This is the time to cut back on any unnecessary expenses that you can. Tighten it up. Stop or pause your subscriptions (think Netflix, Hulu, meal delivery kits, specialty makeup boxes). They aren’t going anywhere, and you can easily pick them back up once everything blows over and you have extra cash to spend again.

Car Payment Deferral: If you have a car payment, many lenders are suspending payments for 60 days or more. Call your loan provider to see what options you may have.

Also, don’t forget to call your cable, internet, and cellular providers to see if there’s anything they’ll do to work with you during this time. Utilities may also be open to work with your situation. For example, SoCal Gas has temporarily suspended all service disconnects and has committed to helping residential customers with paying their bill. Be open and honest; let these companies know your situation. You’ll never know that assistance is available unless you ask!

We know making sacrifices like this can feel like adding insult to injury when you’re already hurting. But keep reminding yourself: This is not forever. We’re going to make it through this! You’re making temporary sacrifices to tread water until this storm passes and you’re back on your feet again.Economic Impact Payments (Stimulus Checks): Many have already received their checks from the government. If you need to research your status, here is the link to the IRS. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus-tax-relief-and-economic-impact-payments

Tax Day Deferment: The filing deadline for your tax return has been pushed from April 15th to July 15th. The change gives individuals and corporations an additional three months to file and pay before they would owe interest and penalties for late filing. Many states have also delayed their filing and payment deadlines.

Student Load Deferment: To provide relief to student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency, federal student loan borrowers are automatically being placed in an administrative forbearance, which allows you to temporarily stop making your monthly loan payment. This suspension of payments will last until Sept. 30, 2020, but you can still make payments if you choose. https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus

Paid Family Leave: Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, workers are temporarily entitled to two-thirds of their wages for up to 12 weeks of qualifying family and medical leave for a broad range of COVID-19-related reasons. The revised version of the bill will only provide such leave when employees can’t work because their minor child’s school or childcare service is closed due to a public health emergency. Workers who have been on the payroll for at least 30 calendar days will be eligible for paid family leave benefits, which will be capped at $200 a day (or $10,000 total) and expire at the end of the year.

Paid Sick Leave: Under the same bill, many employers will have to provide 80 hours of paid-sick-leave benefits for several reasons, including if the employee has been ordered by the government to quarantine or isolate or has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine because of COVID-19. Employees could also use paid sick leave when they have symptoms of COVID-19 and are seeking a medical diagnosis, if they are caring for someone who is in quarantine or isolation, or their child’s school or childcare service is closed because of the public health emergency. Paid-sick-leave benefits will be immediately available when the law takes effect and capped at $511 a day for a worker’s own care and $200 a day when the employee is caring for someone else. This benefit will also expire at the end of 2020. *Note: There are some restrictions based on size of company and number of employees, so check with your company HR department to make sure.

Unemployment Benefits: The legislation boosts unemployment benefits, with nearly $1 billion in state grants to cover processing and paying unemployment insurance. It also raises the amount of assistance to states with high unemployment for those who have exhausted benefits already. Visit the CA EDD website https://www.edd.ca.gov/unemployment/UI_Online_File_a_Claim.htm to file a claim.