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.
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.
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.
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.
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.