In the spirit of the season, Benefits.gov has a gift for you! Below is everything you need to know about the features within our new Benefit Finder. We hope this information will make it easier than ever for you to find the government benefit and assistance programs that you may be eligible to receive.

Do I need anything before I start?
You can save time when completing the Benefit Finder questions by having basic information on-hand about your family, education, career, income and any current benefits you may already be receiving.

Why do I have to answer all of the Core Questions in the Benefit Finder?
The Core Questions are a carefully selected set of questions that allow the Benefit Finder to narrow down your results among over 1,000 available benefit programs. Answering these questions not only reduces your time spent answering more questions in other categories, but also quickly provides you with an initial list of programs that you may be eligible to receive.

Why should I answer the other questions after I?m done with the Core Questions?
The more questions you answer, the more accurately your situation can be compared to the eligibility criteria of the available benefit programs, increasing the likelihood that you will be eligible for the benefits that appear in your Benefit Results List. No matter where you are on the Benefit Finder, you can always return to answer more questions by clicking on the ?Answer Questions? tab.

Why is my number of Benefit Results changing as I answer more questions?
Your number of Benefit Results, located at the top right of the Benefit Finder, may change as you answer more questions because your responses have made you increasingly eligible or ineligible for certain programs.

How can I see my Benefit Results List?
Whether you have answered all of the available questions, or just the Core Questions, you can instantly see the list of programs you might be eligible to receive by clicking the ?View Benefits Results List? tab. Remember - the more questions you answer, the more likely you are to be eligible for the benefits that appear in your Benefit Results List. For future reference, be sure to email your Benefits Results List to yourself, as it will not be saved on the site.

How can the ?Your Favorites? list help me?
?Your Favorites? is a temporary holding place for benefits you would like to explore further. For example, if you have 20 benefits in your Benefit Results List, but are only interested in three - add those three to ?Your Favorites? by clicking the ?Add to Your Favorites? button under each benefit. Again, be sure to email the list to yourself, as it will not be stored on the site.

Please visit our FAQs page or Contact Us for more answers to your questions about Benefits.gov.

Share this article or the Benefits.gov website with your friends and family by clicking the ?SHARE? icon at the top right of the page so others you know can learn how to find government benefits that may be right for them. Benefits.gov is the gift that keeps on giving!