Information for Applicants & Recipients

Each application was reviewed with care and diligence. With respect to eligibility, to ensure thoroughness and fairness, each application was reviewed separately by two independent teams, and results were reconciled when they varied. Agricultural experts were consulted on complex questions, and the process’s standards were set and enforced by USDA. As one of several measures to prevent fraud within the program, each application was also carefully reviewed to ensure that program administrators could verify the identity of each person who applied.

USDA Farm Service Agency staff did not review DFAP applications. In accordance with the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA contracted with nongovernmental entities to administer DFAP subject to standards set and enforced by USDA. The Farm Service Agency (FSA), which is the agency within USDA responsible for making farm loans, and many other parts of USDA were consulted by program administrators with questions on FSA’s farm loan program requirements where relevant. USDA agencies, including FSA, also supplied data, where available, in order to provide corroboration for applications. You can learn more about how the program was administered here: https://22007apply.gov/program-overview.html.

This is an application-based program providing financial assistance to individuals, not a claims resolution process. For that reason, it is different than previous class and group actions filed against USDA. DFAP is not intended to compensate applicants for consequences of discrimination; it is intended to provide financial assistance.

This program is an important step of many in USDA’s efforts to truly be the People’s Department. In accordance with federal civil rights laws and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, it is USDA’s policy not to discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. USDA has taken many important, impactful steps to make our programs and processes, including farm lending, more accessible, equitable and inclusive. Information provided in DFAP applications will help to create a roadmap as we further refine those efforts. As such, USDA is grateful to the tens of thousands of applicants who took time to recount their stories, some of which are decades old and some of which are more recent. Building on the recent recommendations of the USDA Equity Commission, the Department continues to work hard to improve equity and inclusion to ensure that every farmer feels welcome in USDA farm lending and other farm programs. You can read more about recent and ongoing work at https://usda.gov/equity.

We encourage you to speedily deposit or cash your award check, at a bank of your choosing. You are strongly recommended to use an FDIC insured or NCUA insured institution to deposit or cash your check. Institutions that meet these criteria can be located through government approved websites: https://banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind, or https://mapping.ncua.gov/.

Your award is taxable as 2024 gross income. Financial assistance received through this program is part of a recipient’s 2024 gross income, for tax purposes, regardless of whether or when the payment is cashed or deposited. For some individuals, there may be a requirement to pay self-employment taxes as well. See https://22007apply.gov/taxes-benefits.html. Individuals who get an award will also get an IRS Form-1099 by early 2025 showing the amount of money they have received.

The awards may have implications for other public benefits. Everyone’s situation is different. You should talk to an attorney or advocate knowledgeable in these matters for any specific advice related to other public benefits you receive. USDA DFAP awards should not affect eligibility for public benefits that have no income or asset tests—for example, most types of Medicare and Social Security. For other public benefits—for example, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Veterans Affairs pension benefits, housing subsidies (e.g., Section 8 or rental assistance), and others—a DFAP award may affect eligibility. How much will depend on what other benefits a DFAP recipient gets, their other income and assets, the amount of the DFAP award, and where the recipient lives. See https://22007apply.gov/taxes-benefits.html for more, including how to get more information relevant to your individual circumstances.

For farm lending discrimination that occurred after January 1, 2021, you may contact the Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. DFAP was limited to discrimination experienced prior to January 1, 2021. If you believe you have experienced farm lending discrimination that was not covered by this program, or retaliation or reprisal related to DFAP or any other USDA program, you may contact the Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR) at (866) 632-9992 (toll free) or by emailing [email protected]. Si prefiere que lo atienden en español, llame al (800) 845-6136. Individuals who use sign language to communicate may contact OASCR through the Federal Relay Service, which can be reached by dialing 711. Your written complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days from the date you knew or reasonably should have known of the alleged discrimination, unless the time is extended for good cause by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights or designee.

Fraud is illegal. If you are aware of someone who may have falsely represented the requirements of the program, or who received a DFAP award but should not have, please report this to the USDA Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-424-9121 or the DFAP call center at 1-800-721-0970.

USDA farm lending is available to you now, and many program improvements have been made. USDA has made many improvements to its farm lending programs. For example, farmers can now apply for loans and make loan payments online; FSA has streamlined its loan application, saving applicants time and making the process far more straightforward than it was in the past; and USDA has instituted better guardrails to make the process objective and to mitigate personal discretion. USDA is working hard to make sure that all eligible farmers and ranchers can access credit. Please visit www.farmers.gov to find out how we can assist you in starting or growing your farm today. More information is also available here.

All DFAP decisions are final. All decisions related to DFAP eligibility and award amounts are final. Because Congress structured the program with limited funding, additional funding is not available for applicants seeking a larger award or a different determination. The determination that your application satisfies DFAP eligibility criteria for issuance of financial assistance does not constitute an admission of liability under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act or any other federal or state statute. Terms such as “evidence” or “validation” in DFAP materials are not intended to be legal terms of art but instead to be understood using their common meanings. The final DFAP determination and the financial assistance provided do not constitute, and may not be construed as, a determination or an admission of a violation of any law, rule, regulation, policy, or contract by the Secretary and/or the United States, the truth of any allegation made in the application, or the legal validity of any claim asserted in the application. Neither the determination to pay money nor the payment of money to an applicant in the DFAP shall be deemed to be a finding of fact, conclusion of law, or an admission of liability or damages by the Secretary or any designee acting in their official capacity.

You can call if you have questions or need assistance.

• Call the DFAP call center at 1-800-721-0970. The call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, excluding Federal holidays.
• Email [email protected] (NOTE: This email is for inquiries only. Please do not email documents or other information.)
• If you have an established DFAP account, your application status is available to you online. Log-in at https://forms.22007apply.gov. (NOTE: If you did not apply online, you cannot get your application status online.)
• For no-cost assistance in a language other than English, please call 1-800-721-0970 or email [email protected].
• Rau kev pab ua lus Hmoob, hu 1-800-721-0970 los sis sau email rau [email protected]
• 如需中文协助，请致电 1-800-721-0970 或发送电子邮件至 [email protected]
• P如需中文協助, 請致電 1-800-721-0970 或傳送電子郵件至 [email protected]
• 한국어로 지원을 받으려면, 1-800-721-0970번으로 전화하시거나 [email protected] 으로 이메일을 보내주세요
• Để được hỗ trợ bằng tiếng Việt, hãy gọi số 1-800-721-0970 hoặc gửi email đến [email protected]
• ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਿਵੱਚ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਲਈ, 1-800-721-0970 'ਤੇਕਾਲ ਕਰੋਜਾਂ [email protected] 'ਤੇਈਮੇਲ ਕਰੋ।