Study: 93% of Americans Exchanged Financial Help With Someone in the Past Year

BestMoney’s new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults finds financial support is now a routine part of household survival, with 93% of Americans giving or receiving help in the past year. The data also show the strain lands heavily on helpers, including Gen Zers tapping retirement savings and many adults supporting adult children.

Why it matters: - Financial help between family and friends has become a near-universal fallback as everyday bills squeeze household budgets. - The study suggests the burden often lands on the people sending money, who may be draining emergency savings or retirement accounts to keep someone else afloat. - The findings also point to relationship risk, since most support happens without formal repayment terms.

What happened: - BestMoney surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults for a study of informal financial support. - 93% of respondents said they gave or received financial support from someone they know in the past 12 months. - Only 7% said they neither gave nor received help. - The study was released Oct. 27, 2026.

The details: - Among people who received support, 28% needed help for groceries and other household costs. - 20% said the support followed a job loss. - 19% cited rising housing costs. - 13% needed help with rent or a mortgage. - Among people who gave support, 40% covered groceries and household costs for someone else. - 29% helped pay a loved one’s rent or mortgage. - Cash loans were the most reciprocal form of help, with 20% saying they gave one and 17% saying they received one. - 35% said they supported someone a few times over the past year. - 12% did so once a month. - 9% did so once a week. - 39% relied on trust with no formal agreement. - 18% discussed repayment before money changed hands. - 31% said repayment was never expected because the money was a gift. - 40% said they have never kept financial support secret from anyone.

Between the lines: - The support network looks more like a recurring budget line than a rare emergency rescue. - Adults appear to turn to people before financial products when a bill cannot be covered. - 22% said a family member is the first place they would turn for an essential expense, ahead of 21% who named personal savings. - 16% said they have no one to turn to for financial help. - That figure rises to 30% among boomers, compared with 6% among Gen Z. - 27% named a parent as their primary financial safety net. - 16% named a romantic partner. - 11% named a credit card or loan. - 5% named a sibling. - Parents are the main safety net for 45% of Gen Z and 37% of millennials, compared with 18% of Gen X and 4% of boomers. - Women were more likely than men to call family first, 25% to 19%. - Men were more likely to lean on their own savings, 23% to 19%. - Income also shaped the first call, with 26% of low-income respondents turning to family first, compared with 21% of middle-income respondents and 12% of high-income respondents. - The study also suggests support is often hidden, which can add tension when money becomes tied to control in a relationship. - 45% said they experienced a financial imbalance with a partner in the past year.

What's next: - The study suggests clearer repayment conversations could reduce strain on both finances and relationships. - BestMoney said the results show why a short discussion upfront about whether money is a loan or a gift may matter. - The full study is available here.

The bottom line: - Most Americans are relying on informal financial support, and many are paying for it with their own savings, debt or retirement funds.