Browse the free đź’©
Free shit. No I-PASS required.
25 Illinois-only listings · 323 national · latest check Sept 27, 2026
Unclaimed money
The state may be holding your forgotten paychecks, deposits or refunds. Searching takes a minute and costs nothing.
Free tax help & credits
Illinois Revenue points to AARP Tax-Aide, GetYourRefund, and Chicagoland’s Ladder Up for free tax prep.
Tax credits people miss
Illinois adds its own earned income credit, plus a Child Tax Credit worth 40 percent of it if you have a kid under 12.
Free college & tuition help
Full tuition and campus fees covered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for Illinois families earning $75,000 or less.
Only-here money & perks
No entrance pass required at this national site, so the only cost is getting there.
Energy help
Government help paying heating and cooling bills, plus crisis help if you are facing a shutoff or run out of fuel.
211 help lines
Dial 2-1-1 or search online to find local help with food, rent, utilities, health care and more. It’s free and confidential.
Free transit
Seniors 65 and up and qualifying people with disabilities ride fixed-route transit free across Illinois.
Free health programs
Free one-on-one quit counseling and nicotine replacement therapy from the state quitline.
Free health programs
Medicare maze? Trained counselors will walk you through plans, Part D and bills one-on-one, free and unbiased.
Kids’ health coverage
State health coverage for Illinois kids; many now get covered with no premiums or copays.
New parents
A free, age-appropriate book in the mail every month for Illinois kids under 5, now in 93 of 102 counties.
State park free days
Tour Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield with no fee for the visit or the tour.
State park free days
There are no fees required to visit the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument.
State park free days
An entrance pass is not required to visit New Philadelphia National Historic Site.
State park free days
No entrance pass required to explore the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in Illinois; partner sites along the route may set their own fees.
Free fishing days
Fish without a license on set free days. 2026 was June 19-22; no license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp.
Library card perks
Borrow items you rarely need or want to test out.
Free concerts, festivals & events
One of the only free outdoor classical concert series in the US, in Millennium Park all summer.
Museum & zoo free days
A real zoo in the middle of Chicago that is open 365 days a year and always free.
Museum & zoo free days
Admission is always free at this Pilsen gem.
Museum & zoo free days
The Museum of Contemporary Art is free for Illinois residents Tuesdays 5-9 pm, and always free for anyone 18 and under.
Museum & zoo free days
Chicago residents get into this giant indoor jungle at no charge; donations welcome.
Museum & zoo free days
The University of Chicago’s art museum is always free and open to the public.
Museum & zoo free days
Free admission to Chicago’s “People’s Palace,” with stained-glass domes and free music, dance, theater and films.
Open settlementsUS
Share of $59.5M for people who used the Flo app in 2016 to 2019.
Open settlementsUS
$40 cash without receipt for owners of certain Bestway pools 48 inches or taller.
Open settlementsUS
Claim up to $5 without documentation if you used CVS web or app.
Open settlementsUS
$0.50 per product for up to 5 products without proof of purchase.