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39 Ways to Get Free Money From the Government

Written by - Verified by Amanda on October 16, 2023

We’re used to the government taking our money. Sometimes though, the government actually gives out money!

In today’s post, I’m going to give you 39 ways to get free money from the government.

Table of Contents

Free Government Money: Is it really possible?

I’m going to level with you here.

The government doesn’t just hand out money to people for no reason.

Sure, that’d be amazing, but it’s just not the case.

That’s not to say that getting cash from the government isn’t possible.

It totally is.

Through government programs, you can get yourself free money, or services.

But, these programs and initiatives are usually only available to those who qualify, like:

  • Veterans
  • Seniors
  • Low income families
  • Parents
  • Students

Now, how the government gives out money also varies. It could be through:

  • Financial assistance
  • Refunds
  • Grants
  • Vouchers
  • Free services

So, it’s not always a deposit of cash right into your bank account.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get onto the list of places where you can get free money, services, and more from the government.

39 Ways to Get Free Government Money

So, now that you know the details, you are probably wondering, “What ways can I get money from the government?“.

Let’s take a look at some ways you can find financial assistance, services, and money from the government.

1. See if you’re owed money with Unclaimed.org

If you’re wondering how to get free government money you never pay back, you may want to visit Unclaimed.org.

It’s a government-maintained website that’s designed to return money to its rightful owner.

You can use the site to find out if you have any money that’s owed to you.

An instance where this could occur is when you put up a security deposit on your apartment to get your utilities started, but you didn’t get it back when you moved out.

There are lots of times when people are owed money, but they just forget to claim it.

Now, this is technically your cash, but it’s a good place to start looking for free government money.

All you need to do is visit the site and do a quick search of your name to see if you have any money out there that’s unclaimed.

  • Visit the site here.

2. Get an unclaimed tax refund check

The IRS has millions of dollars in tax refunds that go unclaimed each year.

That’s free cash just ready for the taking.

There are a few ways you may be owed a tax refund check:

Federal tax refund checks that go undelivered: If you moved but forgot to inform the IRS of your address change, then you may have missed out. This is because tax refund checks are mailed to your last known address.

  • You can rectify this issue here.

Unclaimed Federal Tax Refunds: This occurs when you don’t file your return despite being eligible. In this case, your refund will essentially go unclaimed.

  • Learn more about unclaimed federal tax refunds here.

State refund checks: You may be owed tax refunds at a state level.

  • You can sort this issue here.

You can also call the IRS to get help with unclaimed tax refunds. Get the phone number for the IRS here.

3. Get free money for college

Going to college is expensive.

So wouldn’t it be great if you could get free money for the government to pay for college?

Well, you can, sort of!

The Federal Pell Grant program gives grants to eligible college students each year.

Unlike a loan, you don’t have to pay a grant back, which is awesome.

4. Get assistance with childcare costs

Childcare is a huge cost for families. It can take up a huge chunk of a family’s budget each month.

The government can provide you with assistance. It offers income-based financial assistance for childcare bills.

  • See which programs are available in your state here.

5. Receive free cash for making your home more energy efficient

The government will pay you to make your home more energy efficient.

You can achieve this by doing things like having it properly insulated, and installing storm windows and weather stripping.

Not only do these things make your home more energy-efficient, but they also lower the cost of your energy bills.

Through the Weatherization Assistance plan from the US Department of Energy, you could get up to $2,500 for doing this!

The program provides cash incentives to people who are willing to make their homes more energy efficient.

6. Get food assistance from SNAP

If you are living on a low income, you may be able to get food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP is a program offered by the Food and Nutrition Service, which is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Now, its aim is to provide nutritional assistance to low-income families. It does this by providing benefits that you can use to buy food, like fruits and vegetables, and dairy products and meat.

7. Recover money from United States savings bonds

You can recover a savings bond that you’ve lost, or one that’s been damaged or destroyed.

All you need to do is provide the serial number for the bond.

You’ll need to give other information if you don’t have the bond, such as your social security number and the specific month and year of purchase.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll get an electronic replacement for your bond from the U.S. Treasury.

8. Get free education benefits from Veterans Affairs

If you’re a veteran, you may be able to get education benefits for free from Veterans Affairs.

These benefits are available to veterans, service members, and their qualified family members.

Those eligible can get assistance with things like paying for college tuition and finding the right school or training program.

9. Get money for unclaimed back wages

Search the Wage and Hour Division’s Database and you can claim unpaid wages.

