Six Bay Area counties have extended their shelter-in-place orders through May 31, which along with other county and statewide orders have shut down or drastically altered most aspects of public life in California, including, for many, their livelihoods. The federal government, state and local governments have started groundbreaking programs to help those in financial need, but the rules are far from simple. If you need help, here’s something to get you started.

Q: Will I get a check from the government?

A: The Cares Act authorized the payment of economic impact payments to anyone who has a Social Security number valid for work, can’t be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return and does not make too much money. The payment is $1,200 for each eligible adult with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 ($150,000 married). Parents will also get $500 for each dependent child younger than 17 at the end of the year used to determine the payment.

Above those income limits, the payment is gradually reduced and reaches zero at $99,000 in income for singles, $146,500 for head-of-household filers with one child and $198,000 for joint filers with no children. The top of the phaseout range is higher the more children a family has. Dependents 17 and older are not eligible for the $1,200 adult nor the $500 child payment.

The IRS will use a taxpayer’s 2019 federal tax return if filed to determine the payment, or their 2018 return otherwise. They will receive a direct deposit if they had a tax refund deposited into a bank account; otherwise they will get a check in the mail. However, those who did not have a tax refund deposited can enter their banking information at the IRS Web site “Get My Payment” to get a direct deposit instead of a check. Many people can also use this tool to track their payment. (If you have trouble entering your address, enter your street in all caps.)

Eligible adults who did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019, and were not required to file, will get the $1,200 payment automatically if they receive Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), survivor benefits, supplemental security income (SSI), Railroad Retirement benefits or veteran’s benefits. It will arrive the same way they get those benefits. However, if they have qualifying children, to get the extra $500 this year they had to enter information at the IRS website “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here.” SSI and VA beneficiaries have until Tuesday, May 5, to enter this information. The deadline for others in this group has passed. If they do not get the child payment this year, they can claim it by filing a 2020 tax return.

The payments will be available throughout 2020. They are not subject to federal or state taxes and won’t increase your 2020 income.

If you were not eligible for a payment based on your 2018 or 2019 tax return, but are eligible in 2020, you can claim the payment when you file your 2020 tax return. If the opposite is true, you will not have to return the payment.

The IRS began making direct deposits the week of April 13 and mailing checks the following week. It will issue about 5 million checks per week, starting with the lowest-income people and working its way up to higher-income ones. This could take up to 20 weeks.

For more information, see irs.gov.

Q: What changes have been made to retirement accounts?

A: The Cares Act made it easier to take money out of — and leave money in — Individual Retirement Account or 401(k)-type plans.

It suspended required minimum distributions, known as RMDs, for this year only. That means anyone who must take an RMD from their own IRA or 401(k) account because they have reached a certain age, or have an inherited account, won’t have to this year. If you already took a required distribution from your own IRA this year, you can put it back within 60 days of the withdrawal and it won’t be counted as income this year, but there are rules to follow, so ask your tax person or the institution that holds your IRA. If more than 60 days have passed, different rules apply, so again do your research. You cannot put the RMD back into an inherited IRA.

The Cares Act also lets employers increase the maximum loan amount from 401(k)-type plans to $100,000 from $50,000 for this year only. Employees who have loans from a 401(k)-type plan and have a payment due this year can extend the due date by one year.

If you have a coronavirus-related hardship, you can now withdraw up to a total of $100,000 from your IRAs, 401(k) or other workplace plans this year and instead of including the entire amount in your 2020 income, spread it over three years to reduce a big tax hit.

Q: Am I eligible for unemployment benefits?

A: If you are an employee and have lost your job or had your hours cut through no fault of your own, you can file for regular state unemployment insurance. Benefits in California generally range from $40 to $450 per week for up to six months (or possibly more if you are working reduced hours and getting reduced benefits).

