Financial support
Do you need financial support or advice on managing your money? There are a number of services available to you.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is designed to support people who are on a low income or out of work. Universal Credit replaces:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
Any benefits received which are not included in the above list will continue to be paid as usual, such as Child Benefit, Carers Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Council Tax Support and so on.
Universal Credit is paid once a month, as a single payment, into the claimants chosen account. The first payment will be made one calendar month and seven days after the date of claim, and then calendar monthly after that.
Claims are expected to be made online. Assistance with online claims is available at Job Centres and Local Councils.
Check your benefit entitlements
If you are not sure if you are eligible for benefit payments or if you think Government changes might affect you
Check now
StepChange Debt Charity
StepChange Debt Charity can be contacted on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am until 8pm, Saturday 9am to 4pm.
National Debtline
The National Debtline can be contacted on 0808 808 4000. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm; Saturday 9.30am to 1pm.
Discretionary Housing Payments
If you’re on Housing Benefit or receive the housing element of Universal Credit but find you are not being paid the full amount, you may be able to claim a Discretionary Housing Payment. You will need to contact your local authority to apply, you can use the link below to find your local authority.
If you struggle with completing applications please contact the office for assistance.
Money Management
There are lots of ways to help manage your money, from budgeting tools to expert advice from sources such as the Money Saving Expert which has lots of guidance, as well as news and information on a range of subjects.
Money Helper is a fantastic tool that offers everything from budget planning to benefit advice and debt advice. It’s online and free.
Local authorities and energy supplier help
Many local authorities have put together financial packages to assist with the rise in energy prices. Make sure to contact yours and find out if any assistance is available. If you have a gas supplier, they also may be offering grants or other financial help so contact them too, to discuss your options.
Pocket Power
Pocket Power provide a free phone service to help people switch to cheaper deals and apply for discounts for their household bills.
Money Advice Service
The Money Advice Service is a fantastic new tool that offers everything from budget planning to benefit advice and debt advice.
It’s online and free. Simply go to their website using the button below and click on the ‘Your money’ tab.
As well as lots of general information, at the bottom of this page is their ‘personal money health check’.
This fully automated, anonymous process will ask questions with ‘yes or ‘no’ type answers and lead to a plan to get day-to-day money back on track. It covers a lot of ground, from finding out whether people are getting all the benefits their entitled, checking they are not paying too much tax, giving tips on boosting income, right down to how to make savings by getting better deals.
Depending on which sections are answered and how fast buttons are clicked the whole process can take up to an hour. The application can be saved at any time during the process, to enable it to be progressed at another time.