Financial Assistance for Bills and More | USAGov (2023)

The government COVID-19 eviction moratorium has ended. Landlords now have the ability to evict renters who are not able to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a renter or as a landlord, government programs can help you with rent money and advice for your situation.

Emergency Rental Assistance

Find rental assistance programs near youfrom your state, local, or tribal government.

Get Advice for Renters from a Housing Counselor

• Speak with a HUD-approved housing counselor near you for advice on your specific situation.
• HUD'sCOVID-19 Resources for Renters page offers detailed advice if you're struggling to pay rent or are facing eviction.

Learn How to Avoid Eviction as a Renter

Learn how to avoid eviction and how to make a payment plan with your landlord.

Find Emergency Housing

If you are going to be evicted and need emergency housing, call 211 for local housing help or search using HUD's Find Shelter tool.

Recover Back Rent as a Landlord

Learn how to recover back rent and find out about mortgage forbearance for your property if you are a landlord.

If you’ve been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic and you own a single-family home with a federally backed or FHA-insured mortgage, you can request mortgage forbearance, a pause in making mortgage payments.

Deadline to Request Mortgage Forbearance Extended

You now have until the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency to request forbearance for loans backed by HUD/FHA, USDA, and VA. For loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there is currently no deadline.

What Your Loan Servicer Must Do if You Request Forbearance

If you're having trouble making payments on your federally backed mortgage because of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact your loan servicer. They must:

• Defer or reduce your payments for six months if you contact them to make arrangements.

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  • You can request an extension if you need it. For most loans, your forbearance can be extended up to 12 months.

• Offer options for how you can make up the deferred or reduced payments. They will discuss these options with you at the end of your forbearance period.

Find Your Loan Servicer

If you don't know whether your mortgage is federally backed, ask your loan servicer. You can also check the Fannie Mae loan lookup and the Freddie Mac loan lookup to see if either one owns or backs your mortgage. Together, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own nearly half of all mortgages in the U.S.

By claiming the Child Tax Credit (CTC), you can reduce the amount of money you owe on your federal taxes. The amount of credit you receive is based on your income and the number of qualifying children you are claiming.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CTC was expanded under the American Rescue Plan of 2021. The IRS pre-paid half the total credit amount in monthly payments from July to December 2021. When you file your 2021 tax return, you can claim the other half of the total CTC.

Learn more about the Advance Child Tax Credit.

The additional SNAP (food stamp) benefits your state provided during the COVID-19 pandemic have now ended.

Learn about other food assistance programsthat can supply food on an emergency basis or help you pay for food each month.

If you’re facing homelessness, these tips can help you get ready for and work through the situation.

Prepare Yourself and Your Family

• Make sure your state ID or driver’s license is current and available. Shelters and assistance programs may have strict ID requirements.
• If possible, store your belongings. Shelters have limits on how much you may bring.
• Arrange for your mail to be delivered somewhere or talk to your local post office. Many have special services for people who are homeless. You may be able to get a free PO box or receive general delivery service.
• Pack a bag for yourself and each member of your family.
• Keep important documents and needed medications with you.

Find Housing

1. Dial 211. In most areas of the U.S., this will connect you with local social services and referrals for emergency housing.
2. Check for shelter and housing through your state. You can also check your local government or state's human or social services programs for housing assistance. Or use the map on the Homeless Shelter Directory to find a shelter near you. The types of facilities vary. Research the best options for:
   • Cost - Most shelters are free, but some may charge a small fee. Most facilities that provide residential drug or alcohol rehabilitation programs charge a fee. Many, however, are low-cost, accept Medicaid, or operate on a sliding scale based on your income.
   • Length of stay - This can vary from a couple of days to weeks or months.
   • Types of services - Some facilities just provide safe shelter for the night, while others are transitional. They provide both housing and support services. They may help you with substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, or job training.
3. Apply for more permanent public or subsidized housing. Typically, there are long waiting lists for public and subsidized housing. Apply as soon as possible.

Homeless Resources for Special Groups

These resources are geared toward specific audiences:

Veterans

• Homeless Veteran Resources from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Use these resources to find safe housing. Or explore opportunities to return to employment, find health care, or get mental health services.
• Call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838). You can find help 24 hours a day.

Youth

• Call the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929).
• Housing programs and street outreach - Find stable, safe housing. You can also get education help, survival aid, counseling, crisis intervention, and follow-up support.

People With Mental Illness

• Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) - Find help if you have a serious mental illness. The PATH program can assist you if you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Other Types of Help if You’re Homeless

Visit Benefits.gov to find out if you’re eligible and how to apply for other types of help. This may include financial assistance, transportation, food, counseling, and more.

If you don’t have medical insurance, you can use HRSA health centers. They give checkups, treatment when you’re sick, pregnancy care, and immunizations for your children.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission'sEmergency Broadband Benefit Programprovides a temporary discount on monthly broadband internet bills for qualifying households with a low income.

For eligible households, the Emergency Broadband Benefit provides:

• Adiscount of up to $50 per month towardbroadband service
• A discount of upto $75 per month for broadband for households on qualifying tribal lands
• A one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers

Find out if you qualify and how to apply for the Emergency Broadband Benefit.

To help ease the financial burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing up to $9,000 reimbursement for funeral expenses related to COVID-19. The death must have occurred after January 20, 2020.

Visit theFEMA COVID-19 funeral assistance pageto:

• Learnif you are eligible for the program
• See what expenses are covered
• Find out how to apply and what documents you will need

Scammers are targeting people whose loved ones have died from COVID-19. Learn how toprotect yourself from COVID-19 funeral assistance scams.

If you're repayinga U.S. Department of Education-backed student loan, you're receiving forbearance. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, your principal and interest payments have been automatically suspended beyond the start of 2023. The exact date of payments restarting is not yet known.

• Learn aboutCOVID-19 emergency relief for federal student loans.
• This special forbearance does not apply to private student loans. But private lenders may have their own plans for helping borrowers during the coronavirus pandemic. Contact your lender for details.
• If you're participating in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), learn how you're affected during the COVID-19 emergency.
• Beware of peoplewho get in touch asking you to pay a fee to suspend your federal student loan payments. They're scammers.Report them to the Federal Trade Commission.

Vaccines.gov makes it easy to find COVID-19 vaccination sites. Select which vaccine you want and search by zip code. Depending on your location, you may be able to choose from pharmacies, health department clinics, and other health care providers.