How To Get Money Owed To You By The Government

Search For Money From Employers

• Unpaid Wages The Department of Labor may recover back wages for you if your employer broke labor laws. If you think you may be owed back wages from your employer:

• Search DOLs database of workers who have money waiting to be claimed. DOL holds unpaid wages for up to three years.

Free Government Money For Veterans And Senior Citizens

Veterans can obtain free government money from various departments.

For example, if youre sick and need medical assistance, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can find you a suitable grant for this particular requirement.

This is also the case for senior citizens.

In fact, the National Council on Aging has made it easier for our older citizens to find over 2,500 federal and state benefits with the BenefitsCheckUp tool.

With this site, senior citizens can find benefits from food to hospital stays to prescription meds, and so on.

Dont Forget About Closed Banks And Investments

Banks close like other businesses. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers a specialized search to see if there is money in your name left in any failed financial institutions.

You can so a similar search for money left in credit unions at the National Credit Union Administration site.

At TreasuryHunt.gov, you can look for any matured savings bonds that have stopped paying interest.

While youre checking for your info around the web, take a minute to delete yourself from this data broker site that collects your name, address, employer, and other details. Tap or click here for the steps you can take.

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Child Tax Credit Payments: Will You Get $1800 More Per Kid This Year

You won’t get a payment in January, but you can expect more enhanced child tax credit money to arrive this year.

While you won’t receive a child tax credit payment in January, more money is coming this year when you file your tax return. You’ll need to keep an eye out for a letter in the mail from the IRS with details about your child tax credit that you’ll need for your taxes — it’ll be marked Letter 6419. If you’ve already received the notice, don’t toss it.

Filing your taxes will give you a chance to claim any child tax credit money you didn’t receive in 2021 — for instance, if you opted out or if you had a baby later in the year. The IRS letter will tell you how much money you received in 2021 and the number of qualifying dependents used to calculate the payment amounts to compare with your current household situation.

After the remainder of the enhanced payments goes out, you may be wondering what comes next and whether Congress will eventually reauthorize the payments. We’ll explain the latest on the child tax credit payments. We’ll also tell you what to expect when you file your taxes this year. This story is updated regularly.

What Kind Of Unclaimed Property Can My State Hold On To

States could be holding a range of your items you can claim, including: a forgotten checking or savings bank account, a dividend, stocks, bonds, a credit balance, a refund or cash settlement, a utility deposit, an uncashed cashier’s check, a money order, insurance benefits, wages or the contents of an abandoned safe deposit box .

While many states will hold financial assets ranging from mineral rights to the contents of a safe deposit box, some will not take other types of property, including real estate, cars and unused gift certificates. Check with your state to see what types of property you can claim.

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When Is The Deadline To Claim My Money

Most states — including Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas — do not have a deadline for you to claim your money or property. However, for some items, such as jewelry, coins and stamps or the contents of a safe deposit box, states may auction off the property and then hold the proceeds for the rightful owner to claim. Check with your state to find out if you have a deadline to claim your property and if the state will auction off items after a period of time.

How To Stop Your Money From Becoming Unclaimed

Here are some ways you can stop your money from becoming unclaimed:

• Make a deposit – For bank accounts, make a small deposit or a small withdrawal at least once every 7 years.
• Update your details – If you move, change your email, change your phone number or change your name, make sure you tell your financial institution, or other organisations that you have financial arrangements with.

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What If You’re Still Missing One Or More Payments From Last Year

If you’re missing money from one of the previous checks due to an IRS error or outdated information, you can either wait for the issue to be resolved when you file your taxes or you can file a payment trace with the IRS. Before you do that, track your check to make sure it’s not already on the way.

Note that if you gained a dependent since you last filed taxes, the IRS wouldn’t have that information on file. If that’s your case, you won’t get any money until you file your taxes.

Warning About Free Money Scams

The idea of getting free money from the government is so appealing that some people are willing to spend money to get it.

As you might have imagined, some people see this as an opportunity to make money for themselves by selling the dream of free money to interested people.

