After determining your eligibility status, and applying for these and other service discounts, calculate your own monthly costs and savings. Those who are lower-income and eligible for these services and supports may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they may save more, or less, than what is noted in the Sample Monthly Service Discount for Eligible Recipients table below. Service costs may vary a lot by region.
Although it’s possible to lower one’s own bills by doing research and applying for service discounts, Bill Genius takes a cut of the savings if you save any money, but the service can be helpful for those who don’t want to do the work to find available discounts.
One of the easiest ways people of all ages may connect to services and supports they may be eligible for is by going to Benefits.Gov to complete the Benefit Finder Questionnaire. Older adults and people with disabilities may also connect to services and supports for which they are eligible by completing the NCOA’s Benefits Check-Up.
SAMPLE MONTHLY SERVICE DISCOUNTS FOR ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS
| Rough Estimates of Monthly Services Costs for those Eligible for Lower-Income Services | Information is based on a snapshot of various online calculations for services around the U.S.and varies considerably | Approximate Monthly Cost | Potential Monthly Savings | Approximate Monthly Savings | Potential Monthly Discounted Cost | Website | Determine Program/Service Eligibility Requirements |
| Electricity/Gas | (Electricity/Gas Discount based on CARE Discount (PG&E); (https://www.move.org/utility-bills-101/) | $114.44/$63.34 | 20% | 22.15 | $88.61 | https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing | Locate your state’s Low-Income energy programs and apply for discounts. See individual program eligibility guidelines. You may be able to qualify for more than one program discount at a time. |
| Water | (https://www.move.org/utility-bills-101/) | $70.93 | 25% | 17.60 | $52.79 | https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-04/documents/dw-ww_utilities_cap_combined_508.pdf | Contact your local waste water and drinking water utility and ask if they particiate in a discount Customer Assistance Program (CAP) such as the one’s listed on the wesbite |
| Trash/Recycling | (https://www.move.org/utility-bills-101/) | $14.03 | 25% | 3.50 | $10.50 | Contact your local waste disposal company and ask if they have a low-income, senior or other discount programs. | Contact your local company for details |
| Online Streaming Services | (https://www.move.org/utility-bills-101/) | $47.43 | 82% | 70.00 | $15.00 | https://pluto.tv/ | Free online streaming for everyone with Internet access. Watch hundreds of TV channels and download thousands of movies and TV shows for free. |
| Broadband Internet | (https://www.move.org/utility-bills-101/) | $59.99 | 83% | 50.00 | $10.00 | https://www.everyoneon.org/find-offers | Find low-cost Internet and computers in your area. (https://www.everyoneon.org/lowcost-offers) |
| Cell phone vs. Universal Lifeline | (https://www.moneysavingpro.com/plans/average-phone-bill-per-month/) | $114 | 100% | 70.00 | $0.00 | https://data.usac.org/publicreports/CompaniesNearMe/Download/Report | https://www.lifelinesupport.org/do-i-qualify/ |
| 1-Bedroom Apartment Rental | Average cost of rent for a 1 bedroom apartment (https://www.rent.com/research/average-rent-price-report/) | $1722.00 | 70% | 673.40 | $288.60 | https://affordablehousingonline.com/ | Use affordablehousingonline.com to find Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing and low-income housing opportunities in the U.S. See your individual HUD resource locator to contact your local Public Housing Authority/Agency (PHA) for affordable housing opportunities for open opportunities and program eligibility guidelines: https://resources.hud.gov/# |
| Food | Food Cost: (Assuming max SNAP benefit allotment in CA for a single person in 2022) | $250.00 | 80% | 204.00 | $51.00 | https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-directory | Select your state’s SNAP website to apply |
| Health Insurance | https://www.valuepenguin.com/average-cost-of-health-insurance | $541.00 | 100% | 403.00 | $0.00 | https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/how-to-apply/ | Apply and enroll for health insurance. (https://www.healthcare.gov/lower-costs/) |
| Car Insurance | Average Cost of Car Insurance in the U.S. for 2022 (https://www.usnews.com/insurance/auto/average-cost-of-car-insurance) vs. CA Low-Cost Auto Insurance) | $129.42 | 77% | 91.00 | $27.00 | https://www.4autoinsurancequote.com/category/learning-center/ | Visit each company’s website individually 1) California: https://www.mylowcostauto.com/; 2) New Jersey: https://www.state.nj.us/dobi/division_consumers/insurance/saip.htm; 3) Hawaii: https://www.dmv.org/insurance/car-insurance-for-low-income-families.php |
| Potential Monthly Cost/Savings | $2,148.15 | 75% | 1,604.65 | $543.50 |
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