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An IRS letter saying you owe money can feel like a verdict. It isn't. Low Income Taxpayer Clinics give free or low-cost legal help to people who can't afford a tax professional, and they handle audits, appeals and collection fights. AT A GLANCE Who they help: people with a tax dispute with the IRS who can't afford representation, plus people who speak English as a second language. 2026 income ceiling: $39,900 for one person and $82,500 for a family of four in the lower 48 sta

Extra Help is the Medicare program that can take a drug plan's premium and deductible down to $0 and cap each prescription at a few dollars. Open Enrollment runs until December 7, so this is a good time to check whether you qualify. AT A GLANCE What it is: a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Part D premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and other drug costs. 2026 limits: yearly income under $23,940 (individual) or $32,460 (married couple), w

In 2026 the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month, and for many retirees on a small Social Security check that's money they can't spare. A Medicare Savings Program can move that bill to the state. Many people who qualify never apply. AT A GLANCE What it does: your state pays some or all of your Medicare costs. The most common help covers the Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026). Four programs: QMB, SLMB, QI and QDWI, each with its own income limit. 2026 federal incom

Most Section 8 waiting lists are closed most of the time, and the ones that open can close within days. Getting a voucher is less about one application and more about knowing where to watch, applying to more than one list, and staying reachable once you're on. AT A GLANCE Who runs it: about 2,000 local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) run the Housing Choice Voucher program with HUD funding. You apply to the PHA, not to HUD. Income: generally families must be extremely low-incom

LIHEAP helps pay this winter's heating bill. Weatherization goes after the reason the bill is so high in the first place: air leaks, missing insulation and an old furnace. It's free for eligible households, renters included, but most areas have a waitlist, so the time to apply is before the cold sets in. AT A GLANCE What it is: the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which makes low-income homes more energy efficient and safer at no cost to th

Lifeline takes up to $9.25 a month off a phone or internet bill, or up to $34.25 on Tribal lands. Most people apply through a federal system called the National Verifier, and the part that trips people up is the paperwork, not the eligibility. AT A GLANCE The discount: up to $9.25 a month on internet or bundled service, or up to $5.25 on phone-only service. Up to $34.25 a month on qualifying Tribal lands. Who qualifies: households on SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Federal Public Housin

Missed the back-to-school paperwork, or did your income drop in October? You don't have to wait until next fall. Federal rules require schools to accept a free or reduced-price meal application on any day of the school year. AT A GLANCE When: a household must be permitted to apply at any time during the school year, under federal rules (7 CFR 245.6). Free meals: household income at or below 130% of the poverty guidelines. For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, that's $35,516 a ye

WIC is one of the most generous food programs most families never apply for. If you're pregnant, recently gave birth or have a child under 5, here's who qualifies, what the monthly benefit covers and how to sign up. AT A GLANCE Who: pregnant people, postpartum parents (up to 6 months after the end of a pregnancy), breastfeeding parents (up to the baby's first birthday), infants, and children up to their 5th birthday. Income: gross household income at or below 185% of the fede