There are tons of books and programs by so called gurus that supposedly show you tons of ways to get free money out of U.S. government.

One of the most famous ones is a book by Kevin Trudeau, Free Money They Dont Want You to Know About.

This guy has been convicted of larceny and credit card fraud in the early 1990s and sued by the FTC in 1998 for making false or misleading claims in his infomercials promoting his books.

Scammers like this guy have been making tons of money by selling the free money dream.

Please be careful.

Dont waste your money on these scams.

There is no secret that these people can tell you about.

You can find all the information you need about any kind of financial aid program that the government has put in place, without buying useless books.

You just learned about some of them through this post.

You can find out about other programs through various websites, especially websites of different government agencies.

Also, please realize that the U.S. government is not going to literally hand you money.

You cant just walk in there and expect the government to hand you a briefcase full of free cash.

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Protecting And Repairing Your Credit

The Federal Trade Commission website offers advice on how to protect yourself from scams and what to do next if you a victim of fraud or identity theft.

On the FTC website, you can also:

• File a consumer complaint
• Register for the Do Not Call List
• Receive scam alerts

In some cases, you can be reimbursed for being scammed by a business by registering your complaint with the FTC.

Government Assistance For Housing

Finding affordable housing is often difficult, especially if you live in a high cost of living area. These government-run housing programs can help keep you in your home.

Down payment assistance programs

If youre interested in buying a home, but need help with the down payment, there are a number of FHA grants available. Be sure to check the eligibility requirements for each grant, as they vary from program to program and state to state.

You might also be able to get assistance from a VA loan or USDA loan as well.

Affordable housing

There are a number of government programs that help with paying rent, as well as a number of private charities and organizations. To qualify for HUD assistance, you must meet income eligibility requirements as well as guidelines for family size and composition. The type and amount of assistance varies from state to state.

HUD is offering $112M in grants available to expand #affordablehousing for low-income persons with disabilities. AND, for the first time in nearly a decade, new grants to build more!

The three main programs supported by HUD are:

• Privately-owned subsidized housing
• Public Housing
• Housing Choice Vouchers

You can find out if you qualify for one of these programs by contacting your local housing authority. Please note that in most areas, the Section 8 waiting list is incredibly long and in some cities, the list is closed to new applicants.

Foreclosure prevention

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Will You Get More Enhanced Child Tax Credit Checks This Year

To date, the enhanced monthly child tax credit checks have expired and will revert back to the original amount unless a vote is made to extend the payments. The House of Representatives passed an extension of the child tax credit increase and advance payments when it ratified the Build Back Better bill in November. However, Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said he wouldn’t support the bill unless a work requirement for parents is added. His vote could determine the outcome of the payments since the bill needs the support of all 50 Democrats to pass the evenly divided Senate.

In a letter to senators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised a vote on Build Back Better in early January 2022. We’ll update this story as new information develops.

Recovering Money From The Us Government

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Where Does Unclaimed Money Come From

The government is holding onto unclaimed money that comes from a variety of sources. Usually, unclaimed money becomes unclaimed when its lost in the mail. A check is sent out from an old insurance payment or a utility deposit and the money never ends up reaching the intended recipient. In these cases, the money is sent back to the company or government account where it originated before its sent to the government unclaimed money account that is in place for situations just like these.

To Help With The Cost Of Phone Bills And Internet

• Where to find it:

Lifeline is a government program designed to make communications services more affordable for people on a low income.

So, if youre finding it tough to pay for wireline and wireless services, then you should definitely check out this program.

Each month, Lifeline gives you a discount on $9.95 discount on services, such as telephone service and broadband purchased from participating providers.

Its designed to give people on a low income affordable broadband and get access to the jobs, education and opportunities it provides.

Check out the guidelines for eligibility on FCCs official website its available to people on a low income, but also to those who participate in certain assistance programs.

