Money you may already be owed
Some money is not a benefit you apply for so much as money already sitting in your name that nobody will send until you ask: Social Security on a former spouse's record, survivor benefits after a husband or wife dies, benefits unlocked by the Social Security Fairness Act, unclaimed property held by your state, and forgotten pensions held by the federal pension agency. None of these agencies will come looking for you.
Written and checked by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward · Checked August 25, 2026
Social Security you did not know you could claim
If you were married at least ten years and are now divorced and unmarried, you may be able to claim on your former spouse's record. If your husband or wife has died, survivor benefits may pay more than your own retirement benefit. Both are claims you have to file. Social Security does not scan its records and mail you a check.
The Social Security Fairness Act changed the math
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed in January 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset going back to benefits payable for January 2024. Many retired teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees never bothered to file for a spousal or survivor benefit because the old offset would have wiped it out. Those people now have to actively file. Social Security is not able to pay a benefit nobody ever applied for.
Property the state is holding for you
States hold billions in unclaimed property: forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance payouts, utility deposits. Searching is free at the official state-run site. Never pay a finder a percentage to do what you can do yourself in ten minutes.
Pensions and life insurance policies
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation keeps a searchable list of people owed a pension from a company plan that ended. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners runs a free locator that asks member insurers to search for a policy left by someone who has died.
Questions people ask
Is there emergency financial help for seniors on a fixed income?
Yes — emergency help for older adults on a fixed income comes as one-time payments toward a specific bill rather than as cash, and the single fastest way to reach it is to dial 211, which connects you to local emergency funds for rent, utilities, food, and medicine.
Are there grants for senior citizens to pay bills?
There is no federal grant that gives older adults cash to pay personal bills, and any website that offers one for a fee is a scam, but there are real bill-specific programs — LIHEAP for energy, SNAP for food, USDA Section 504 grants for home repair — that pay a provider on your behalf.
What charities help seniors with money?
The charities that reliably help older adults are local rather than national — community action agencies, the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and church benevolence funds — and 211 is the switchboard that tells you which ones in your county have money available this month.
Who do I call for senior help?
Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, the free government helpline for people over 60 and their families, and a real person will connect you to your local Area Agency on Aging for food, bills, rides, home care, and benefits.
What free services are there for seniors living alone?
Older adults living alone can get free home-delivered meals, free rides to medical appointments, free daily check-in calls, free benefits counseling, and free help with Medicare paperwork, and all of them are arranged through one local office called the Area Agency on Aging.
I'm behind on everything — where do I start?
Start with one call to the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, and while you wait, deal with the bill that has the fastest consequence — an eviction notice or a utility shut-off — because everything else can be paused longer than those two.
Do I qualify for survivor benefits?
You may qualify for Social Security survivor benefits if your husband or wife worked long enough under Social Security and has died, and you are 60 or older, or 50 or older with a disability, or caring for their child who is under 16 or disabled, and a surviving divorced spouse from a marriage of at least 10 years can qualify too.
Programs covered in this guide
- Social Security Survivor BenefitsIf your husband or wife has died, you may be owed a monthly benefit based on their record.
- Social Security Benefits From an Ex-Spouse's RecordIf the marriage lasted ten years, you may be able to collect on your ex's record. They are never told, and their check is not reduced.
- Social Security Fairness Act: Benefits You Never Filed ForIf a government pension once wiped out your spousal or survivor benefit, that rule is gone. Social Security will not come find you.
- State Unclaimed PropertyEvery state holds money in your name from old accounts, refunds, and paychecks. Searching is free.
- PBGC Unclaimed PensionsThe federal pension agency is holding money for tens of thousands of people who never claimed it.
- NAIC Life Insurance Policy LocatorA free national search that asks every major insurer whether a policy exists in your loved one's name.
Sources
- Social Security Fairness Act · Social Security Administration
- Benefits for family members · Social Security Administration
Every program on this site is free to apply for. Anyone who asks you to pay to apply, or to “unlock” a government benefit, is a scam — hang up and call Senior Medicare Patrol or 211.
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Checked August 25, 2026. Licensed under the Citation License 1.0. © 2026 Adolicious LLC.
Can I get Social Security on my ex-spouse's record?
Yes — if your marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are 62 or older and currently unmarried, you can claim a benefit on your former spouse's earnings record, your former spouse is never notified, and their own benefit is not reduced by one penny.