Viral Video Claims There's a Welfare Loophole for People With Kids Under 7

There is a lot of misinformation going around nowadays, unfortunately. AI hallucinations, bot accounts, and misinterpretations of data or headlines have exacerbated the issue. It's important to be critical of claims you see on social media and do your own research on credible websites to verify important issues.

A far-right X account posted a video claiming that people can get welfare benefits indefinitely, without working, as long as they have a child under six in the household. The video got over a million views and incited hateful comments towards those using government assistance programs. So is the claim accurate?

In the video, a woman faces the camera and holds a pregnancy test. She says, "We have six kids. We live on welfare, and we're trying for baby number seven. I decided I wanted to try for baby number seven because ... well, because we're on welfare ... You don't actually have to work until the baby turns seven."

She continues, "Our youngest is turning two. So I decided it's time to try for another baby, so we don't actually have to get off welfare."

The right-wing account that shared the video, @WallStreetApes, says, "Americans found a loophole in the welfare system. She says she doesn't have to work until her kid turns seven, so she keeps having more kids every time one of her kids is about to turn seven."

@WallStreetApes then claims that they verified that the information is true. However, the information the account sites in their research is related to SNAP benefits, which are different and separate from TANF benefits, which are often referred to as "welfare."

SNAP benefits help people working part-time or low-wage jobs afford food. According to the USDA website, the program also helps people who are getting welfare payments and those who are elderly, living with disabilities, low-income, or unhoused. These payments are specifically limited to help with groceries, and the site says that most families have to supplement SNAP payments with their own cash.

Most people receiving SNAP must also register for work or be part of a work training program to receive the benefits. Some states have slightly different rules, and @WallStreetApes is right that having a child in the home can help extend SNAP benefits for families. However, SNAP is not an income replacement, and it's likely not what the account was referring to as "welfare." For example, you couldn't use SNAP to pay rent or utilities.

It's complicated. Most families are limited to a lifetime benefit of 60 months, or five years, of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits. Individual states can issue extensions based on hardship.

According to Congress.gov, the federal government has general requirements for TANF that are applied at the state level. One requirement is that 90% of dual-parent families must be "engaged in work" to get benefits. They have the option to exclude single parents caring for an infant, but this is limited to 12 months in a person's lifetime.

States can sanction adults who don't meet work requirements, and they can decide who is exempt or has good cause for not meeting them. They can also decide the sanction amount and can choose to reduce or end benefits for noncomplying individuals.

It does say that states cannot sanction a single parent with a child under six if he/she cannot find affordable child care. Although it's unclear whether the woman in the video is single, let's assume this would apply to her. She has six children now. Let's pretend she has a seventh child, and her state allows her to avoid being sanctioned for not meeting work requirements until the child reaches age seven.

Benefit amounts vary by state. In California, for example, a single parent with seven children could hypothetically receive a maximum of $2,669 a month of TANF benefits, given they don't have deductions based on property they own, or other savings or income.

The average price of a three-bedroom apartment in California is $3,341/month in 2026, according to Apartments.com. The average price of a two-bedroom apartment is $2,656/month.

If the family of 8 rented a two-bedroom apartment, they would hypothetically be living with four people to a room. And based on the average rent in the state, that only leaves $13 of benefits after rent is paid. Plus, the single parent would still have to take care of their seven kids.

So while the family hypothetically might be able to get away with "avoiding work" based on specific state exemptions, it clearly would not be worth it for the family. This leaves no supplemental money for food, clothes, school supplies, childcare, transportation, or other essentials.

And then after the hypothetical exemption period ends, they'd have to financially support and care for seven teenagers, which would be extremely difficult with no savings or work earnings. So while it may be true that you can avoid sanctions for not working while on welfare if you have a young child, it's clearly not a viable long-term plan.