Check the number before you decide.
84 free calculators for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP and VA benefits, built on figures the agencies publish. No signup and no sales call.
What do you need to work out?
- Social SecurityWhen to claim and what your check will be
- MedicarePremiums, penalties and plan choices
- Medicaid and long-term careEligibility, spend-down and care costs
- Food and income helpSNAP, meal programs and benefit screening
- HousingSection 8, property tax relief, reverse mortgages
- Utilities and energyLIHEAP, Lifeline and shutoff protection
- VeteransPension, Aid and Attendance, disability
- Taxes in retirementSenior deductions, credits and state taxes
Not sure what you qualify for? Let’s work it out together.
Pick a calculator, enter a few numbers, and see what you may be owed, what you may owe, and what to do next.
The calculators people open first
Each one asks a few questions and shows the working, so you can see how the answer was reached.
Social Security COLA Calculator
See how much your Social Security or SSI check will go up with next year's cost-of-living adjustment.
See my new amountHUD Section 202 Senior Housing Locator
Find subsidized apartments for people 62 and older, where rent is about 30% of income.
Find housing near meLIHEAP Eligibility Calculator
Check the income limits for help with heating and cooling bills, and see typical benefit amounts.
Check if I qualifyMeals on Wheels Locator
See who qualifies for home-delivered and group meals at 60 and older, then find a provider near you.
Find meals near meSHIP Medicare Counselor Locator
Find free, unbiased Medicare help in your state. SHIP counselors do not sell insurance.
Find a counselorVA Aid and Attendance Calculator
Estimate the extra VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities.
Estimate my benefit
New in the shop
The "If Something Happens" Emergency Binder
After a fall, a hospital stay or a death, families hunt for the same papers. This printable binder puts medical details, insurance, money, legal documents and wishes in one place. Large Print included.
See the binder Visit the shopOur own paid product, made with Sage & Sum. The calculators and guides stay free. Disclosure
New in the shop
The Medicare Enrollment Planner
Turning 65, or facing the October plan review? This printable planner holds your enrollment dates, your medicines and doctors, and a side-by-side plan comparison. Large Print included.
See the planner Visit the shopOur own paid product, made with Sage & Sum. The calculators and guides stay free. Disclosure
When the numbers change
Benefit amounts and income limits are reset every year, on different dates. This is the order they arrive in, and the reason a figure you read last spring may already be out of date.
October
Social Security announces next year's cost-of-living adjustment. New SNAP amounts start on October 1. Medicare open enrollment opens on October 15.
Late fall
Medicare publishes next year's Part B premium, deductibles and the income brackets for the IRMAA surcharge. Open enrollment closes on December 7.
December
VA pension and disability rates rise by the same percentage as Social Security, starting December 1.
January
The new Social Security, Medicare and tax figures take effect. The federal poverty guidelines, which set the income limits for many programs, come out later in the month.
Guides that explain the rules
A calculator gives you a number. These explain the rule behind it and what to do next.
- Medicare
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: what you can change
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. What you can switch, and how to check your plan before it renews.
- Food assistance
Is there really a $3,000 food allowance for seniors?
What the ads are describing, which real programs sit behind them, and who qualifies.
- Housing
Senior housing with no waiting list: what are your options?
Section 8 and HUD waiting lists run for years. Faster options include tax-credit apartments, market-rate communities and home sharing.
- Medicare
D-SNP eligibility and enrollment rules explained
Who can join a plan for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, and how switching works now that the quarterly SEP is gone.
- Medicare
How to pick the best prescription drug plan
No Part D plan is best for everyone. Compare plans on your own medications, pharmacy, yearly cost and the out-of-pocket cap.
- Tax and Social Security
Property tax exemption vs. freeze vs. deferral
An exemption lowers your bill, a freeze stops it rising, and a deferral postpones it as a loan against your home.
Help in your state
Many programs are run by the states, so the rules and the people to call depend on where you live.
Senior Housing by State
HUD senior apartments by city, with phone numbers, this year's income limits and who to call.
