Benefit information and advice
We've popped together some information on some of the different benefit types there are. Make sure to check out the Better Off Calculator as well
We encourage customers to do their own calculations and complete the budget on the Better Off Calculator
- 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 a benefit 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
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:
Disability Living Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
- 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 are 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 age 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
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 are exempt, you can use this benefit calculator
- It's worth noting that non-dependant deductions are sometimes applied incorrectly on Universal Credit claims
- The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 or over 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 this benefit calculator 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