SSA retires its 1990 SSI rental subsidy ruling
The Social Security Administration rescinded a 1990 ruling on how rent below market value counts for SSI. A 2024 rule already applies the same policy everywhere, so nothing changes for recipients.
Desk
Money & Benefits
Social Security and SSI payment dates and the COLA, IRS refund timing and tax-year figures, SNAP issuance and eligibility by state, student-loan changes, Medicare premiums and enrollment, VA pay and unemployment rules, with viral "stimulus check" claims checked against the documents.
Every figure on this desk is taken from the agency that sets it. The Social Security payment schedule gives every 2026 pay date by birthday, federal student loan interest rates carries this year’s figures and the formula that sets them, the 2027 COLA tracker carries the running arithmetic to the October 14 announcement, employer Trump account contributions covers the new $2,500 exclusion, and Medicare open enrollment explains what the October 15 to December 7 window does and does not let you change, with the Medicare Savings Programs income limits for anyone who cannot afford the premium.
Browse by topic: Social Security · Taxes
Sources we read: Social Security Administration · Internal Revenue Service · USDA Food and Nutrition Service and state SNAP agencies · Department of Education · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Department of Veterans Affairs · Federal Register. RSS feed.
Trackers
Stimulus check claims, checkedVerified Oct 4 · continuous
Federal student loan interest rates 2026-27Verified Sep 16 · on-event
SNAP payment dates by stateVerified Sep 13 · monthly
Minimum wage 2027 by state: confirmed increases and 2026 ratesVerified Sep 12 · on-event
401(k) and IRA contribution limits 2027, due this fall, and 2026Verified Sep 12 · on-event
Social Security COLA 2027 trackerVerified Sep 12 · on-event
Medicare Savings Programs: 2026 income limitsVerified Sep 9 · on-event
Tax brackets 2027, due this fall, and the 2026 figuresVerified Sep 6 · on-event
Unemployment benefits by stateVerified Sep 6 · on-event
IRS refund timing: 2026 and 2027 datesVerified Sep 6 · on-event
Medicare Part B premium 2027, due this fall, and 2026 costsVerified Sep 6 · on-event
SNAP income limits and maximum benefitsVerified Sep 6 · on-event
Social Security payment schedule 2026 and 2027: SSI and retirement pay datesVerified Sep 6 · monthly
VA disability pay chart 2027, due after the COLA, and 2026 ratesVerified Sep 5 · on-event
Agencies, programs and states on this desk
Latest
21 publishedEmployer contributions to Trump accounts: the $2,500 rule
An employer can put up to $2,500 a year, tax-free, into an employee’s Trump account or a dependent’s. The IRS proposed the rules on August 11, 2026: the per-employee cap, the nondiscrimination test and why employers can already rely on it.
SSR 26-2p: how Social Security judges disability for young adults
A Social Security ruling that applies from October 1, 2026 sets out how SSA documents and evaluates disability for people aged 18 to about 25, from IEPs and school records to job placements, the age-18 SSI review and payments that continue during a program. It replaces SSR 11-2p.
Car loan interest deduction: the $10,000 cap and who qualifies
A deduction of up to $10,000 a year for interest on a loan for a new car assembled in the United States, for tax years 2025 through 2028, whether or not you itemize. The IRS final rules of September 8, 2026 settle what counts.
Washington unemployment: how much you get, and how to file
Weekly benefits run up to $1,208, calculated from your two highest-earning quarters, for up to 26 weeks. The 680-hour work test, the waiting week, and why approval can take five to nine weeks.
California unemployment: how much you get, and how to file
Weekly benefits run $40 to $450 based on your highest-earning quarter in the past 18 months, for up to 26 weeks. The eligibility rules, the one-week waiting period, and where the claim actually goes.
IRS Fresh Start: what the tax debt relief options actually are
"Fresh Start" is not an IRS program name. It is what advertisers call the payment plan and offer-in-compromise options the IRS has run for years. What each one actually requires, the real fee, and who genuinely qualifies to settle for less.
Marketplace open enrollment 2027: dates and deadlines
Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage runs November 1 to January 15. Enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1. What happens if you miss it, and the life events that reopen the window.
Student loan repayment: the Repayment Assistance Plan, and the 2028 deadline
A new federal repayment plan sets the monthly figure as a percentage of income, waives unpaid interest and cancels the balance after 360 payments. Who is moved onto it, when, and what happens to anyone who does not choose.
No tax on tips and overtime, explained
Both are capped deductions for four tax years, not an exemption from tax. What counts, the 71 occupations Treasury listed, the income limits, and the tax that still comes out of the check.
Medicare phone number, and who to call for what
One number covers claims, coverage and complaints, but not signing up. Which office answers which question, the hours, and what to have in front of you before you call.
SNAP rule changes: who is affected, and when
The 2025 law widened the work rule to age 64, narrowed the exception for parents, removed three exemptions and cut the list of eligible non-citizens. What each change says, when the states apply it, and the cost shift that begins on October 1, 2026.
When Social Security pays in October 2026
Six payment dates this month, two of them SSI, and a Saturday that moves the 3rd-of-the-month group to Friday. Every date from the Social Security Administration’s 2026 calendar, plus November for planning.
How to file for unemployment
Unemployment insurance is run by the state where you worked under federal rules. The steps that apply everywhere, the parts that differ, and the figures that decide your weekly amount.
How to check a stimulus check claim
Every real federal payment has a law behind it and an IRS announcement in front of it. Here is how to test a claim against both in a few minutes, and how the scams that ride on these claims work.
Child tax credit 2026: $2,200 per child
The 2025 tax law made the larger credit permanent and set it at $2,200. What that means on a 2026 return, who qualifies, and why part of it arrives in late February.
Medicare open enrollment 2026: dates, and what you can change
The fall window covers Part D and Medicare Advantage choices, not Original Medicare itself. What is on the table, what is not, and the 2026 costs the decision is made against.
How SNAP eligibility and payment dates work
Federal rules decide whether a household qualifies and how much it gets; the state decides the day. Here is the calculation as the Food and Nutrition Service describes it, with the fiscal-year 2026 figures.
Where's My Refund, explained
The 21-day figure is a typical case, not a promise. Here is what decides your refund date, what the tool can and cannot tell you, and when a delay is normal.
How the Social Security COLA is calculated
One formula in the Social Security Act, three months of price data, and a rounding rule decide the raise. Here it is worked through with the real numbers.