Find out what you might be entitled to
Use a free benefits calculator, and know that what it gives you is an estimate rather than a decision.
The largest single reason money goes unclaimed in this country is not the forms. It is people deciding, on their own, that it is not meant for them.
Three are famously under-claimed by people over 65: Supplemental Security Income, which tops up a low income; Extra Help, which cuts what you pay for prescriptions; and the Medicare Savings Programs, which pay your Part B premium for you. Millions of people who qualify have never claimed.
Key points
- Use a free benefits calculator without giving any bank details
- Tell an estimate from a decision
- Print the estimate to take to whoever helps you
What to remember
- A calculator estimates. Only the office handling a claim decides.
- Forms are free, and help with them is free.
Try this
Type BenefitsCheckUp.org into the address bar and open the page. The point is knowing the free route exists.
Practice: Find out what you might be entitled to. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.