You've got a problem: You need housing assistance. Or a small business loan. Or a copy of your birth certificate. You know you need to call someone in the government, but who?

Which government office or website is the right one to help you with your problem?

Call 800-FED-INFO, the U.S. government's free, official hotline for information on government benefits and services.

Call if you need help:

•Applying for Social Security or Medicare/Medicaid benefits.

•Learning how to purchase surplus government property.

•Obtaining or renewing a passport.

•Getting assistance with utility bills.

•Filing your income taxes, or for almost anything else.

The information specialists at 800-FED-INFO are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to answer questions in English and Spanish.

You can also get information online, by visiting http://answers.usa.gov, where you can find answers to more than 2,000 of the most popular questions the governmentreceives.

Or you can chat with a specialist online and get your English-language questions answered live -- by clicking on the ``Live Help -- Web Chat''tab anytime between 8 a.m. and8 p.m.