SimCare: A Safety Net for Sims in Need

Life can be unpredictable. Get support for your Sims when they need it most with the SimCare mod.

Though The Sims 4 is considered a life simulation game, its realism level is limited when it comes to hardship and misfortune experienced by our Sims. Even great tragedies like death are played up in a cartoonish manner, softening the blow compared to reality. A big source of struggle for Sims is related to their finances—Sims who don’t have enough money to cover their basic bills can face repossession, having utilities shut off, or even eviction (introduced in The Sims 4 For Rent).

The SimCare mod by Plumlace introduces a new support system for sims in need, providing a welcome buffer to get through those rough patches in life. This mod brings a benefits system to the game that sims have to apply for, and there are multiple facets of assistance they can be granted.

Note: This mod requires the XML Injector to work!

SimCare’s Benefits Packages

There are four different benefits that sims can apply for through the SimCare app on their phone. If approved, a special bank account will be opened where your household will receive a deposit once a week, which you can then transfer into their household funds.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The SNAP program will give Sims benefit money for use in buying groceries. Households appear to receive a benefit of §96 per week regardless of how many members there are living there. Your sims can make this benefit really stretch by sticking to inexpensive foods and using their own ingredients when possible, such as through farming or by way of community gardens.

Unemployment Benefits

Sims who are unemployed can apply for Unemployment Benefits. If approved they will be granted §500 per week in benefits. If your sim can find ways to make additional income such as through selling crafted items or scavenging collectibles, they should be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle with the addition of this benefit. It’s also a good tool to help sims just getting started out in an unconventional life path until they’re generating enough income to be self-sustaining.

Disability Benefits

Sims who are unemployed but not receiving Unemployment Benefits can apply for Disability Benefits which adds a weekly stipend of §750 to qualified sims. Since disability isn’t really a concept in The Sims 4 it’s unclear what factors go into determining whether a sim receives this benefit or not. In my testing this wasn’t a benefit that would be granted immediately; my sim was approved after a day. This could be the mod making sure your sim “is really disabled” and isn’t going to apply for a job, or perhaps it could be something that is only granted on weekdays (my testing began on Sunday in-game). Either way, this one took a bit more patience to work.

Though this is the highest benefit tier by far, sims can increase their earnings by having a side hustle so long as it isn’t a traditional job.

More on SNOOTYSIMS: Add more variety & realism for your disabled sims with our favorite Disabilities Custom Content.

Child Care Credit

Sims with young children can apply for financial help paying for childcare. The benefit does not apply to households that only have school-aged children (or no children at all). When granted your household will receive §150 in weekly benefits—initially I could not get my sim approved despite having a toddler in the household but once I traveled to a lot without the toddler and applied while they were in daycare, it was approved!

Utility Credits

Sims can get discounts on their Utilities with this benefit, the impact of which depends on an individual household’s consumption and bills. You can combine this credit with mitigating devices such as water collectors and solar panels to help reduce your household energy burden even further.

Withdrawing Simoleons

To use the monetary benefits granted to you by this mod, navigate to the SimCare app and select “Check Balance.” This will pull up a screen showing the total simoleons available to your sims with the option to withdraw part or all of the money into your household funds. Benefits don’t deposit immediately though, and once approved your sims will have to get by until their first weekly deposit kicks in.

Known Limitations

There are a few limits with the current version of the SimCare mod:

• Benefits are available for Young Adults & older; Teens and Children who live without a guardian cannot apply
• Sims with a traditional part-time job are ineligible for Unemployment or Disability Benefits even if their income is too low to cover their weekly costs
• If a sim gets a job after being approved for Unemployment Benefits, those benefits will remain intact and aren’t automatically disabled
• The mod author hasn’t tested SimCare against other mods so it’s currently unknown if there are any conflicts

Final Thoughts

Not every Sim can cut it with a traditional part or full-time job. Whether your sim is disabled, a struggling new parent, recently lost their job, or just wants to live a life that doesn’t involve the typical “grind,” they can use benefits from the SimCare mod to help make that happen. Sure, you can cheat your way to a more financially stable household if you really want to, but the SimCare mod helps out struggling sims while keeping things a bit more challenging and realistic. It’s a nice way to balance the game a little without making it so easy it becomes boring. Give it a try and see what you think!

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