The Cares Act provides federal funding to significantly expand unemployment benefits. It will extend regular benefits by 13 weeks. It will also provide up to 39 weeks of “pandemic unemployment assistance” to people who lost work as a “direct result” of the coronavirus and do not qualify for regular state benefits. This includes people who are self-employed, haven’t worked long enough, already ran out of regular benefits or were temporarily disqualified because of prior false statements on an unemployment application.

Pandemic benefits range from $167 to $450 per week. In California, people applying for regular and pandemic benefits start at the same place, EDD’s “UI Online” website, and answer a few basic questions. Based on their answers, and any wage data it has on file for them, EDD will determine whether they qualify for regular or pandemic benefits. At that point, the questions will be different for regular and pandemic benefits.

If you earned enough wages reported on Form W-2 over a recent 12-month period to qualify for regular state benefits, you will get state benefits, even if you earned more money from self-employment and could have gotten a larger pandemic benefit.

The Cares Act will also add $600 a week to both regular and pandemic benefits for several months. In California, this period is from March 29 through July 25, 2020.

California has temporarily waived the one-week waiting period before unemployment benefits begin, and the normal work-search requirements.

People applying for pandemic benefits can claim them retroactively as far back as Feb. 1. People getting regular benefits can get them retroactively only by calling EDD.

To talk to an EDD representative who can pull up your information, call 800-300-5616 weekdays from 8 a.m. until noon. To get general information from a live representative, call 833-978-2511 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. For recorded information 24/7, call 866-333-4606.

For more information, see https://edd.ca.gov.

Q: What if I can’t pay my auto insurance?

A: Check with your insurer; many are offering payment options for customers and have temporarily stopped cancellations and non-renewals. And because people are driving less, many are offering temporary discounts.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to provide partial credits or refunds of premiums for March, April and maybe May in at least six lines of insurance “where the risk of loss has fallen substantially” because the coronavirus has people working and driving less. The order applies, at a minimum, to private passenger automobile, commercial automobile, workers’ compensation, commercial multi-peril, commercial liability and medical malpractice insurance in California. The credit, reductions or rebates should be made as soon as possible, but no later than August, he said.

Two consumer groups have graded discount offers on auto insurance. For their report card, visit https://consumerfed.org.

Q: What about sick leave?

A: The California Industrial Relations Department administers the state’s paid sick leave law, which requires almost all public- and private-sector employers to give almost all employees in California at least three paid sick days per year.

If they have leave available, employees can use it “for absences due to illness, the diagnosis, care or treatment of an existing health condition or preventative care for the employee or the employee’s family member. Preventative care may include self-quarantine as a result of potential exposure to COVID-19 if quarantine is recommended by civil authorities,” the department says. For details, see https://bit.ly/cavirusleave.

Some cities have paid sick leave ordinances that provide higher benefits. San Francisco’s requires employers to provide paid sick leave to all employees who work in the city. Employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, but employers can cap their balances at 72 hours (10 or more employees) or 40 hours (smaller employers).

San Francisco has allocated $10 million to cover five additional sick days for private-sector workers affected by the virus through a program called Workers and Family First. This program will be available only if the employee has exhausted their currently available sick leave and has exhausted or is not eligible for federal or state supplemental sick leave, and the employer agrees to extend sick leave beyond current benefits.

Q: Could I get state disability or family leave?

A: If a medical professional has certified that you can’t work because you have been exposed to the coronavirus, you can file a claim for state disability insurance. It provides short-term payments to eligible employees who lose some or all wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury or pregnancy for up to 52 weeks.

If you can’t work because you are caring for an eligible relative who is sick with or quarantined by COVID-19, you can file for paid family leave, which provides up to six weeks of benefits (up to eight weeks starting July 1).

Disability insurance and paid family leave are part of the same program, called state disability insurance. It’s funded entirely by employees through payroll deductions, usually marked as CASDI (California State Disability Income tax). Each provides about 60% to 70% of pay up to a maximum of $1,300 a week.

