Energy Advice and Grants

Impartial and independent advice to help you:

• Reduce your energy bills
• Make your home warmer
• Plan home improvements
• Make your home greener
• Learn about available energy grants

Get advice

Debt Advice

Get free and independent debt advice over the phone and online.

Get DEBT advice

Moneyhelper

Get free guidance on:

• Benefits
• Family & Care
• Money Troubles
• Savings
• Everyday Money
• Homes
• Pensions & Retirement
• Work

GO TO MONEYHELPER

Pension Wise

Pension Wise is a government service from MoneyHelper that offers free, impartial pensions guidance about your defined contribution pension options.

An appointment with Pension Wise is free and will help you understand what your overall financial situation will be when you retire.

It’ll talk you through your options to help you make the right decision. You’ll also find out about the other factors you need to consider when deciding on your options before retirement.

GO TO PENSION WISE

Check your State Pension age

Use this tool to find out:

• When you’ll reach State Pension age
• Your Pension Credit qualifying age
• When you’ll be eligible for free bus travel

CHECK YOUR STATE PENSION AGE

Apply or Renew a Blue Badge

Check your eligibility and apply for a Blue Badge. You can also use this service to reapply for a Blue Badge.

• You can apply for yourself, someone else or an organisation.
• A Blue Badge costs up to £10 in England and £20 in Scotland. It’s free in Wales.
• They usually last up to 3 years.
• You must reapply for a Blue Badge before your current one expires.

Apply or renew a blue badge

Cost of Living Payment Guidance

Guidance on getting an extra payment to help with the cost of living if you’re entitled to certain benefits or tax credits.

Get help with cost of living

Get a free or discounted TV licence

You can get either:

• A free TV licence if you’re 75 or over and you get Pension Credit
• A discount if you’re blind or in residential care

Help with TV Licence

Apply for Council Tax reduction

Apply to your local council for Council Tax Reduction (sometimes called Council Tax Support).

You’ll get a discount on your bill if you’re eligible.

APPLY FOR COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION

Apply for a Council Tax discount

Check with your council if you’re eligible for a discount which will reduce the Council Tax you pay.

APPLY FOR COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION

Check your Council Tax Band (England & Wales)

Find out the Council Tax band for a home in England or Wales by looking up its address or postcode.

CHECK YOUR COUNCIL TAX BAND

Check your Council Tax Band (Scotland)

Find out the Council Tax band for a home in Scotland by looking up its address or postcode.

CHECK YOUR COUNCIL TAX BAND

Pension Credit

Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.

APPLY FOR CREDIT PENSION

Universal Credit - Apply

Get help with the early stages of your Universal Credit claim.

APPLY FOR UNIVERSAL CREDIT

Child Benefit - Claim

Access the information and forms you need to claim Child Benefit.

CLAIM CHILD BENEFIT

Claim for help with the Cost of Living

If you don’t have enough to live on, you might be able to get help from the Government or your local council to afford essentials like bills and food. This includes the Household Support Fund and Cost of Living Payments.

CLAIM FOR HELP WITH COST OF LIVING

Housing Benefit – Apply

Housing Benefit can help you pay your rent if you’re unemployed, on a low income or claiming benefits. It’s being replaced by Universal Credit.

You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if either of the following apply:

• You have reached State Pension age
• You’re in supported, sheltered or temporary housing

APPLY FOR HOUSING BENEFIT

Discounted Royal Mail Redirection Service

The Redirection service enables your mail to move with you when you are moving to another home.

The Redirection service helps ensure that:

• You won't miss important documents
• You’ll help prevent your personal details falling into the wrong hands and becoming a victim of fraud
• You will receive home mover offers

The concessionary offering is for customers who are in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Universal Credit also covers the following benefits:

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and
• Working Tax Credit

GET DISCOUNTED ROYAL MAIL REDIRECTION SERVICE

Mortgage Interest Run On

Mortgage Interest Run On is extra money you can get towards your housing costs if certain other benefits are stopping because you’re:

• Returning to work full-time
• Working more hours
• Earning more money

You can get this help for 4 weeks.

GET MORTGAGE INTEREST RUN ON

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)

If you’re a homeowner, you might be able to get help towards interest payments on:

• Your mortgage
• Loans you’ve taken out for certain repairs and improvements to your home

GET SUPPORT FOR MORTGAGE INTEREST (SMI)

Cold Weather Payment (restarts 01 November 2022)

You may get a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest.

GET COLD WEATHER PAYMENT

Check what help you can get from your local council

Your local council might help you pay for things like:

• your energy and water bills
• food
• essential items - for example, clothes or an oven

This help is known as 'welfare assistance' or the ‘Household Support Fund’. Each council runs their own scheme. The help they offer and who can get it varies.

Ask your local council if they run a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme.

You don’t have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council. If you do get benefits, they won’t be affected if you start getting money from a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme.

CHECK WHAT HELP YOU CAN GET FROM YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL

Search for a charitable grant

Many charitable funds will help people who have no recourse to public funds - and cannot claim welfare benefits

Charitable grants do not have to be paid back.

SEARCH FOR A CHARITABLE GRANT

Apply for New Style Jobseeker's Allowance

Check here to see if you are eligible and apply.

SEARCH FOR A CHARITABLE GRANT

Help with NHS prescriptions and health costs

You might be able to get free NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and help with other NHS costs.

