Assistance Programs in New Jersey

New Jersey runs two energy bill programs off one application through the DCAid portal. The Universal Service Fund, USF, gives a monthly credit on gas and electric bills year round. LIHEAP helps with heating and cooling costs on a seasonal schedule. Apply at dcaid.dca.nj.gov, or call the energy assistance hotline at 1-800-510-3102.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible New Jersey households: insulation, air sealing, and heating-system improvements that lower future bills. The Department of Community Affairs runs the program through local agencies. Apply through the DCAid portal at dcaid.dca.nj.gov, or contact the WAP agency that serves your county.

NJ SNAP is New Jersey's name for food stamps: monthly food money on a Families First EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores and some farmers markets. Apply online through the state's NJ One App, which also covers cash assistance and NJ FamilyCare, or at your county social service agency.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5. New Jersey WIC is offered through local agencies statewide. Start a pre-screening at wic.nj.gov, then a local agency follows up to schedule your first appointment.

NJ FamilyCare is New Jersey's publicly funded health coverage, covering Medicaid and CHIP. It pays for doctor visits, prescriptions, vision, dental, mental health and substance use care, and hospital stays for qualified residents of any age. Apply online or call the hotline at 1-800-701-0710. Children under 19 can apply regardless of immigration status.

The New Jersey Earned Income Tax Credit, NJEITC, is worth 40 percent of your federal EITC and is refundable, so it can put cash back in your pocket even if you owe no state tax. New Jersey does not follow the federal age limits: residents at least 18 by year end can claim it, with or without children. File a New Jersey Resident Income Tax Return, the NJ-1040, to claim it.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the New Jersey Department of Labor. File online any time at myunemployment.nj.gov, or by phone through a Reemployment Call Center: North Jersey 201-601-4100, Central Jersey 732-761-2020, South Jersey 856-507-2340. Call centers are open Monday through Friday.

Work First New Jersey, WFNJ, is the state's cash assistance program. WFNJ/TANF serves families with children, and WFNJ/General Assistance serves single adults and couples without children. It pays monthly cash and adds child care, job help, and short-term housing support. Apply at njhelps.gov or your county board of social services.

Legal Services of New Jersey gives free civil legal help to low-income residents on housing, family, public benefits, consumer, employment, and immigration matters. Call the statewide LSNJ-LAW hotline at 1-888-576-5529, open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5:30pm, or find free legal information and self-help tools at lsnjlaw.org.

Dial 2-1-1 from any New Jersey phone for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and legal services. NJ 211 is a statewide nonprofit that answers around the clock, every day, in many languages. You can also text your zip code to 898211 or search at nj211.org.