State and local government employees, including those employed by public schools, are exempt, although some of these workplaces participate through an elective coverage program. Also, some private-sector employers offer a voluntary plan for disability insurance and paid family leave instead of the state program. Contact your employer for claims related to voluntary plans.

For more on state disability, paid family leave and unemployment, visit https://edd.ca.gov.

Q: Has Congress mandated any additional paid sick or family leave?

A: Yes. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires certain public employers, and private employers with fewer than 500 employees, to give employees a limited amount of paid family and medical leave for reasons related to the coronavirus. Small businesses with fewer than 50 workers can get an exemption. For details, see www.dol.gov or www.irs.gov. Employers get a tax credit for the cost of providing leave. Self-employed people can get the same tax credit.

Q: What if I’m an undocumented immigrant?

A: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for unemployment or stimulus payments. California will partner with philanthropists to provide $125 million to undocumented immigrants facing financial hardships during the pandemic. The state will contribute $75 million, while several nonprofit foundations are committed to raising $50 million through the new California Immigrant Resilience Fund. The funds will be distributed through community groups that work with immigrants.

Q: What if I can’t pay my mortgage?

A: Call the company that collects your mortgage payment. You may be entitled to relief, depending on your circumstances and who owns the loan. The federal Cares Act provides two benefits if you have a financial hardship caused by the coronavirus and your loan is owned or guaranteed by a federal agency, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

First, your servicer cannot start a foreclosure, or finalize a foreclosure judgment or sale, for 60 days starting March 19. Second, you can get a forbearance for up to 180 days, plus one extension for another 180 days. During forbearance, your payments are temporarily suspended, but not forgiven. You will have to pay them later. “There will be no additional fees, penalties or additional interest (beyond scheduled amounts) added to your account” during the forbearance,” according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In addition, the servicer should not report late payments to credit bureaus during this period.

If your loan is not government backed, you may or may not get the same deal. Before agreeing to any forbearance, ask your servicer what will happen to the missed payments at the end of the forbearance, and get the answer in writing.

For more information, visit www.consumerfinance.gov.

Q: What if I can’t pay my student loans?

A: The Cares Act directed the U.S. Department of Education to automatically suspend payments on all student and parent loans held by the federal government through Sept. 30. During the payment suspension, no interest will accrue, and missed payments will be reported to credit bureaus as if they were made.

All months of suspended payments will also count as “qualifying payments” under the government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-driven repayment plans, and for borrowers rehabilitating defaulted loans. After Sept. 30, “borrowers will receive communications from their servicer about transitioning back into repayment,” according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

This program covers federal direct Stafford, Grad Plus and Parent Plus loans and direct consolidation loans. It also includes loans made by commercial lenders in 2008-09 and 2009-10 under the now-defunct Federal Family Education Loan program that were transferred to the government. It does not include loans made under that program that were not transferred to the government, nor does it cover federal Perkins loans nor any private student or parent loans.

On April 23, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that students in California and other states with those loans may be eligible for relief options, including a minimum of 90 days forbearance, waiving late payment fees, and no negative credit reporting.

Q: What if I can’t pay my income taxes?

A: The IRS has deferred the federal tax-filing and tax-payment deadline for 90 days. Individuals can defer up to $1 million of federal income tax (including self-employment tax) payments due on April 15, 2020, for tax year 2019 until July 15, 2020, without penalties or interest. The April 15 and June 15 deadlines for making first- and second-quarter estimated tax payments have also been extended to July 15.

The California Franchise Tax Board has made the same extensions for state income taxes.

The deadline for making contributions to an IRA for 2019 has also been extended to July 15.

Q: What about property taxes?

A: The second installment of property taxes was due April 10 in all Bay Area counties except San Mateo, where it is due Monday, and San Francisco, which plans to extend its deadline until May 15. Property owners who miss the deadline can apply for a potential waiver of late fees.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender