About

Benefit Almanac tracks government assistance programs across all 50 states. We publish the numbers, the deadlines, and the conditions that disqualify people — with the source and the date we checked it.

Why this site exists

Search for almost any benefit program and you will find a dozen pages giving different figures. One says the maximum is $823. Another says $1,105. A third says the program ended last year.

Often all three are correct. They are measuring different things, or they were written in different years, or one of them read a footnote the others skipped.

Almost nobody explains the difference. That is what this site is for.

How we source figures

We sort sources into three tiers and treat them differently.

TierExamplesHow we use it
Tier 1.gov agencies, CMS, SSA, DOL, IRS, USDA, HRSA, HUD, VA, KFF, Tax Foundation, ITEP, peer-reviewed researchFigures come from here only
Tier 2Policy institutes and nonprofit program trackersContext and definitions only
Tier 3SEO blogs, law-firm and mortgage marketing, lead-generation sitesNever cited for figures

→ swipe the table sideways

Every figure carries the agency it came from and the date we last checked it. When a limit is revised on a schedule, we say which month.

What we do when we don't know

We mark it. If a figure has not been confirmed against a primary source, the cell reads verify rather than a number we guessed at.

This is deliberate. A page that quietly fills every blank looks more complete and is less useful.

Who writes this

Benefit Almanac is written and maintained by Kyeongseok Song. It is independently operated, funded by advertising, and has no relationship with any agency, insurer, law firm, or service provider.

It is also produced from outside the United States. That shapes the method: nothing here comes from personal experience with a county office or from what someone heard at a clinic. Every claim traces back to a published agency document, which is why the source and the verification date sit at the bottom of every page.

What this site does not do

  • We are not a government agency and have no connection to one
  • We do not process applications or forward them anywhere
  • We do not determine whether you qualify — only the administering agency can
  • We do not sell information or collect applications
  • We never charge for anything

Corrections

Programs change mid-year. Legislatures amend limits. Pilot programs close quietly. If you find a figure that no longer matches the agency source, write to us with the page and the number. We check it against the primary source, correct the page, and update the verification date.

Contact

songkyeongsuk@gmail.com

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