Guaranteed income pilot aims to cut child poverty while boosting financial skills. Parents and guardians in Sacramento County now have a fresh lifeline: the Family First Economic Support Pilot (FFESP) pays $725 a month and bundles in free coaching and community links. Sacramento officials say the program was designed to blunt stubborn child-poverty rates and … Read more
The tax agency’s announcement means eligible Americans will not need to file extra paperwork, while New York homeowners may collect separate STAR payments of up to $1,500. The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed a fresh round of $1,400 direct payments—welcome news for households still grappling with higher prices. Deposits will start landing later this month … Read more
A scheduled raise kicks in on September 30, 2025, giving low‑wage Floridians a $1‑an‑hour bump and setting up an even bigger increase next year. Florida workers earning the minimum wage are about to see relief. Beginning September 30 — just weeks away — the statewide hourly floor climbs from $13 to $14, the fourth step in the voter‑approved plan … Read more
Extra cash on the horizon as the Peach State returns a $1 billion budget surplus to residents. Georgia taxpayers are about to feel a welcome bump in their bank accounts. A new refund program, backed by Governor Brian Kemp and funded by this year’s $1 billion budget surplus, will send up to $500 to eligible filers. In a … Read more
The Social Security Administration has reopened most field offices, but you still need an appointment—so what’s the fastest way to get on the calendar? Americans who rely on Social Security have faced weeks of uncertainty after temporary office shutdowns tied to budget pressures. Now that counters are slowly switching the lights back on, the SSA … Read more
Federal payments are going digital by September 30, 2025; SSA says paper checks remain for those who can’t use e-payments. Under the “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account” order, agencies are phasing out paper. SSA confirms paper checks will still be offered to recipients who genuinely cannot use electronic transfers. Worried you’ll be … Read more
Millions relied on the IRS pilot to submit simple returns at zero cost. With its sunset date now set, what cheaper—and legitimate—paths remain? The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that its Direct File pilot will disappear after the 2025 season, ending a brief but popular experiment in no‑fee e‑filing. Roughly 300,000 taxpayers used the web tool … Read more
Sen. Josh Hawley wants customs duties to flow back to Main Street. His Reimbursement for American Workers Act would send at least $600 to every adult and dependent child, echoing pandemic stimulus payments but funded entirely by tariff revenue. Families squeezed by rising prices could see relief without new taxes or added federal debt. The proposal, now … Read more
The SSA confirms deposit dates, a $4,018 cap and the key rules you need to know. For millions of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients, knowing when money arrives is half the budgeting battle. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has released its August 2025 calendar, keeping the maximum monthly benefit at $4,018 and reporting an average check … Read more
Final wave of $1,702 checks will hit Alaskans on Aug. 21; roughly 600,000 residents are set to benefit. The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program will close its 2024 payment calendar in three short weeks, handing a final batch of $1,702 checks to eligible residents on August 21. That means anyone still listed as “Pending” by August 13 should … Read more
New rules push the full retirement age to 66 years and 10 months next year, with lawmakers eyeing 69 later this decade. Thinking of filing for Social Security the minute you turn 65? Hold that thought. In 2025, Americans born in 1959 will have to wait until 66 years and 10 months for full benefits. The step‑up may look minor, yet it can cut lifetime payouts … Read more
Lawmakers are debating whether to let workers divert a slice of payroll taxes into personal accounts. If that happens, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) could move from supporting role to star performer. Social Security privatization would redirect part of the 12.4 percent payroll tax into investment accounts that you, not the Treasury, would manage. Supporters say the … Read more
A new forecast says couples who both worked could see benefits fall by nearly a quarter once a key trust fund runs dry. Social Security’s safety net may feel a lot thinner by 2033. According to the non‑partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a typical two‑income retired couple would collect about $18,100 less … Read more
Temporary pause leaves long‑term borrowers in limbo while systems are overhauled. For the first time, the U.S. Department of Education has halted discharges under the Income‑Based Repayment (IBR) plan, the only income‑driven option untouched by ongoing lawsuits. Officials say forgiveness will restart once internal software can correctly count qualifying payments—yet they have offered no timeline. … Read more
Rising mortgage‑free ownership hints at deepening affordability problems and stubborn supply constraints. More than 30 million American households no longer send a monthly check to a lender. New data cited by Fortune show the share of U.S. homeowners without a mortgage climbed from 33 percent in 2010 to 40 percent in 2023, a jump that reshapes both household balance sheets … Read more
Households big and small are redirecting savings to brokerage, money‑market and CD options as interest payments finally outpace inflation. After a year of stubborn prices and tariff jitters, Americans are voting with their wallets. A fresh JPMorgan Chase Institute study of 4.7 million households finds total cash reserves rising—not in the usual checking and savings buckets, but … Read more
Millions of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients who owe the agency money will soon see smaller checks as the Social Security Administration (SSA) begins clawing back overpayments. The SSA confirmed it will automatically hold back up to half of monthly SSI benefits— and, in some cases, SSDI or retirement checks—from … Read more
More than 8.2 million households will benefit under the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget plan, easing everyday costs. Starting in October 2025, New York will send one‑time inflation rebate checks worth as much as $400 to eligible families without asking them to fill out a single form. The automatic payment, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, targets low‑ and middle‑income residents feeling … Read more
New analysis warns that rising payroll taxes or trimmed benefits may hit today’s entrants hardest as the trust fund races toward depletion. Millions rely on Social Security, yet the system’s accounts are draining fast. A Cato Institute report projects that, unless Congress acts before the mid‑2030s, fresh members of the workforce stand to lose roughly … Read more
SSI recipients will see two deposits—Aug. 1 and Aug. 29—but no check in September, so budget with care. Millions of Americans who count on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are in line for an early “second” payment next month. Because the first of September falls on Labor Day, a federal holiday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will push … Read more