The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Eligibility
To be eligible for this benefit program, applicants must be a resident of the state in which they apply, and a U.S. citizen, legal alien or qualified alien. You must be unemployed or underemployed and have low or very low income. You must also be one of the following: Have a child 18 years of age or younger, or Be pregnant, or Be 18 years of age or younger and the head of your household.
To Apply
Most nutrition assistance programs funded by the HHS are administered at the state and local levels. Select your state agency from the following map: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/map/about/help-families
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Amount
Assistance will vary based on eligibility.
Eligibility
You qualify for the Child Tax Credit if:
Eligibility is based on income and if all members of your household are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or in some places other general assistance, your household may be deemed “categorically eligible” for SNAP because you have already been determined eligible for another means-tested program.
To Apply
To get SNAP benefits, you must apply in the state in which you currently live and you must meet certain requirements, including resource and income limits, which are described on this page. SNAP income and resource limits are updated annually.
Survivors Benefits
Amount
Assistance will vary. The SSA bases survivors benefit amount on the earnings of the person who died. The more they paid into Social Security, the higher the monthly benefit.
A surviving spouse or child may receive a special lump-sum death payment of $255 if they meet certain requirements.
Eligibility
Certain family members may be eligible to receive monthly benefits, including:
- A widow or widower age 60 or older (age 50 or older if they have a disability).
- A surviving divorced spouse, under certain circumstances.
- A widow or widower at any age who is caring for the deceased’s child who is under age 16 or has a disability and receiving child’s benefits.
- An unmarried child of the deceased who is one of the following:
- Younger than age 18 (or up to age 19 if they are a full-time student in an elementary or secondary school).
- Age 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22.
Under certain circumstances, the following family members may be eligible:
- A stepchild, grandchild, step grandchild, or adopted child.
- Parents, age 62 or older, who were dependent on the deceased for at least half of their support.
To Apply
To report a death or apply for benefits, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA)
Amount
The federal ERA Program allows local programs to receive up to 18 months of help with rent, including overdue rent, back to March 13, 2020, if the money is available.
Eligibility
To be eligible for help covering your rent, you must have an agreement to pay rent for your home or mobile home lot. You don’t necessarily need to have a signed lease, and your home could be an apartment, house, mobile home, or other place.
These three statements also need to be true:
- At least one member of your household has:
- Qualified for unemployment or should qualify
- Lost income
- Owed large expenses, OR
- Had other financial hardships
- Your household income is below a certain amount, based on where you live
- At least one member of your household is experiencing housing instability, which means they are at risk of becoming homeless or would have trouble finding a stable place to live
To Apply
Apply through your local emergency rental assistance (ERA) program. Each local program has some flexibility in how they set up policies and procedures to suit the needs of their local community. For example, in some areas, you can apply for rental assistance yourself. In other areas, landlords need to submit an application first.
2021 Child Tax Credit
Amount
For tax year 2021, the Child Tax Credit is increased from $2,000 per qualifying child to:
- 3,600 for each qualifying child who has not reached age 6 by the end of 2021
- 3,000 for each qualifying child age 6 through 17 at the end of 2021
Eligibility
You qualify for the Child Tax Credit if:
- You have a qualifying child
- Your qualifying child has a Social Security number that is valid for employment
- You meet other eligibility requirements for the Child Tax Credit, which you can check by using the IRS’s Interactive Tax Assistant
To Apply
No application is needed to use this program. However, you must file your taxes.
Deadline
April 15, 2022
Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)
Amount
Assistance will vary.
Through P-EBT, eligible school children receive temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards that are used to purchase food. Children who would have received free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Act if their schools were not closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance for at least 5 consecutive days are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits. P-EBT also provides benefits to younger children in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) whose covered child care facility is closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance, or who live in the area of schools that are closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance.
Eligibility
The following states have been approved to operate a Pandemic EBT program during SY 2021-22:
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
To Apply
Most nutrition assistance programs funded by the Food and Nutrition Service (USDA) are administered at the state and local levels. Select your state agency from the following map:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/contacts/contact-map?f%5B0%5D=program%3A39
Deadline
End of 2021-2022 school year
COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Federal Student Aid
Amount
On Dec. 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) extended the student loan payment pause through May 1, 2022.
The pause includes the following relief measures for eligible loans:
- a suspension of loan payments
- a 0% interest rate
- stopped collections on defaulted loans
Eligibility
- Direct Loans (defaulted and nondefaulted)
- Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans held by ED (defaulted and nondefaulted)
- Federal Perkins Loans held by ED (defaulted and nondefaulted)
- Defaulted FFEL Program loans not held by ED
- Defaulted HEAL loans
To Apply
If your loans are eligible, your loan payments were automatically paused and your interest rate set to 0% starting March 13, 2020. This payment pause, also known as the administrative forbearance, will end May 1, 2022.
Deadline
Ends May 1, 2022
Affordable Connectivity Program
Amount
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a monthly discount on internet service of up to $30 per eligible household (or up to $75 per eligible household on Tribal lands). The participating broadband service provider will receive the funds directly.
Eligibility
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Has an income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines;
- Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
- Participates in Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
- Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program
To Apply
- Go to ACPBenefit.org to submit an application or print out a mail-in application.
- Contact your preferred participating provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill.
Economic Impact Payments
Amount
Starting in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provided Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,200 per adult for eligible individuals and $500 per qualifying child under age 17.
The COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020, enacted in late December 2020, authorized additional payments of up to $600 per adult for eligible individuals and up to $600 for each qualifying child under age 17.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (American Rescue Plan), enacted in early March 2021, provided Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,400 for eligible individuals or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 for each qualifying dependent, including adult dependents.
Eligibility
Generally, you were eligible for the first Economic Impact Payment if you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien, you were not claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer, and you have a Social Security number valid for employment. Payments of $1,200 ($2,400 for a joint return) were issued to individuals whose adjusted gross income (AGI) did not exceed:
$150,000 if married and filing a joint return
$112,500 if filing as head of household or
$75,000 for eligible individuals using any other filing status
Payments were reduced by 5% of the amount by which your AGI exceeds the applicable threshold above.
To Apply
To claim the 2020 or 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, visit: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit
Deadline
People who are missing a stimulus payment or got less than the full amount may be eligible to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return.
The first and second rounds of Economic Impact Payments were advance payments of the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit claimed on a 2020 tax return. They were issued in 2020 and early 2021.
The third round of Economic Impact Payments, including the plus-up payments, were advance payments of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit claimed on a 2021 tax return. It was issued starting in March 2021 and continued through December 2021.
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
Amount
This assistance is limited to a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.
Eligibility
You are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses on or after January 20, 2020, and the funeral expenses were for an individual whose death in the United States, including the U.S. territories or the District of Columbia, may have been caused by, or was likely the result of, COVID-19.
To Apply
Call 1-844-684-6333 to apply for this assistance, then upload documents to https://www.disasterassistance.gov/