Assistance Programs in New Mexico

NM Energy$mart makes free energy-saving retrofits and home modifications for income-eligible New Mexico households, work that lowers future bills. Housing New Mexico (the Mortgage Finance Authority) runs it, and both homeowners and renters can qualify. There is no statewide intake line; you apply through one of three regional service providers assigned to the area where you live, listed on the Housing New Mexico site.

LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, helps eligible New Mexico households with heating and cooling costs. Apply online through YESNM at yes.nm.gov, at your local Income Support Division office, or with a paper form the state offers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Simplified Chinese. Call 1-800-283-4465 with questions, and include a disconnect notice if a shut-off is coming.

SNAP is New Mexico's food assistance program: monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online through YESNM at yes.nm.gov, the state's one application that also covers cash assistance, Medicaid, and energy help, or at your local Income Support Division (ISD) office. You can also call the Consolidated Customer Service Center at 1-800-283-4465.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. New Mexico WIC runs through the state Department of Health. Request an appointment or check eligibility at nmwic.org, or call 1-866-867-3124 to learn more and find the clinic nearest you.

New Mexico Medicaid is free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. Most members get care through Turquoise Care, the managed care program that replaced Centennial Care on July 1, 2024. Apply online through YESNM at yes.nm.gov, or call the Consolidated Customer Service Center at 1-800-283-4465.

New Mexico has a refundable Child Tax Credit worth up to $637 per qualifying child for the lowest-income families, with the amount stepping down as income rises. Because it is refundable, it can come back as cash even if you owe no tax. There is no separate application: you claim it on your New Mexico personal income tax return, Form PIT-1, for each qualifying child.

The Working Families Tax Credit is New Mexico's version of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and it is refundable, so it can pay out as cash even if you owe no tax. For tax year 2023 and after, the credit equals 25 percent of your federal Earned Income Tax Credit, up from 20 percent in 2022. Claim it on your New Mexico personal income tax return, Form PIT-1.

New Mexico Works, the state's TANF program, is a monthly cash benefit for low-income families with children, loaded onto an EBT card you can use like a debit card. It helps cover basics like housing, utilities, and clothing while adults work toward a job. Apply online through YESNM at yes.nm.gov or at your local Income Support Division office. Questions go to 1-800-283-4465.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. File online through the state's workforce portal at jobs.dws.nm.gov, which is the fastest way, then file a weekly certification for each week you want to be paid. You must be able to work, available for work, and looking for work while you claim.

New Mexico Legal Aid gives free civil legal help to low-income residents on the noncriminal problems that upend a household: eviction and housing, family matters, public benefits, consumer and debt issues, and more. Call the statewide intake line at 1-833-545-4357 (1-833-LGL-HELP) or apply online. Free plain-language legal information for everyone is at LawHelpNewMexico.com.

Dial 2-1-1 from any New Mexico phone for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. The service is run by United Way and routes your call by where you live. In the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area, United Way of North Central New Mexico answers direct at 505-245-1735, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.