Whether you get help depends on things like:

• Your age
• Your income
• Where you live
• If you get certain benefits
• If you’re pregnant
• If you have a medical condition

Use this service to check what help you could get and how to apply.

It usually takes 5 minutes to check.

GET BENEFITS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT (HEALTH AND CARE)

Carer’s Allowance

Click here to make a claim for Carer’s Allowance.

CLAIM CARER'S ALLOWANCE

Apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

You can apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work.

Apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have both:

• A long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
• Difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition

Apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Apply for Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.

Apply for Attendance Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who:

• Is under 16
• Has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability

get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

Get benefits if you're nearing the end of life

You could get money to help with living costs if you’re nearing the end of life because of an illness.

If your doctor or a medical professional has told you that you might have 12 months or less to live, you might be able to:

• Get benefits at a higher rate or get extra money
• Start getting payments quicker than usual

This is sometimes called ‘special rules for end of life’.

Get benefits if you're nearing the end of life

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

You might get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) if you became ill or are disabled because of an accident or disease either:

• At work
• On an approved employment training scheme or course

The amount you may get depends on your individual circumstances.

get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

Claim if you were injured while serving in the armed forces

You can claim compensation if you were injured or got an illness while serving in the armed forces (including the reserve forces).

Compensation may include:

• A lump sum
• Regular payments

Claim if you were injured while serving in the armed forces

Blind Person’s Allowance

Blind Person’s Allowance is an extra amount of tax-free allowance.

It means you can earn more before you start paying Income Tax.

claim Blind Person’s Allowance

Disabled Facilities Grants

You could get a grant from your council if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home, for example to:

• Widen doors and install ramps
• Improve access to rooms and facilities - eg stairlifts or a downstairs bathroom
• Provide a heating system suitable for your needs
• Adapt heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

A Disabled Facilities Grant won’t affect any benefits you get.

get Disabled Facilities Grants

Disabled Students' Allowance

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is support to cover the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability.

This can be on its own or in addition to any student finance you get.

The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs - not your household income.

You do not need to pay back DSA.

claim Disabled Students' Allowance

Help if you have a disabled child

Your local council can provide help if you have a disabled child, including:

• short break services
• holiday play schemes
• care at home
• some aids and adaptations
• financial help, e.g. money towards travel costs for hospital visits

get Help if you have a disabled child

Vaccine Damage Payment

If you’re severely disabled as a result of a vaccination against certain diseases, you could get a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000. This is called a Vaccine Damage Payment.

You can also apply for this payment on behalf of someone who has died after becoming severely disabled because of certain vaccinations. You need to be managing their estate to apply.

You can still take legal action to claim compensation, even if you get a Vaccine Damage Payment.

get Vaccine Damage Payment

What to do if you become disabled

You have rights if you become disabled to protect you from discrimination. You might also be entitled to certain benefits.

The main disability and sickness benefits are:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)or Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance

What you’re entitled to depends on your circumstances - use a benefits calculator to see what you might be able to get.

You might also be able to get:

• certain types of equipment or have adaptations made to your home without paying VAT
• Council Tax discounts
• a TV licence discount
• free vehicle tax

check What to do if you become disabled

Support visits if you need help to claim benefits

You may be able to get a home visit from a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officer to help you with your benefit claim.

You cannot book a visit yourself. Tell DWP you need help to claim benefits by calling the number of the benefit you’re applying for. If you’re eligible, they’ll arrange a support visit.

You can also be referred for a support visit by a charitable organisation like Citizens Advice or Age UK.

Support visits can take place somewhere other than your home, for example at a hospital. This will usually be discussed with you when you’re referred.

Get support visits if you need help to claim benefits

Intensive Personalised Employment Support

Intensive Personalised Employment Support is one-to-one support and training to help you into work if you have a disability.

To apply you must:

• Have a disabilitythat affects the work you can do
• Be unemployed
• Be between school leaving ageand State Pension age
• Be a UK resident living in England or Wales

GET Intensive Personalised Employment Support

 Apply for communication support at a job interview if you have a disability or health condition (Access to Work)

• English
• Cymraeg

You can apply to Access to Work to get money for communication support at a job interview.

APPLY FOR COMMUNICATION SUPPORT

Work and Health Programme

The Work and Health Programme helps you find and keep a job if you’re out of work.

It’s voluntary - unless you’ve been out of work and claiming unemployment benefits for 24 months.

Get Work and Health Programme

Pave covers England, Wales and Scotland.

This service is provided for Stipendium Limited by Policy In Practice (“PIP”). The Privacy Policy, Accessibility Statement and Frequently Asked Questions can be accessed via the Calculator link above and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

If you need assistance, you can use the ‘Contact Us’ form within the calculator to speak to a professional.

When someone visits the site PIP use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. PIP do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. PIP do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.

If PIP do want to collect personally identifiable information through the website, PIP will be upfront about this. PIP will make it clear when they collect personal information and will explain what they intend to do with it. This standard information can help PIP to find out which parts of the Sites are popular or need changing to enhance your website experience. The information PIP may collect includes, but is not limited to, information about visitors’:

• internet service provider
• operating system
• browser type
• domain name
• internet protocol (IP) address
• access times
• referring website, if applicable
• requested web pages and the date and time of those requests

Collection of website use information may also involve the use of cookies to give you the best experience of PIP’s website and tools. Please see PIP’s Cookies Policy for more information. https://policyinpractice.co.uk/cookies-policy/