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Money and property that businesses could not return to their owners is turned over to the state, which holds it until the owner claims it.

How the money movesThe holder reports and sends the funds to the state; the state pays them out once a claim is approved. The Department of Revenue says searching and claiming cost nothing.

Your next stepSearch your name, past names and past addresses, then file a claim for anything that is yours.

One application site for SNAP, TANF, Medical Assistance, Child Care and Parent Services (CAPS), WIC and Georgia Pathways to Coverage.

How the money movesFederal and state program funds reach a household as food, cash assistance, health coverage or childcare help, after the agency decides the household is eligible.

Your next stepScreen and apply on Gateway, with proof of income and the people in your household ready.

IRS volunteer sites (VITA and TCE) help qualifying people prepare their returns, and Georgia’s Free File Alliance lets qualifying taxpayers e-file a Georgia return through approved software at little or no cost.

How the money movesOver-withheld tax and refundable credits come back once a return is processed. How you file changes what preparing it costs you, not what you are owed.

Your next stepCheck the qualification rules first. If you would rather have a professional prepare it with you, that is what a Team Green office does.

Help with home cooling and heating bills, run by DHS through local Community Action Agencies.

How the money movesFederal energy-assistance funds are handed out first come, first served, until the season’s money runs out. The 2026 cooling notice set eligibility at or below 60% of the median income for a Georgia family.

Your next stepCall your local Community Action Agency and ask how it takes applications. Have your latest energy bill and 30 days of income proof ready.

Five state programs funded through the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative: Loan Participation, Small Business Credit Guaranty, a CDFI program, Equity Direct and Venture Capital.

How the money movesIn the loan programs the state does not lend to you directly. It shares a lender’s risk by taking part of a loan, or guaranteeing part of it, and the lender handles you as its customer.

Your next stepAsk your bank or a community lender whether it takes part in Georgia’s SSBCI programs. Clean books and a clear use of funds are what a lender asks for first.

The state’s homebuyer mortgage program, with down payment assistance of 5% of the price or $10,000, whichever is less, or 6% or $12,500 for the Protectors, Educators & Nurses (PEN) and Choice options.

How the money movesYou work through a Georgia Dream participating lender, and the assistance goes into the purchase. It lowers the cash you bring to closing rather than arriving as a check.

Your next stepContact a participating lender to pre-qualify, and ask exactly how and when the assistance is repaid.

The state’s supplier portal: register as a supplier, apply for business certification, respond to electronic sourcing events and see awarded contracts.

How the money movesWhen an agency needs to buy, it posts a sourcing event. Registered suppliers respond, the award becomes a contract, and the agency pays against it.

Your next stepRegister as a supplier, then watch for sourcing events in your line of work.

The state’s public registry, where government bid opportunities are advertised.

How the money movesAn advertised bid is government telling the market it has a defined need. Reading them early is how a small business finds the need before everyone else.

Your next stepSearch by your line of work and note each opportunity’s closing date.

Six certifications: minority-, veteran- and women-owned, and a small version of each. Certified firms are listed in a database visible to state and local government procurement staff.

How the money movesVisibility, and a reason to be hired as a subcontractor: Georgia allows an income tax adjustment for companies that subcontract with DOAS-certified firms.

Your next stepGet approved by a recognized certifying organization first, then apply in GA@WORK under “Georgia Business Certification Application”.

Where the state’s money goes: salary and travel data, payments and professional-services spending, budget and financial reports, SPLOST reports, tax-expenditure reports and local government financial information.

How the money movesA payment record shows which vendor the state paid and for what. A tax expenditure is a tax break the state reports as a cost: money it chose not to collect.

Your next stepSearch a vendor in your industry and see what the state already buys.

Campaign-finance records (current and legacy searches), lobbyist reporting and vendor business-transaction disclosures.

How the money movesDisclosures show who gave to whom and who lobbies whom. A disclosed relationship is evidence of a relationship. By itself, it is not proof of anything more.

Your next stepSearch a candidate, a donor or a company, and read the filing itself.

Look up a registered Georgia company by name, control number, registered agent or officer, and see whether it is in good standing.

How the money movesControl shows up in filings: who formed a company, who its agent is, whether it is current. It is the first step in following the money behind a landlord, a contractor or a deal in the news.

Your next stepSearch the name, then check the status and the registered agent.

A one-time tax when you title a vehicle in Georgia. It replaced sales tax and the annual ad valorem tax on vehicles.

How the money movesThe standard rate is 7.0% of the vehicle’s fair market value, paid when you title it. That is cash you need on top of the down payment unless it is rolled into the loan.

Your next stepRun the estimator for the exact vehicle before you agree to a price, and add the result to your purchase plan below.

Occupational wages by area, education and occupation; short- and long-term occupational projections; industry outlook; profiles for all 159 counties; and the Georgia LaborMarket Explorer.

How the money movesPay follows what employers pay for a skill in a place. The data shows which skills pay more where you live, and which are projected to grow.

Your next stepLook up your occupation’s wages for your county or metro area, then compare it with the job you want next.