Military & Veteran Money Resources

The government's one-stop portal on fraud targeting veterans and service members: current scam patterns, what to do if you are hit, and where to report it, all in one official place.

A free debt payoff planning tool from the VA's FINVET center and the USAA Education Foundation: builds your avalanche or snowball battle plan so every extra dollar lands where it retires debt fastest.

The VA's National Veterans Financial Resource Center. A one-stop hub of money tools and vetted resources built by the VA Office of Suicide Prevention. It connects you to help; it does not hand out funds.

FINVET's most-recommended starting points: 20 financial resources every veteran should know, curated by the VA.

Up to 3 free sessions with an Accredited Financial Counselor through the VA's Veterans Benefits Banking Program: a customized budget, debt reduction strategy, credit improvement, and savings goals. Call 855-598-1853.

Free, confidential financial counseling and referrals by phone or online. Eligibility runs while serving and up to 365 days after retirement or separation; after that window closes, the VA (MyVA411, 800-698-2411) and installation Retirement Services offices are the doors. Call 800-342-9647.

Free tax prep and e-filing software built for military life (combat pay, multi-state moves), plus free consultants trained in military tax rules. No income limits. Eligible up to 365 days after separation or retirement. 800-342-9647.

The only federally authorized source for free credit reports from all three bureaus, as often as weekly. Active duty and National Guard can also get free credit monitoring directly from each bureau by federal rule.

Free official tools to verify any financial advisor or firm before trusting them: registration, licenses, complaints, and regulatory actions on BrokerCheck (800-289-9999), with the SEC's Investor.gov covering investment advisers.

Homeless or at risk of becoming homeless: the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans answers 24/7 at 877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET) and connects you to VA Homeless Programs, housing help, and local support.

Food help today: the USDA National Hunger Hotline connects you to local food resources, meal sites, and SNAP information. 1-866-3-HUNGRY (866-348-6479), or in Spanish 1-877-8-HAMBRE (877-842-6273).

Dial 211 or search online for local help with rent, utilities, food, and other basic needs, in your own community.

No-interest loans and grants for Air Force and Space Force members, veterans, and families facing an unexpected financial emergency.

Interest-free loans and grants for soldiers and their families during a financial emergency.

Interest-free loans, grants, and budget help for sailors, Marines, and their families.

Interest-free loans, grants, and financial counseling for the Coast Guard community.

Financial and housing assistance programs for service members, veterans, and their families.

Help for post-9/11 veterans and families facing temporary financial hardship tied to service or a medical situation.

Financial assistance and tailored support during hospitalization and recovery for critically wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans.

Emergency financial aid for post-9/11 disabled veterans to cover urgent household expenses.

Assistance with essential living expenses for disabled veterans and their families.

FINVET's full roster of organizations that provide direct financial assistance to veterans, maintained by the VA.

The military health plan. Check eligibility, compare plans, and see the current costs page for enrollment fees and copays before making coverage decisions: health costs are money decisions. Manage enrollment through milConnect, and note TRICARE For Life wraps around Medicare for retirees 65 and up.

Every installation has a family support center with free financial counselors, classes, and one-on-one help. Air Force and Space Force centers are called Military & Family Readiness Centers. Look up yours, any base, any branch, in the official directory.

The Army's on-post support hub. Its Financial Readiness program offers free counseling and classes on budgeting, credit, debt, and planning, serving Soldiers from first assignment through separation or retirement, plus families and veterans.

Every Air Force and Space Force installation's M&FRC runs a Personal Financial Readiness program: certified financial counselors, free classes, and one-on-one help, serving Airmen, Guardians, Guard and Reserve, retirees, and families.

The Navy's support centers offer a Personal Financial Management program: free accredited financial counselors, classes from budgeting to TSP, and Command Financial Specialists trained at your own command.

Marine Corps Community Services runs the Personal Financial Management Program on every installation: free financial education, training, and one-on-one counseling, with services for retirees and separating Marines too.

The Coast Guard's free, confidential support line includes Money Coaching with financial professionals, plus financial tools and courses online. Available 24/7 at 855-247-8778.

The DoD's single portal to request on-base and military-approved child care worldwide: CDCs, family child care homes, and school-age care, on a sliding fee scale by income. Create the account the day you have orders; waitlists are the norm.

Administers DoD fee assistance (MCCYN) that subsidizes licensed community child care toward on-base rates when base care is full or too far, with branch-specific programs. 800-424-2246.

The federal front door to your local Area Agency on Aging: meals, transportation, caregiver support, respite grants, and free benefits counseling, for veterans and non-veterans alike. One call with a ZIP code: 800-677-1116.

