People miss out on millions of pounds in benefits each year. Have you checked you are getting everything you can apply for? Such as council tax discounts and tax credits. Last year £9,101,422.88 in extra monthly benefits was found for the people who had used our calculator. Free online benefits calculator
You can check the National Minimum Wage calculator to see if you are being paid the right amount and if your employer owes you money. Deductions Your employer usually takes money from your wages before you are paid for things like: Tax National Insurance Student loan repayments Pension contributions Check your payslips for anything that does not look right and ask your employer if you spot something. Tax codes You could be on the wrong tax code if you recently started work or changed jobs. Find your tax code on your latest payslip, P45 or P60. You might pay less tax if: You are married or in a civil partnership You are registered blind You spend money on things that are essential for your job, like branded uniforms or protective clothing, trade memberships, or tools
The Help to Save scheme, a government-backed savings account, can help those on low incomes boost their savings by 50p for every £1 saved. If you are claiming Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit, you could be eligible to open a Help to Save account. And because it is a government scheme, all your money is secure. Will it affect my benefits? In most cases you or your partner can save up to £6,000 without affecting benefit payments. This includes any money in your Help to Save account. If you are not sure, it is best to talk to Help to Save. You can open a Help to Save account online or through the HMRC app.
Ask adult children for board. Ask everyone you live with to contribute to bills, shopping or maintenance. It can be hard to ask for money, but others should pay their way.
The government can help with mortgage interest payments if you are on a low income. This is called Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) payments, and it is a loan. It is paid to your lender to stop your repayment rate from rising. By law, it must stay at a low rate. Find out how government support for mortgage payments works.
There are many funds set up by utility companies to help people on low incomes. You may not even have to be a customer of the company who helps you. Here are just some of the grants and schemes out there: British Gas Energy Trust Scottish Power Hardship Fund OVO energy fund The Energy Company Obligation Nest scheme (Wales) Home Energy Scotland Find more grants and funding to pay for energy bills Our benefits calculator is another great way to find extra support when you are on a low income. Try out the calculator
There are several government schemes to help with the rising cost of bills. Some of the rules have changed since the schemes were introduced. Government help includes: Warm Home Discount Scheme Cold Weather Payment Winter Heating Payment Winter Fuel Payment Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) Home Energy Scotland grant and loan Warmer Homes Scotland The Household Support Fund Read more about what government help for energy bills is available.
The Sure Start Maternity Grant may be able to give you a one-off payment of £500. You do not have to pay the grant back and it will not affect your other benefits. Find out more about the Sure Start Maternity Grant If you live in Scotland, you can apply for a Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead. What other support is there for parents? Make sure you are getting Child Benefit payments if you are entitled to them Remember to tell HMRC if your child turns 16 and they stay in education. If you don’t, you will miss out on Child Benefit owed to you You could also apply to your local council for free school meals and money for school uniforms and transport
You might be able to increase your income by selling some things you no longer need. And even if you don't make much money, it can be good for your wellbeing to have a clear out. What could I sell? Unwatched CDs and DVDs taking up space Old video games you may not have the console for anymore Gadgets like old mobile phones, games consoles, cameras and tablets Books, annuals and old magazines Clothes that no longer fit or you have not worn for a year Baby clothes that no longer fit Old toys no longer played with Places you can go to sell your items High street exchange shops for video games, consoles, phones and gadgets Valuation websites and apps where you scan DVD, CD and book barcodes and send a box of items for cash Clothing and toys reselling websites like Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace Local buy and sell groups Make sure you check... How and when you will be paid. Such as by PayPal, cash or vouchers to spend in-store The cost of postage, if you are doing this online If there are any fees to list your items on a website How to deal with returns or lost items in the post
Your employers might be willing to pay more to keep you. Look at adverts for jobs like yours and see if you are being paid fairly. Back this up with facts about your skills and experience.
If you have some free time, can you take on some bar shifts or shop work? Or there are ‘work from home in your spare time’ jobs. Such as user-testing and filling out surveys. There are a lot of job scams out there, especially ‘work from home’ or ‘passive income’ scams. Many come from texts, social media, and messaging apps. Here is how to protect yourself: Never pay a fee upfront for a job, training, or background and verification checks Check the company’s official website and contact them using details from there, not from the job advert Basic email addresses like Gmail or Outlook are not usually used for real job adverts Look out for poor spelling and unclear job descriptions Be wary of jobs that promise ‘easy’ money or little effort for high pay Search online for reviews or scam reports about the company or recruiter If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
Can you pick up some extra shifts at work? If you can work nights and bank holidays, or be on call, you can ask to be paid a higher rate. But please don’t overdo it.