Income, Employment, and Financial Assistance
Below are resources for those facing job insecurity
Direct Financial Assistance
Department of Transitional Assistance
Cash benefits from Massachusetts government.
If you need help making ends meet, you can apply for economic assistance (cash benefits) through the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). DTA offers 3 economic assistance programs: Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC), and the State Supplement Program (SSP). The benefits include 2 monthly payments, health insurance, and employment support while you work to get back on your feet. Must be US citizens or legal non-citizen status.
JF&CS Emergency Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available primarily for housing costs, moving expenses, fuel, and utilities. Income eligibility and other criteria apply.
For information regarding these resources call (781)-647-5327 or email your questions via this contact page.
Asian Community Emergency Relief Fund
The fund will provide immediate and direct financial support to people in our community who have lost work and are having trouble meeting their basic needs, and may not be eligible for other public benefits.
To apply, call: Cantonese (617) 681-5416; Mandarin (617) 902-0342; Khmer (617) 952-4556; Vietnamese (617) 701-6028. All hotlines also speak English.
Unemployment
To file for unemployment:
- Go online daily, from 6:00 AM -10:00 PM
- Call (877)-626-6800, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
To be eligible for unemployment(**NOTE: this link is not available, could be removed directly**), you must:
- Have earned at least $5,100 during the last four completed calendar quarters
- Be legally authorized to work in the US. You will have to provide your Social Security Number and work authorization card.
- Be unemployed, or working significantly reduced hours, through no fault of your own
or - Be unable due to work due to the COVID-19 emergency. As long as you stay in contact with your employer and are available to return to work when asked, you qualify.
When applying, be sure to write the name of your employer exactly as it is written on your W2. You will get checks 1-2 weeks after applying.
Independent contractors: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is now available to independent contractors and others. Check here to see if you are eligible. PUA provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a reason relating to COVID-19, but who are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits. Requires either a SSN or USCIS(A) number. Wage records may include 1099 tax forms, paystubs or bank statements. Apply now.
If you are working part-time while you are getting UI, you can still get partial UI benefits because wages up to 1/3 of your benefit are not deducted from your UI check. For example, if your regular UI benefit is $300 weekly, you can earn $100 weekly and you will not lose any of your regular UI benefit. Once you earn more than $100, the UI benefit you get goes down with each dollar over $100 that you earn. But even if you only get $1.00 of partial UI, you still get the extra $600 between 3/29/2020 and 7/25/2020.
Unemployment is NOT counted in public charge determination
Still not sure if you qualify? Check this helpful graphic.
More Questions? Dept of Unemployment Assistance has “town halls” online to answer questions to answer all UI questions through the Mass.gov website. You can also contact the department through this online form.
For current unemployment claims:
- Applicant does not have to attend seminars at the MassHire career centers .
- Dealing with the effects of COVID-19 counts as "good cause" if you miss deadlines.
- All appeal hearings will be held by telephone only.
DUA may now pay unemployment benefits if:
- Worker needs to be in quarantine.
- Employer tells worker to stay away from work because of the risk of of infection.
- Worker stays away from work so
- he/she will not infect other people or be exposed to COVID-19, or
- to care for a family member .
Applicant does not need to provide medical documentation.
Employers who are impacted by COVID-19 may request up to a 60-day grace period to file quarterly reports and pay contributions.
Taxes and Other Financial Support
**CLOSED** Bentley University VITA Program in partnership with WATCH
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) offers free tax help to people who make $72,000 or less and need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation to qualified individuals in the Waltham community. Please check the above website for 2024 service hours and locations.
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CAN-DO Newton's affordable housing developer and service provider; has opened a VITA site in Newton. VITA is the federal program established by the IRS to provide free tax assistance to low-moderate income families. Even though tax season is officially over, CAN-DO can help taxpayers who have not yet filed their 2022, 2021 and 2020 tax returns to do so. Even if you did not file becasue you didn't owe any taxes, It is possible that individuals and families are entitled to significant refunds, becasue both the earned income and child credits are refundable even if you have no tax liability. This is especially true for taxpayers with children in 2021. Contact CAN-DO at 617-796-9230, to find out if you can benefit from this program
Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp.
Offer a range of services, including a free (covid-19 specific -- **NOTE: This link is not available**) debt analysis assessment to help save money on overdue payments, manage family budget, and get out of debt safely and responsibly without incurring additional debt. For more information call (800) 235-1407.
American Consumer Credit Counseling
They are offering free consultation services to help clients maintain financial wellbeing during this unprecedented time. Their services include including Budget Counseling, Housing Counseling (HUD and Reverse Mortgage), Bankruptcy Counseling, Financial Education, and Debt Management.