Get some financial help for free from Uncle Sam!

Free Financial Help From The Government

Sometimes it seems as if rich people can afford to get the best financial help. You may feel like the rich just get richer because of this. If you are struggling with bills and other financial issues, you may think that you lack the funds to get help with money problems. However, there are lots of financial services that you can access without paying another cent.  Lots of this help comes from the US government, state and county governments, or local foundations and schools.

Be wary of some free financial help offers. They may be “free”, but require a paid membership or have some “catch” attached to them. Sometimes this membership is valuable, but some unwary consumers get sucked into paying more money than they would have if they just paid for the service in the first place.  Some of these paid services only direct you the free help you could have gotten by going directly to the government website in the first place.

To be safe, look for a .gov extension on the website. These are government websites which provide free consumer information.

Loan Modification and Foreclosure Help : There are a lot of expensive offers to help people who are struggling with late mortgage payments or potential foreclosures. However, you can find out about free loan modification help from the federal government. Go to makinghomeaffordable.gov for more information about this topic.

Free Online IRS Tax Filing Software: You may be able to prepare and submit your federal tax returns for free. This comes from a cooperative effort between private software companies and the federal government. If your family adjusted gross income is $58,000 or less, you may qualify. You can get more information from IRS.gov.

Free Tax Help From Volunteers: Taxpayers who qualify can get free tax preparation help from volunteer tax preparers.  The IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA) helps people with low to moderate incomes. There is also a VITA program for military families. The income limit is generally about $49,000. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program provides free tax help for taxpayers over 60 years old.  Hop over to IRS.gov to learn more.

Free Credit Repair: The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC.gov) has some great advice about do-it-yourself credit repair. They can also help you avoid high fees from aggressive marketing tactics by companies who sell credit repair services.  They can also help you if you have already been ripped off by unfair credit repair or credit reporting practices.

Free Legal Assistance: Many communities or states sponsor free legal clinics. Sometimes lawyers donate their time to staff these clinics. Sometimes law students, under supervision of qualified lawyers, perform the work.  This may be a bit harder to find because a lot is provided by local law schools or private charities. However, the US Department of Justice website (JUSTICE.gov) does have links to some resources in various states and cities.  You can visit that site and search for the services you need.  Another tactic to find free legal help might be to call a local law school, church, or community charity.

Free Financial Help For Other Needs: Have you been to USASpending.gov? You can find helpful resources and links to actual government websites that provide gateways to grant applications, home budgets, government loans, federal contracts, and much more.  In fact, many paid private services that promise, for example, free government grants, do not do anything else but point customers to the free federal website!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.