The WHD is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. It gives you details about money waiting to be claimed by workers.

  • You can find out whether you’re owed unclaimed back wages here.

10. Potentially get rid of a portion of your student loan debt

Have you got a student loan?

What if the government gave you free money to pay it off?

That would be great, right?

Well, they do, sort of!

With student loan forgiveness you can have your student loan debt partially canceled.

Now, this isn’t without a bit of effort.

To be eligible, you need to have a loan backed by the federal government and be employed by a government or not-for-profit organization.

Make 120 qualifying monthly payments under a repayment plan and the program will forgive the remaining balance on your loan.

Now, this means that getting a student loan forgiven takes about ten years.

  • You can learn more here.

11. Get free money from old pensions

Lots of companies go out of business. And it’s easy for former employees to forget about the pension plans they had with these companies.

So, you may be owed money from a pension plan if you’ve worked for a company that went bust.

And, there’s an easy way to find out.

The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) has a database you can use to see if there’s a pension plan you were previously associated with that you are owed money for.

  • Visit the PBGC website here.

12. Receive financial assistance for your veteran-owned small business

The government provides veterans who own a small business financial assistance, and other benefits, like:

  • Tax relief
  • Better access to capital
  • The ability to do business with VA. Your company must be registered as a VOSB or SDVOSB in order to do business with VA.
  • Priority when bidding on contracts for other federal or state government agencies.
  • Free resources, education, and training to help you learn how to do business with VA.
  • And more.

These benefits are offered through the Vets First Verification Program, which is operated by the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU).

13. Receive free food for kids during the summer break

If your kids get assistance with food while at school, this can save you so much money.

But, what about when school’s not in session?

Many families struggle to afford food during the holidays.

You could get free food for your kids during the summer break through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

The SFSP program helps children and teenagers in low income areas to get free healthy meals and snacks when school is not in session. It’s a great program that you should take a look at if you’re on a low income.

It’s not technically free cash, but since the government is paying for food for you, it’s essentially free money!

14. Get help paying for your phone bills and internet

Imagine getting free money from the government to help you with your phone and internet bills.

Well, you can with Lifeline.

It’s a program from the government that makes communication services more affordable for people on a low income.

You can get a $9.25 discount on services like your phone and broadband when it’s purchased from participating providers.

The government offers this program as it wants to make the jobs, education, and opportunities that an internet connection provides more accessible to people on a low income.

The program is not only available to those on a low-income, but also to people who participate in certain assistance programs.

15. Receive help with cost of heating and electricity

You could get help paying your heating or electric bill with the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

If you’re eligible, the program can help you with energy costs, such as your home energy bills, weatherization, and energy-related minor home repairs.

Free cash to pay your bills? Great, right?

  • Learn more here, and view the eligibility criteria here.

16. Receive cash for unclaimed veteran life insurance funds

You could be owed money if you or a family member are a veteran who had an insurance policy.

Visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Then search for unclaimed insurance funds. Enter the veteran’s name to see if there are any funds waiting to be claimed for current or former policyholders or their beneficiaries.

17. Exchange damaged cash for spendable money!

You can get damaged and mutilated money replaced by the Treasury Department. So, if you have notes that have been water-damaged or torn, for example, then you could get them replaced.

This means that you can turn unusable cash into money that you can actually spend!

18. Get low-cost or free lunches for your kids

Kids who attend public schools, non-profit private schools, and residential childcare institutions, can get free or low-cost lunches every school day. This service is available through the National School Lunch Program.

19. Get money to help with a down payment on a home

A lot of people struggle to get onto the housing ladder because they just can’t afford the cost of a down payment on a house.

Fortunately, the government may be able to help you.

You may be able to get money from the FHA that you can put towards a down payment on a home.

Great, right?

The FHA provides grants to eligible people who are looking to buy a home.

  • Learn which grants are available in your state here.

20. Receive credits towards healthcare insurance premiums

When you purchase coverage through Healthcare.gov, you may be eligible for a credit toward insurance premiums.

The Affordable Care Act provides subsidies to families for health insurance.

  • Learn more about the credit you can receive towards insurance costs here.

21. Get a credit report for free!

You probably don’t want to spend money on a credit report if your budget is tight.

Don’t worry, the government can help you out.

Federal law allows you to get a copy of your credit report for free every 12 months.

You can get this free report from the major credit reporting companies, like Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

22. Claim back funds from failed banks

You could claim back funds if you had money deposited in a bank that failed.

