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Five signs you might be eligible Open in new window

What could you claim? Open in new window

Individuals and couples Open in new window

Families with children Open in new window

Households with a disabled member Open in new window

How could benefits help you? Open in new window

Get calculating Open in new window

If paying your bills and making ends meet is tough, you might be entitled to claim benefits.

Benefits aren’t just for people who are out of work or can’t work. There are lots of payments and grants that might be able to help you out. About 56%* of us have no idea what’s available, so over £16bn of benefits and payments are unclaimed every year.

Make sure your household isn’t missing out – try our benefits calculator.

*Resident Voice Index 2022

Five signs you might be eligible to claim:

you’re renting your home,
you have children,
you’re caring for somebody,
you have a disability, or live with someone who has a disability,
either you or your partner are out of work.

What benefits could you claim?

Any benefits you might be able to claim will depend on your own circumstances. To help you get a better understanding of what’s available, we’ve split households into three types.

Choose the household that matches yours and see what’s what.

Individuals and couples

If you live alone or with a partner, you could be eligible for the following schemes.

Council tax discount

If you’re living on your own, you should get a 25% discount on your council tax, regardless of how much you earn or have in the bank.

If you (and your partner if you have one) are on a low income, you could be eligible for a council tax reduction too.

Heating, water and rent support

Low-income households may also be able to claim the Warm Home Discount. It’s a one-off discount on heating bills over the winter, worth £150.

The benefits calculator also shows how you can apply for lower tariffs for other household utilities. It’s definitely worth checking if you qualify for lower tariffs on water or telecoms.

There are social water tariffs available that could save up to £370 a year. Social telecoms tariffs could reduce phone and broadband bills by as much as £300 a year.

If you’re struggling to pay your rent, you may also be able to get a discretionary housing payment from your local council.

Universal Credit payments

The main support for low incomes is Universal Credit and 34% of households in this category could be able to claim. This benefit could also help people who are out of work.

If you live with your partner and you are both able to claim Universal Credit, you’ll get one payment for both of you.

The average monthly claim for Universal Credit is £360.

If you claim Universal Credit, you could take advantage of the Help-to-Save scheme – it gives you a 50p bonus for every £1 you save.

The average total benefit payment for individuals and couples is £452 month and £250 in lump-sum payments.

Families with children

Households with children could be entitled to the these schemes.

Child Benefit

Almost all families are entitled to Child Benefit.

But if either you, or your partner, earn more than £50,000 a year, you’ll have to repay the money with an additional higher income child benefit charge.

It’s up to you if you cancel Child Benefit or claim it and pay the charge.

Low income support

There’s also a range of payments available for people on a low income with children:

Healthy Start - if you’re pregnant or have a child under four years old, you may be able to get payments for groceries like milk, baby formula, fruit and veg. (In Scotland you can use the Best Start Foods scheme.)
Sure Start Maternity grant – a £500 lump sum to help support you when you have a baby (The Best Start grant for families in Scotland)
free school meals
school clothing – support for uniform and PE kit costs may be available from your local council or school
16-19 Bursary Fund helps support young adults in England with the costs of studying. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland you may be eligible for the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Universal Credit payments

The main support available to families with children is Universal Credit and 61% of households in this category could be able to claim it. It’s one payment a month, averaging £814.

Find some wiggle room for saving. If you claim Universal Credit, you could take advantage of the Help-to-Save scheme – it gives you a 50p bonus for every £1 you save.

Families with children claiming benefits, typically get £972 month and £373 lump-sum payments

Households with a disabled member

Caring for a family member who has a health condition or disability? Get to know the range of disability benefits that are available.

Carer's Allowance

If you’re spending more than 35 hours a week looking after somebody with a disability, you may also be able to claim the Carer’s Allowance, worth £300 a month.

Support payments

The Personal Independence Payment is a monthly payment if you have a mental health condition or disability. The average monthly payment for PIP is £510 and it may still be available even if you’re in work.
If you have a child with a disability, the Disability Living Allowance provides a weekly payment based on the severity of your child’s condition. Families could receive an average of £426 a month.
For older adults with disabilities, Attendance Allowance could help with care costs. This becomes available once you reach the state pension age. Average payments are £345 a month.

All of these disability benefits are not means-tested, which means it doesn’t matter how much you earn or have in savings.

You’re also likely to be able to claim a reduction to your council tax bill if you, or someone you live with, has a disability. This could be worth an average of £70 a month.

Universal Credit payments

53% of households may also be able to claim Universal Credit. This pays an average of £847 a month to low-income households.

If you’re claiming Universal Credit, you can also use the Help-to-Save scheme. It pays a 50p bonus for every £1 you’re able to save.

If you or somebody you live with has a disability, the average benefit claim is £1,376 month and £344 in lump sums.

How benefits and support payments could help you

There are hundreds of different benefits, payments and grants available to people in need. They could top up your income and help ends meet.

01 Reducing your bills

Benefits, specific support payments and social tariffs can help you cut the cost of a range of regular bills and expenses, including housing, energy, water, phone and broadband, free school meals and school uniforms.

02 Protect your income

Can’t claim Statutory Sick Pay? Your Universal Credit payment should increase if your income, or your partner’s, drops because of illness.

03 Save for the future

If you’re a smaller earner, you could still save for a rainy day. Help to Save pays a 50p bonus for every £1 you put away, up to a maximum bonus of £1,200 over four years. It’s available if you’re on Universal Credit.

Could you claim?

Get started by answering a few questions about your income and household living arrangements. Our calculator can tell you what you could be entitled to, and give you links to help you apply online.

It should only take five minutes. Before you start, make sure you’re ready with basic information about how much you and your partner earn.

Get calculating Open in new window

70% of people using the calculator are missing out on average benefit payments of £5,000 a year

The statistics in this article are based on Inbest Benefits Calculator data for over 150,000 households across the UK, January to November 2022.