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How To Find Unclaimed Money

If a business, government office, or other source owes you money that you dont collect, it’s considered unclaimed. Unclaimed property can include many things, including cash, checks, money orders, security deposits, or the contents of safe deposit boxes.

The federal government doesnt have a central website for finding unclaimed money. But you dont need to hire a company to find unclaimed money for you. You can find it on your own for free, using official databases.

Government Assistance For Unemployment

If youve recently been laid off and are struggling to settle financial responsibilities or buy basic necessities like food, you can apply for unemployment assistance with the Department of Labor.

The help could be enough to get you through this rough patch until you find replacement employment.

Not everyone is eligible though, so make sure to check first.

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If A Claim Has More Than One Owner

If there is more than one claimant, all claimants information needs to be provided, including their signatures and other documentation to support their identity and balance entitlement.

• An unclaimed balance held by two or more names joined by or, may be claimed in its entirety by any of the balance holders or by the estates of any deceased balance holders, if applicable.
• An unclaimed balance held by two or more names joined by and, will be split equally between the living holders and the estates of any deceased balance holders, if applicable.

In either case, when a claim is made on behalf of a deceased balance holder, the claimant must be an authorized representative of the deceased balance holder.

How To Find Lost Money

A forgotten savings account or a lost paycheck can be a lifeline for many people during this time. Luckily, there are credible websites that can help you search for these windfalls of cash.

To start, visit NAUPA’s website Unclaimed.org, a national network collecting records from all 50 states. From there, you can find links to each state’s official unclaimed property program. These are all vetted government resources, so it’s important you go through NAUPA-provided websites versus a general search engine.

When you click on a state, you will be directed to its official website. To search for your unclaimed money, use both your current and maiden name if you legally changed your last name. You may want to try different search inquires as well, such as using the first initial of your first name plus your full last name.

Because unclaimed property is reported to the state where the company or organization is located, it’s common to have lost money in more than one place, especially if you have moved between states. To search multiple states at once, NAUPA recommends using MissingMoney.com, a free website they endorse. Make sure to check every state where you have lived and done business.

Some other government sources with searchable databases include:

• The IRS website for any undeliverable tax refunds
• The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for unclaimed pension money
• The U.S. Treasury Hunt for unclaimed savings bonds, registered Treasury notes or registered Treasury bonds

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How Can You Claim Unclaimed Money

Unclaimed money can be repaid to the owner of the money, or someone who is authorised to act on behalf or instead of the owner, once a claim has been established as valid. You will need to provide as much evidence as possible to show that you are entitled to the money, including proof of your identity. Where you go to make that claim will depend on what type of money it is. In most cases, you will not be entitled to interest on any unclaimed money.

The Inland Revenue Department has information about unclaimed money it holds. There are instructions on their website about how to make a claim.

Qualify For Affordable Medical Insurance

Health insurance is expensive and if you currently dont have health insurance, you might be paying the Individual Mandate Penalty for no reason.

HealthCare.gov is the place to go sign up for federal health insurance through The Marketplace .

Depending on your income, you can actually receive a premium credit and potentially pay nothing for your medical insurance.

If you think your only two options are $700-a-month premium or being uninsured and paying a penalty at tax time, you might be pleasantly surprised.

A family of four that makes $35,000 a year can receive a monthly tax credit of $1,337 to reduce their monthly premium costs.

In addition to applying for a plan on the Marketplace, you can also find information on low-income health coverage like Medicaid, Medicare, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program .

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Free Government Money For Housing

If youre a low-income family and you want to buy a home in the private market, you might be eligible for the Housing Choice Voucher homeownership program. To apply, you need to contact your local Public Housing Agencies , which administers this program with federal funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development .

On the other hand, if you are struggling with mortgage payment and at risk of foreclosure, you can seek the help of Homeownership Preservation Foundations HOPE program.

Call 888-995-HOPE or visit 995hope.org and youll be greeted by someone willing to help you not only settle your backlog, but work with you to come up with a plan to suit your current income level, or modify your mortgage for those who got victimized by a mortgage scam.