Pick my stateRetirement Taxes by State
See whether your state taxes Social Security, pensions and IRA withdrawals.
Check my stateState Drug Assistance (SPAP)
Find out whether your state helps pay for prescriptions on top of Medicare Part D.
Find my state's program
Where our numbers come from
Every figure on this site comes from the agency that sets it: the Social Security Administration, Medicare, the IRS, the VA, HHS or the USDA. We do not use insurance company data, and we do not estimate a number that has not been announced.
- Each figure is stored once, in a data file that the calculator and the page beside it both read. They cannot disagree with each other.
- When an agency announces a new year's figure, we check it against the official source before it goes live.
- Every calculator page shows the date it was last reviewed and links to its sources.
Calculators give estimates for planning. Your own benefit is decided by the agency, and for a decision that matters you should confirm the result with them.
The SGB Team
Independent, not a government site
SeniorGovBenefits.com is written and maintained by the SGB Team. We built it so people could check real numbers before they apply, call an agency, or talk to anyone selling a plan.
We review every calculator and guide when the agencies publish new figures. We are not affiliated with any government agency and we do not sell insurance.
Every calculator, by topic
All 84, free to use. Pick a topic heading to see that group with a short description of each tool.
Social Security
- Retirement Age Calculator
- Benefit Estimator
- Spousal Benefit Calculator
- Survivor Benefit Calculator
- Divorced Spouse Eligibility Checker
- SSDI Eligibility Checker
- SSI Eligibility & Payment Estimator
- SS Taxation Calculator
- COLA Impact Calculator
- Break-Even Calculator
- Earnings Test Calculator
- Retirement Income Gap Calculator
- Ticket to Work / Trial Work Period Calculator
- Railroad Retirement vs. Social Security Calculator
Medicare
- Eligibility Checker
- Part B Premium (IRMAA) Calculator
- Roth Conversion IRMAA Planner
- AEP Countdown
- Advantage vs Original Comparison
- Medigap Plan Comparison Tool
- Part D Coverage Gap Calculator
- Part D Plan Comparison Guide
- Enrollment Period Finder
- Late Enrollment Penalty Calculator
- Savings Program (QMB/SLMB/QI) Checker
- Extra Help (LIS) Estimator
- Medicare Cost Estimator
- PACE Program Eligibility Checker
- Prescription Savings Finder
- ACA Subsidy Calculator (Ages 62-64)
- Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Coverage Calculator
Medicaid
- Eligibility Checker
- Long-Term Care Eligibility Estimator
- Spend-Down Calculator
- Dual-Eligible (Medicare + Medicaid) Checker
- Look-Back Period Estimator
- Nursing Home Cost Calculator by State
- Senior Care Cost Calculator
- Denture & Dental Grant Finder
- Community Spouse Allowance Calculator
- Estate Recovery Risk Checker
Income & Food Assistance
Housing
Utility & Energy
Veterans Benefits
Tax Benefits
- Additional Standard Deduction Calculator (65+)
- Credit for the Elderly or Disabled Estimator
- State Retirement Income Tax Exemption Finder
- Property Tax Deferral/Freeze Eligibility Checker
- EITC Estimator
- $6,000 Senior Tax Deduction Calculator
- Retirement Early Withdrawal Penalty Calculator
- RMD Calculator
- Long-Term Care Insurance Tax Deduction Calculator
Locators & Support Tools
- Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Locator
- SHIP Counselor Locator
- State Pharmaceutical Assistance (SPAP) Finder
- Family Caregiver Support Eligibility Checker
- Elder Abuse Resource Locator
- Paid Family Caregiver Eligibility Checker
- Hearing Aid & Eyeglass Assistance Finder
- Senior Legal Aid Locator
- Funeral & Burial Assistance Finder
- Lost Pension & Unclaimed Benefits Finder
- SCSEP Senior Employment Program Locator
- NEMT & Senior Transportation Guide
- Kinship Care Benefits Eligibility Checker
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Financial Assistance Calculator
- Advance Directive Readiness Checklist
Not sure where to start?
Enter your household size and income once, and the screener shows which programs you may qualify for.