Benefit Screener and Eligibility Checks
for Massachusetts assistance programs

MassResources.org offers an online Benefit Screener and eight online Eligibility Checks to help you find out if you are likely to qualify for various Massachusetts public assistance programs:

• Benefit Screener:

  The Benefit Screener gives a general idea of the range of programs for which one might be eligible in Massachusetts. The Benefit Screener uses a set of questions to screen for a large number of programs. It does not check eligibility for specific programs in detail.

• Eligibility Checks:

  An Eligibility Check shows if a person is likely to be eligible for a specific assistance program or not. An Eligibility Check asks short sets of questions about family, living situation, and finances. It then evaluates answers based on program-specific eligibility requirements.

MassResources.org provides eight separate Eligibility Checks for these programs:

• MassHealth
• Fuel Assistance (LIHEAP)
• SNAP Food Stamps
• Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
• Emergency Aid to Families, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC)
• Rental Assistance (Section 8, Public Housing, Subsidized Housing)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Emergency Assistance

In order to use this site's Eligibility Check Tools, we now require that you first register. To register, click on the "Register" link below. Once on the registration page, you will simply need to provide a valid e-mail address (which will be your username), choose a password, and confirm your e-mail account when a message is immediately sent to you. After you have registered and are logged in with your username and password, you will be given up to 10 free uses of our Eligibility Check tools, which you can use on separate visits to this web site.

Beyond 10 free uses, a paid subscription is necessary for anyone to continue using the Eligibility Check tools. In other words, you (or your employer) will need to pay for a subscription for you to use these tools more than 10 times; otherwise your access to these tools will be blocked. All visitors to this site have our permission to register just once. We have put this registration process in place to best ensure that those who frequently use our Eligibility Check tools will need to become paid subscribers in order to do so.

MassResources.org is run by a small, not-for-profit organization, Community Resources Information, Inc. All subscription revenue we raise goes toward meeting the operating expenses of the site.

Register

To learn more about the different types of subscriptions we offer: Subscription Options

Answers to frequently asked questions about the registration process and subscriptions: Frequently Asked Questions

For some information about the MassResources.org "paywall": Paywall Explanation

Important Notes:

• The Benefit Screener and Eligibility Checks are unofficial and are not applications for benefits. However, they give a good idea of the questions that one will have to answer when applying and whether one is likely to be eligible for benefits.
• All information you enter in the process of completing an Eligibility Check for yourself or someone else is completely confidential. No data you enter when answering questions in an Eligibility Check is being permanently stored.
• If you are unable to register because you do not have an e-mail address, you can obtain one for free with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, or a similar e-mail account provider.

Trouble Accessing the Eligibility Check Tools? (for current subscribers and those who have registered):

• Subscribers: Individuals who already have a paid premium subscription do not need to register. To use the Eligibility Check tools, make sure that you are logged in with your current subscriber username and password: Log in
• Registrants: If you have already registered and have used the tools less than 10 times, you need to be logged in to access the tools. If you cannot get access to the tools, make sure you are logged in with the username (an e-mail address) and password you used to register: Log in
• If you have come to a message saying you have reached your limit of 10 free uses, you must now become a paid subscriber in order to continue using these tools.

To learn more about the different types of subscriptions we offer: Subscription Options

Links to the Benefit Screener and Eligibility Checks (for current subscribers and those who have already registered):

Benefit Screener:

• Benefit Screener

Eligibility Checks:

• MassHealth
• Fuel Assistance (LIHEAP)
• SNAP Food Stamps
• Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
• Emergency Aid to Families, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC)
• Rental Assistance (Section 8, public housing, subsidized housing)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Emergency Assistance