An official State of Texas website.
Revision 15-4; Effective December 1, 2015
A child is neither married nor a head of a household and is either:
- under age 18; or
- under age 22 and a student regularly attending school, college or training that is designed to prepare him/her for a paying job.
See Section D-1210, Definition of a Child, for more information.
A couple is two people who live together and:
- present themselves to the community as a married couple, intend to be married and are considered to be married under state law;
- are determined to be married for purposes of receiving Social Security benefits; or
- are recognized as married under state law.
A dependent relative is a relative who was living in the home of an applicant or recipient before the applicant's or recipient's absence and who is unable to support himself or herself outside of the person's home due to medical, social or other reasons.
A parent is:
- a natural or adoptive parent of the child, or
- the spouse of the natural or adoptive parent ("stepparent").
The stepparent must be the present spouse of the natural or adoptive parent. A person is not a stepparent if the natural or adoptive parent to whom the stepparent was married has died, or if the parent and stepparent have been divorced or their marriage has been annulled. See Section D-4213, Parent, for more information on the definition of a parent.