Each depositor is insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank under the FDIC.

23. Get a laptop for free

Laptops don’t come cheap. Even a budget one will set you back a couple hundred dollars.

Fortunately, the government may be able to help you out.

Instead of you having to part with cash, the government may give you a laptop for free.

The Department of Social and Health Services can assist people on a low-income in getting a free laptop.

The department does this by connecting you with local programs and non-profit organizations that can help you get a laptop for free.

Your local Department of Social and Health Services may be able to help you.

  • To find your state’s Department of Social or Human Services, visit this page.

24. Get a refund on your FHA-insured mortgage

You could be eligible for a refund from HUD/FHA if you had an FHA-insured mortgage.

Search the HUD database to see if you are owed a refund. You can also call 1-800-697-6967 if you don’t find your name, and ask about your status.

25. Receive free formula from WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a program that could help you out if you’re a mother who lives on a low-income.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and infants and children up to five years old can get assistance from the WIC.

Assistance from the program includes things like free formula, nutrition education, counseling, and screening and referrals to other health, welfare and social services, in addition to other benefits that are available, at local WIC clinics.

The program can save you a lot of money on formula, so it’s certainly worth looking into if you’re a mother or expecting mom who lives on a low income.

  • Learn more here and apply for the program here.

26. Get free health insurance for your children

Paying for your kid’s health insurance is expensive, but you can’t do without it.

So, what can you do?

Fortunately, at a state level there’s a universal health insurance program available for children.

This program will cover most health-related expenses either in full or in part, like hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription drugs.

There is a caveat with this program though, and it’s that at least one parent must be working.

27. Receive free vocational counseling and training through VA

If you’re a veteran, you may be able to get vocational counseling and training for new skills from Veterans Affairs.

This is available through the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program.

With this program, veterans who are eligible can get:

  • Career guidance
  • Job-market evaluation
  • A skills assessment
  • Education and training in a vocational field that suits you.
  • Employment assistance.
  • Apprenticeship, on-the-job training, and volunteer opportunities.

And these services are totally free. This can save you so much money.

  • Learn more about the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program here.

28. Get free money from the government if you’re unemployed

You might want to know if you can get free money from the government because you’re unemployed.

That’s a good question because when you’re out of work, financial strain and stress increase.

If you’re feeling a little strapped for cash, the government may be able to help you.

Each state offers unemployment benefit programs.

This means that if you’re out of work and need support, you may want to file for unemployment benefits.

Unemployment benefits differ from state to state. Here is a handy website you can use though that’s called CareerOneStop, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. It gives you the contact information and places where you can file for unemployment benefits in your state.

  • You can use the site’s Unemployment Benefits Finder here.

29. Receive free money to pay your rent

Paying rent is one of our biggest expenses.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get free money to pay it?

Well, you can!

You could get help to pay your rent from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

One way it does this is through its House Choice Voucher Program.

This program “assists very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled so that they can afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.”

So, you could get housing assistance to find your own housing, which can include single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments.

Basically, you are given a voucher to put towards rent.

You are free to choose any home that meets the requirements of the program. It’s not limited to units in subsidized housing projects.

The vouchers are given out locally by public housing agencies.

The housing subsidy is paid directly to the landlord by the public housing agency (PHA) on your behalf. Then, you pay the difference between the cost of the rent charged by the landlord and the amount that’s paid by the program. In some cases, if the PHA authorizes it, you could use your voucher to buy a “modest home.”

  • Learn more about the Housing Choice Voucher Program here.

30. Receive money back from failed credit unions

It’s not just failed banks that you can get your money back from.

If you deposited money into a failed credit union, you could also get that back.

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) will pay you back

  • Search for unclaimed deposits on the NCUA website here.

31. Get a free car seat from your local department of health, social services, or public safety

Car seats are legally required, and as a parent, you always want to keep your child safe. Car seats don’t come cheap though.

Fortunately, many local departments offer them for free, like:

  • The Department of Health
  • The Department of Social Services
  • The Department of Public Safety

It’s important to note that not all states provide free car seats. Many of them do though, so make sure you inquire with your local department.

Here are some examples of states offering free car seats:

  • Virginia Department of Health: It offers a safety seat program to low income families. The program gives income-eligible children child safety seats and booster seats for free. You can apply for a free car seat if you are the parent, legal guardian, or foster parent of a child who lives in Virginia.
  • Texas Department of Health and Human Services: This program offers families on a low income child safety seat distribution and education program.
  • Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety (A Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety): This program provides free car seat distribution centers. Visit the site and use the map to find a center near you.

