Rumor: FEMA only provides a one-time payment when you apply for assistance.

Fact

This is false. FEMA reviews each disaster assistance application individually to determine the types of assistance you are eligible to receive. Your unique situation determines the amount of assistance you may receive.

There are often misleading claims that FEMA will only provide a set amount of assistance to every person who applies. Amounts commonly stated in these misleading claims include $500, $750, and $1,000. It’s important to remember that FEMA assistance is not one-size-fits-all and the assistance you receive is based on the information you provide when you apply. You may even receive multiple checks from FEMA of varying amounts ranging from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.  

Many scams also claim that you can call a phone number to receive a cash payment from FEMA. Be careful of these scams as they are often designed to steal your money by pretending to be FEMA. FEMA’s official disaster assistance helpline is 1-800-621-3362.