Benefit information and advice
We encourage customers to do their own calculations and complete the budget on the Better Off Calculator which can be found here - https://api.betteroffcalculator.co.uk/remoteAuth/108be45793330f643b27687def8ad855a42ae5b5d8a511d81c104b5ff35a023d
There are an estimated 880,000 pensioners who would be entitled to Pension Credit now but who have not claimed it yet.
- Pension Credit is an income-based benefit that tops up your weekly income to a certain amount
- The amount you receive depends on whether you're single or have a partner
- Even if your income is higher, you may still be eligible if you have a disability, care for someone, have savings, or have housing costs
- Having savings of £10,000 or less will not affect your entitlement to Pension Credit
- If you have savings over £10,000, your entitlement will depend on your other income and circumstances
- You can use the Better Off Calculator to check if you're entitled to Pension Credit
- If you don't qualify for Pension Credit due to your income and savings, you may still be able to claim Attendance Allowance, which could make you eligible for Pension Credit
- A Guaranteed Pension Credit award of any amount will give you full Housing Benefit entitlement
Find out more on how to claim Pension Credit here
If you have difficulty with everyday tasks or getting around, you may be able to get:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if you're under 16
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if you're 16 or over and haven't reached State Pension age
- Attendance Allowance if you've reached State Pension age
All these benefits are non-means tested, meaning your income or savings will not impact your entitlement. Our Tenancy Support team can help support our customers, and Citizens Advice Bureau has helpful information on how to fill in the application forms for each of these benefits.
We've put together some links for each benefit to help you find out more:
- Severe Disability Premium (SDP) is an additional payment for disabled people who meet specific criteria
- It only applies to old-style legacy benefits (ESA, JSA, IS) but can be transferred to Universal Credit (UC)
- It can be backdated to when the entitlement began
- If you're already on Universal Credit, you can contact the old benefit provider (ESA, JSA, IS) to request SDP
- Learn more about eligibility here
- Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs
- It replaces lots of existing benefits: Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Working Tax Credit
- It's being introduced in stages across the UK for working aged people and will replace all old benefits by 2024. If you claim on the existing benefits, you don't need to do anything until you hear from the Department for Work and Pensions about moving to Universal Credit, unless you have a change in circumstances
- If you’re looking to make a new claim, you can check if you’re eligible by completing the Better Off Calculator
- Claiming Universal Credit is usually done online, but if you need support, you can call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644
- Our creditor reference number for Universal Credit is 0000018930
- We’ve been made aware by the Department of Work and Pensions of a fake Universal Credit app and fake Universal Credit texts that have been sent to some customers
- There is no Universal Credit app so if it says to download Universal Credit app- it’s not from the DWP. They will usually send a message to tell you to log in to your Universal Credit account online or call Universal Credit if it’s a phone claim
- Please make sure not to use any apps claiming to be Universal Credit or respond to any suspicious text messages, instead only go through the DWP Universal Credit website
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is moving people from legacy benefits to Universal Credit (UC) through a nationwide initiative called Managed Migration.
The legacy benefits that will be affected include:
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - You won’t have to claim UC if your only benefit is Contribution Based ESA. However, if you also get Housing Benefit you will be asked to move to UC but your ESA will continue
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) - You won’t have to claim UC if your only benefit is Contribution Based ESA. However, if you also get Housing Benefit you will be asked to move to UC but your ESA will continue
- Income Support (IS)
- Housing Benefit (HB)
- Child Tax Credit (CTC)
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
- Migration Notice: You will receive a migration notice by post. You have 3 months and 1 day from the date on the notice to claim UC
- Transitional Protection: If you claim UC within the given timeframe, you will receive the same amount as your legacy benefits
- Specialist Advice: It’s important to get specialist benefit advice to ensure a smooth transition. Call VIVID at 0800 652 0898 to speak with the Money Advice and Benefits team
- Missed Deadline: If you don’t claim UC by the deadline, your legacy benefits will stop, and you will lose the transitional protection
- Housing Costs: UC includes a Housing Costs Element, which is paid directly to you. You will need to arrange to pay your landlord. Contact VIVID to ensure your rent is paid
- Post-Migration Advice: If you have already claimed UC and need advice, contact the Money Advice and Benefits team
You might not need to claim Universal Credit if you are getting Contribution Based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)/Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or New Style (NS) ESA and JSA and no Housing Benefit (HB). However if you receive a Migration notice, please seek specialist benefits advice, please don’t ignore the notice.You can find out more about Managed Migration on the Government website.
For rent struggles due to bedroom tax, non-dependant deductions, or benefit cap, consider applying for temporary discretionary housing payment through your local authority while exploring options below.
- If you or your partner receives disability benefits and cannot share a bedroom due to a medical condition, inform the benefit covering your rent and provide medical evidence
- The same applies if your children cannot share a bedroom
- If both of you are of pension age and claim Housing Benefit, the bedroom tax does not apply
- If someone in your household receives overnight care on a regular basis from a non-resident carer and gets certain benefits, you may be entitled to an extra bedroom payment
- Taking on a lodger can increase your income, but be aware that this may affect your benefits
- If a family member moves in with you, you may be affected by non-dependant deductions, and if you receive the Severe Disability Premium, seek advice first
- To downsize, explore Mutual Exchange options or register on your local authority housing register
- A non-dependant is a person who lives with you but is not responsible for paying rent under a formal arrangement. Non-dependants, often grown-up children or elderly relatives
- Non-dependants can impact your Housing Benefit, Universal Credit Housing Element, and Council Tax Reduction through non-dependant deductions
- Non-dependant deductions are housing cost contributions in Universal Credit
- Non-dependants are usually expected to contribute to cover the deduction, but the amount varies depending on the benefit and the non-dependant's circumstances
- More information on non-dependant deductions is available on this page
- There are exemptions that can remove the non-dependant deduction. You can visit this page for more information
- To see if you’re exempt, you can use the Benefit Calculator at the top of this page
- It's worth noting that non-dependant deductions are sometimes applied incorrectly on Universal Credit claims
- who have not reached State Pension age can receive
- You can find examples of when you are not affected by the benefit cap on this page
- To remove the benefit cap, there are two main ways: claim disability benefits or find employment
- You can also get some support with childcare through tax credits and Universal Credit. For more information, have a look at this page
- Use the benefit calculator at the top of this page to see your entitlement with the cap removed and your wages
- Also, check if Universal Credit should have applied the "grace period" as it can sometimes be missed. You can find more information on the Government website
This year to be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment, you need to be born before 23 September 1958 and you must also live in England or Wales and get one of the following:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
If you're already in receipt of one of the above benefits, you'll receive the Winter Fuel payment. You can find out more on the Government website.
You can check if you’re entitled to any of these benefits by using this benefit calculator- https://api.betteroffcalculator.co.uk/remoteAuth/108be45793330f643b27687def8ad855a42ae5b5d8a511d81c104b5ff35a023d
If you're entitled, you should claim as soon as possible as the deadline is 21 December 2024. Please get in touch if you need any advice.
