How we research and review programs

Effective October 26, 2026

What we include

We list government programs, utility programs and national or local nonprofit programs that give help directly to people and families: money, food, health coverage, tax relief, discounts or free services. The government's official catalog at SAM.gov lists more than 2,200 federal assistance programs, but many of them fund states, schools or organizations rather than individuals, so we don't list those.

Nonprofit programs are included only when they are free to use, widely available and run by an established organization.

Where our information comes from

• Each program page is based on the official page of the agency, utility or nonprofit that runs it, and links to that page.
• Benefit amounts come from the agency's own published figures, and each amount shows its source and the year or period it covers.
• We describe who generally qualifies in plain English. Exact income limits and rules change often, so we send you to the official page for the current numbers instead of copying them.

How we keep it current

• Links: an automated check visits every official link on the site each week and flags any that are broken or have moved. We fix those.
• Amounts: we update benefit amounts when agencies publish new yearly figures, for example Social Security and SSI each January, SNAP each October and VA rates each December.
• Program details: we re-review program descriptions at least once a year, and right away when a reader reports a problem.
• Each program page shows the date its information was last reviewed.

An automated check can tell when a page disappears, but not when a rule quietly changes. That is why every page tells you to confirm the details on the official site before you apply, and why reader reports matter.

Corrections

If something is wrong or out of date, use the Report outdated information link at the bottom of any program page, or email contact@benefitsearch.org. Please don't include personal details like your Social Security number or case number. We check every report against the official source and correct confirmed errors, usually within a few days.

Independence

• BenefitSearch is not a government website and is not affiliated with any agency or program listed.
• No program, agency or company pays to be listed or to be ranked higher.
• If we show ads in the future, they will be clearly labeled, kept apart from the "Apply on the official site" buttons, and will never look like an official application.
• The site is free, and we never sell or collect the answers you enter in the benefits finder.