Show the math, always.
Benefits eligibility isn't a mystery — it's arithmetic that agencies publish and almost nobody reads. Goldenrod reads it, encodes it, and runs it for your family.
A rules engine, not a guess
Every screening decision is made by deterministic code that encodes published 2026 program rules — income limits as a percent of the federal poverty level, asset tests, deductions, and state-by-state variations for all 50 states and DC. No AI model decides whether you qualify. The same answers always produce the same report, and every program card shows the exact comparison it made, line by line, so you — or a caseworker — can verify it.
Three honest answers
Programs come back as likely (passes every encoded test), possible (passes the primary tests — a state-specific detail could change the outcome), or not eligible now(fails a core test). When we can't fully screen something, we say “worth checking” and tell you who to call. The one rule: never a false “no.” When encoding is uncertain, we err toward telling you to apply.
Estimates you can trace
Dollar values come from the programs themselves: the 2026 Part B premium ($202.90/month) for Medicare Savings Programs, SSA's ~$5,700/year estimate for Extra Help, the SNAP benefit formula with senior deductions applied to your actual answers, VA pension rates minus countable income. Where a benefit varies (LIHEAP, property tax), we show a conservative range instead of a fake precise number.
Privacy by architecture
The entire screening runs in your browser. Your answers are saved on your device only. Share links encode the answers in the link itself — sending one is your choice, to the people you choose. We never ask for a Social Security number, and there is no database of your family's finances to breach.
2026 data sources
Rules are re-verified each program year and whenever agencies announce changes. The administering agency always makes the final eligibility decision.