Two programs for family caregivers: PCAFC (monthly stipend paid to the caregiver, health coverage, respite, training, for qualifying 70%+ rated veterans) and PGCSS for everyone else. Caregiver Support Line: 855-260-3274.

The official hub for the VA long-term care spectrum: home-based care, aides, adult day health, respite, nursing home options, and hospice. The VA social worker at your medical center is the door to all of it.

Free, unbiased, government-funded Medicare counseling in every state, with nothing to sell. The right call for turning-65 decisions, including how Part B works with VA care, TRICARE For Life, and CHAMPVA: 877-839-2675.

The official site for Medicare enrollment, costs, and coverage rules (2026 standard Part B premium: $202.90 a month). Enrollment questions answered 24/7 at 800-633-4227.

The VA's starting point for free legal help: pro-bono legal clinics at VA facilities plus links to national legal-aid directories.

Free legal information, tools, and a lawyer-finder built for service members, veterans, and their families.

Post a civil legal question online and get a free answer from a volunteer attorney, through the American Bar Association.

A VA News roundup of places where veterans can get a will or basic estate documents prepared at no cost.

Base legal offices prepare wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives free. Retirees are seen space-available, and you can use any office, not just where you served. All branches in one locator.

SGLI and VGLI coverage includes free online will preparation through Beneficiary Financial Counseling. Few people know it exists. Call OSGLI at 800-419-1473 and ask for it.

The front door for every VA benefit line: disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, and survivor benefits. The A-Z index at benefits.va.gov/atoz lists every benefit by name so you can find the right program fast. MyVA411: 800-698-2411, any question, any hour.

The direct online application (form 10-10EZ), no one needed in between, and a disability rating is not required to enroll. Eligibility windows vary by service era, so apply and let the VA sort your priority group. Help with the form: 877-222-8387, Monday to Friday.

Free, trained help with VA claims and decision reviews from an accredited VSO representative, claims agent, or attorney. Accredited VSO representatives cannot charge you a fee to help with a VA benefits claim. This is the door for claim questions.

Before signing anything, look the person up in VA's official accreditation directory. If a name is not in here, they are not authorized to represent you before VA, no matter what their website says.

Our easy-to-understand map of the VA: the 2026 disability pay table, what a rating unlocks, compensation versus pension, and how to verify anyone offering claims help, checked against VA.gov.

The official hub for SGLI, VGLI, VALife, and VMLI: eligibility, applications, and the enrollment windows that matter. Some deadlines cannot be recovered once missed, so confirm your dates here.

Our easy-to-understand walkthrough of SGLI, VGLI, VALife, and VMLI: who each one is for, the real deadlines, and the questions to ask, checked against VA sources.

A tax-free monthly payment for eligible survivors of a service-connected death (2026 base rate for a surviving spouse: $1,699.36). Applying within one year of the death protects back pay. VA Form 21P-534EZ.

A needs-based monthly payment for eligible un-remarried surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans with limited income and assets, with higher rates for housebound and Aid and Attendance needs.

National cemetery burial at no cost, free headstones, markers, and burial flags, and cash allowances toward funeral costs. The National Cemetery Scheduling Office arranges burials at 800-535-1117.

Monthly survivor benefits and the one-time $255 lump-sum death payment for eligible spouses and children. The funeral home usually reports the death, but confirm it: 800-772-1213.

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors: free grief support, peer mentors, and casework help for anyone grieving a military death, any cause, any era. The helpline answers 24/7 at 800-959-8277.

Our easy-to-understand map of the first 30 days, DIC and its 2026 rates, the Survivors Pension, SBP after the offset ended, and burial benefits, checked against VA, DFAS, and SSA sources.

A federal program offering a monthly discount on phone or internet service for eligible low-income households. Check eligibility and apply at the official site.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps with heating and cooling bills. Use the tool to find and contact your state's program.

Paid, real-work programs through VA health care for veterans facing employment barriers, including those working through mental health challenges or homelessness. Ask your VA care team about CWT.

Free career coaching for military spouses through Military OneSource (SpouseWorks, formerly SECO, now including Coast Guard spouses), plus the MyCAA scholarship: up to $4,000 toward licenses, certificates, and training for eligible spouses. 800-342-9647.

Every 2026 basic pay rate by grade and years of service, transcribed from the DFAS tables, plus drill pay math, BAS, and 2026 pay dates. A free StandWatch page, sourced and dated.

The 2026 General Schedule base table from OPM, how locality pay changes the real number, and the military-to-federal notes (veterans' preference, the service-credit buyback). A free StandWatch page.

A free tool that matches your military experience to civilian careers, with training and salary information. Built on O*NET for the Department of Labor.

