One way to get debt help is to use a balance transfer card. You can put all of your credit card debt on a balance transfer card that has a low interest rate.
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Find Help Paying for Your Water Bill
The Salvation Army and other charities can help pay your water bill and other utilities. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency provides Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs) that may be able to help.
Need to Pay Utility Bills? LIHEAP May Have You Covered
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income households by paying for cooling, heating and electricity in times of emergency.
The government offers free and low-cost programs, like Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, to help low-income people pay medical costs. If your income is too high, you may still qualify for low-cost health insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace.
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Need Cash Assistance to Make Ends Meet? Try TANF
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides monthly cash assistance payments for low-income families. Click below to learn more.
Reach Out to Churches and Charities for Bill Assistance
If you are unable to qualify for government benefits, get in touch with some charities or churches. Charities and churches may be able to provide money, food or shelter.
Refinancing your loans can help you pay less interest over time or pay a lower amount each month. Or both! Learn about different loans you can refinance today.
If you love watching movies and shows, consider bundling your streaming service subscriptions. This, and other methods, can save you a lot of money on entertainment every month.
There are many ways to lower your auto insurance! If you are a military member or veteran, you can find discounted auto insurance for veterans. Learn about other methods below!
If you lost your job through no fault of your own, you may qualify for unemployment benefits. You can file a claim with your state’s unemployment agency to see if you qualify.
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Look Out for Veteran and Military Benefits
Are you a servicemember or veteran? If so, be sure to take advantage of military benefits and discounts!
Senior discounts are everywhere! You can seriously save with discounts on auto insurance, travel costs, groceries, restaurants and more. All you need to do is research or ask.
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Keep More Money by Claiming a Child Tax Credit
If you have children in your household, don’t miss out on a Child Tax Credit. Currently, the maximum deduction is $3,600!
SSI & SSDI: Cash Assistance for People With Low Income or Disabilities
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provide cash assistance to people who are elderly, disabled and low-income.
You may be surprised what people are willing to buy from you! Consider selling things like electronics, kitchen appliances, clothing and more from the comfort of your home.
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Look for Inexpensive Child Care Options
If you have a low household income, you may qualify for low-cost childcare from the Early Head Start or the Head Start programs.
At one point or another, we have all struggled with our finances. Sudden situations such as unemployment or emergencies can occasionally lead to hard-working people having to choose between paying the bills or putting food on the table. During these trying times, knowing how to find help paying bills is crucial.
Charities and church-based organizations are available to help. There is also government assistance available for paying phone, water and electric bill expenses. Read on to learn several ways to get help paying bills through several different agencies and programs.
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Find Government, Church & Charity Help to Pay Your Bills and Debt
Churches and charities play an active role in local, regional and national communities by providing food, temporary housing and occasional cash relief to people in need. Applying for this type of assistance is not a regulated experience and is therefore potentially different for each organization.
The first step involves calling churches in your area and asking what type of assistance they provide. The next step is utilizing online searches to find various local, regional or other charities offering bill-paying assistance to qualified applicants.
Qualifying factors are mostly based on income and location. Approvals are often also based on the urgency of needs. Funds for church and charity organizations are most often provided by donations, so availability is frequently limited. Church and charity organizations available to help pay bills include:
There are also government-funded programs that provide cash assistance. Some programs also provide assistance with directly paying bills and living expenses. The federal government often funds bill assistance programs, even though most are actually facilitated by individual U.S. states.
Begin seeking help by contacting your local Social Services office. Social Services offices provide information about state qualification requirements or refer you to other offices/organizations with better information. Qualifying requirements are predominantly based on household income and residential history. Residential history is important to many state-facilitated financial assistance organizations because the funds provided to them are designated to help people in specific counties.
Federal Government Programs are available to help pay food, childcare costs, heating/AC bills and medical expenses. Government services providing help paying bills for both pandemic and non-pandemic-related purposes include:
• Benefits.gov (financial assistance).
• TANF (money to help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency).
• CARES Act (help with paying bills during the pandemic).
• Regular state unemployment benefits and pandemic unemployment provisions.