32. Free help preparing your tax return

You could get someone to do your tax return for you for free!

Awesome, right?

Sure, the government isn’t technically handing you free money. But, since working with an accountant can get pretty expensive, getting free tax assistance means you don’t have to spend any of your hard-earned cash!

So, essentially, this is free money!

If you are on a low income, you could get help preparing your tax return, through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). It’s an initiative from the IRA that basically gives you a free tax preparation service.

33. Get free advice on how to start a business

Like many people, you may want to start a business, but you just don’t know where to begin.

Getting business advice doesn’t come cheap.

That’s where the U.S. Small Business Administration can help.

It has 900 Small Business Development Centers all over the country.

If you’re an aspiring business owner or small business owner, you can get free advice and technical assistance at these centers.

From the development of business plans to contracts, you can get free advice and information on all aspects of starting and operating a business.

Getting business advice for free is great because otherwise, it’s pretty expensive.

Also, if you need a business loan, a good option is to get a loan that has a low interest rate, from the SBA’s Small Business Development Center.

You can avoid high interest rates charged by other places. So, sure, no loan’s free, but low interest ones sure do save you a lot of money!

  • Find a center near you here, and learn more about business loans here.

34. Protect and repair your credit report for free

Since scams like identity theft and credit fraud are so prevalent it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on your credit.

Doing that is easy too!

On FTC.gov, you can do things like file consumer complaints against companies, report identity theft, put yourself on the “Do Not Call” list, and learn about the latest scams.

If you file a complaint against the company and the FTC rules in your favor, then you could get money back from a company.

File a complaint with the FTC if you have been scammed or think you may have been the victim of a fraudulent activity.

Just fill out a form and visit the site.

35. Receive free help with home ownership

Get free help with home ownership from The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Aside from help with down payments, as I mentioned above, you can also get money for closing costs, in some cases, and free advice on many aspects of homeownership, such as buying, selling, or repairing a home.

36. Use BenefitsCheckUp to see what senior benefits you’re entitled to

BenefitsCheckUp is a handy tool from the National Council on Aging.

It’s a search engine that you can use to find out if you’re eligible for 2,500 federal, state, and private benefits programs.

Handy, huh?

These programs can help you pay for things like food and medication.

BenefitsCheckUp has helped more than five million people to find more than $18 billion in benefits since 2001.

  • Use the search engine here, and learn more about the tool here.

37. Free housing assistance from Veterans Affairs

Get help buying a home or refinancing a loan from Veterans Affairs.

Benefits and services that assist you in building, repairing, or keeping your current home are also available, such as grants for veterans who have service-related disabilities who need to adapt their home to live as independently as possible.

Housing assistance is available to veterans and their surviving spouses

38. Get lots of free benefits from the Department of Aging

I’ve mentioned above lots of benefits that seniors can get from the government.

But, those may not be the only benefits that are available to you.

If you want to see which benefits are available to you in your state, then check with the government’s Department of Aging.

Every state has its own Department of Aging, but sometimes it may be called a slightly different name, like:

  • Department of Senior Services
  • Division of Aging and Adult Services
  • Division of Aging
  • Office of Elderly Services
  • Department of Health and Senior Services

You can get access to lots of free benefits and resources which vary from state to state.

Here are the Department of Aging websites for all states:

Visit your state’s site to find benefits and resources near you that are free!

39. Get lots of free benefits and services locally if you’re a veteran

Veterans can get benefits and services for free through Veterans Affairs.

I mentioned a few ways to get free money through VA.

But, you may be able to get lots of other benefits and services for free, depending on the state you live in.

Here are the links to the Department of Veterans Affairs websites for every state in the country, including non-contiguous states, and in US territories:

To see what free benefits and services are available near you, click on your state’s website.

Learn more here.

What if You Don’t Qualify for Free Government Money?

Most of the free funds, grants, and services are only available to people in certain demographics, like:

  • Veterans
  • Low income families.
  • Seniors
  • Parents
  • Students

If you’re not in one of those categories, but still want to get free money, make sure to read my article on how to get free money. This post covers ways that anyone can use to get free cash.

Let us know in the comments section below if you know of any government programs that offer free money.

Legit ways to get free government money (grants, financial assistance programs...) for single moms, low income families, vets, students, individuals and more...