Free one-on-one career coaching, resume help, and job sourcing for service members, veterans, and military spouses, with no time limit after service. A nonprofit that does this at scale.

Every installation has an education center with free counselors for Tuition Assistance, degree planning, credentialing, and GI Bill decisions. TA generally requires their approval before you enroll. Find yours through the installation directory.

The official hub for GI Bill benefits: apply, check your Statement of Benefits, and compare schools with the GI Bill Comparison Tool. Education Call Center: 888-442-4551.

Department of Labor career centers in every community, where veterans and eligible spouses get priority of service by law: job listings, training funds, and DVOP specialists for one-on-one help.

The official rulebook for veterans' preference and the special federal hiring authorities (VRA, 30% or More Disabled, VEOA), with the documentation checklists that make or break applications.

A free, structured year of one-on-one mentorship with professionals from major companies, built for the military-to-civilian career jump. A nonprofit; there is no charge.

Industry training, apprenticeships, and internships during your final 180 days of service, with command approval, while you keep your military pay and benefits.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation program: career fellowships (including SkillBridge tracks), hiring events, and employer connections for the military community.

Free five-week skilled-trades bootcamp (fiber, electrical, plumbing, welding) with tuition, travel, lodging, and a daily stipend covered, and a conditional job offer from a contractor partner before training starts. From Meta and Associated Builders and Contractors; veterans encouraged to apply.

Free 12-week hands-on trades training (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC) on installations and community centers nationwide, SkillBridge-approved, with job placement support. Funded by The Home Depot Foundation.

The Internship, Recent Graduates, and Presidential Management Fellows pathways into Department of Defense civilian careers.

Free tech training, employer connections, and a national chapter network for the military community moving into technology careers.

The Work Ethic Scholarship helps pay for trade school for people committed to skilled work: an option to weigh alongside the GI Bill for trades training.

The official hub for veteran entrepreneurs: free counseling through Veterans Business Outreach Centers, training programs, and federal contracting programs for veteran-owned businesses.

Free business training, mentorship, and grant support from a veteran-founded nonprofit, walking vetrepreneurs from idea to operating business.

Free online entrepreneurship program run by veteran business owners, taking you from concept to launch plan at no cost.

Oklahoma State's sponsor-funded Veterans Entrepreneurship Program: free to qualified veterans, combining online study with an on-campus bootcamp for building a real business.

UT Chattanooga's National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program: free to accepted veterans through sponsors and donors, running for over 15 years, from opportunity evaluation to launch.

Florida's Veterans Entrepreneurship Program from the Warrington College entrepreneurship center: free to selected veterans, with costs underwritten by sponsors and donors.

The VA's official page on the VA-backed home loan benefit: how it works, who qualifies, and how to request your Certificate of Eligibility.

Our free tool that tracks VA mortgage rates against public benchmarks and alerts you when a target you set is met.

Free or low-cost HUD-certified counselors for buying, credit barriers, and mortgage terms, plus homebuyer classes many down payment assistance programs require. State-by-state program lists on the same hub. 800-569-4287.

The federal consumer bureau's free toolkit: understand your Loan Estimate line by line, compare lenders, and check your Closing Disclosure before signing. Pairs with the StandWatch Loan Estimate worksheet.

VA's own one-stop printable handout: QR codes and links to trusted VA resources for health care, benefits, crisis support, and community care, built around the MyVA411 hotline at 800-698-2411. Good to save on your phone or hand to someone who does not know where to start.

Chaplain coverage is available 24/7, especially in urgent situations, and every VA Medical Center has a chapel open to all veterans and families across a broad spectrum of traditions, for services, prayer, meditation, or quiet. Find your state's chaplains in the directory; national questions: VANationalChaplainStaff@va.gov.

The official VA locator: search by address or ZIP for VA medical centers, clinics, Vet Centers, regional benefit offices, and national cemeteries, with contact details for each. Or call MyVA411 at 800-698-2411 and ask.

Free, confidential counseling on or near every installation: stress, relationships, parenting, grief. Not reported to command and does not affect a security clearance. Reach one through your installation's Military & Family Support Center or Military OneSource at 800-342-9647. Chaplains are another free, confidential door on base.

The official base directory from Military OneSource. Find the offices on any installation: personal financial counselors, education centers, legal assistance, and Retirement Services offices, the on-base door that stays open to retirees after Military OneSource eligibility ends at 365 days.

The VA's one-stop financial resource center (FINVET), built by the VA Office of Suicide Prevention because money stress and health travel together: meet basic needs, manage money, increase income, manage debt, protect your money, plus state-by-state local resources and a direct financial assistance list.

A federal directory that connects wounded warriors, veterans, and families to national, state, and local resources.