirming that your data has been submitted shortly after submitting it. After that, you should expect to see the feedback reports you currently receive arrive on their normal schedule.

Why did I receive a submission reminder?

TDP sends reminder emails when at least one required TANF, SSP, or Tribal TANF file has not been submitted.

Receiving a reminder does not always mean that your program has data to report. TDP cannot currently tell the difference between a missing file and a reporting period when your program had no caseload or records to report.

Read more about submission reminders on the About Email Notifications page.

When are submission reminders sent?

Submission reminders are sent five days before the quarterly submission deadline.

These emails are reminders sent before the deadline. They are not late notices. TDP does not currently send automatic reminders after a deadline has passed.

Read more about submission reminders on the About Email Notifications page.

What should I do if I have no data to report?

What you should do depends on whether your program had no caseload for the entire quarter, no caseload for part of the quarter, or no records for a specific required file.

Read more on When You Have No Data To Report

Where can I find reporting due dates?

See Reporting Due Dates for TANF, SSP, Tribal TANF, and Fiscal Responsibility Act reporting deadlines.

I submit the 477 Statistical Report. Do I still need to submit quarterly Tribal TANF reports?

Beginning with Fiscal Year 2025, 477 Tribal TANF programs that choose to submit the new 477 Statistical Report are not required to continue submitting quarterly Tribal TANF reports through TDP.

These programs may disregard automated quarterly Tribal TANF submission reminders. They should also contact the TANF Data Team at tanfdata@acf.hhs.gov to confirm that they are submitting the 477 Statistical Report.

See When You Have No Data To Report for more information.

How can I confirm that TDP accepted my submission?

After TDP processes your submission, you can confirm its status by:

• Reviewing the Submission & Error Reports section for the selected reporting period.
• Checking the data submission email sent after processing is complete.

If the submission contains errors, an error report may also be available in the Submission & Error Reports section.

Read more about submission emails on the About Email Notifications page.

Bug Reporting & Feedback

Where can I report a bug or other issue with TDP?

You can anonymously submit bug reports, feedback, and ideas for making TDP better on the Give Feedback page here on the Knowledge Center. If you’re encountering an issue you need support to resolve or simply prefer relaying your feedback directly, you should also feel free to email us at tanfdata@acf.hhs.gov.