You could be missing out>>

Here are six benefits you may be missing out on:

1.    Universal Credit

Universal Credit is not just for people out of work. Any household who has a family income below £40k should carry out a 10-minute check.

2.    Disability benefits

If you have been refused a disability benefit you may be able to challenge it – last year more than 5,000 people successfully challenged DWP over their PIP award decision. For more advice about challenging a PIP decision and understanding the tribunal process, visit Citizens Advice  

3.    Social tariffs

You could save around £200 per year by switching to social tariffs for broadband. Social tariffs are low-cost broadband deals offered to customers on benefits and cost between £10 and £20 a month. Check here to see how much you can save.

4.    Discount on your water bills

You could be missing out on an average £160 a year via a social tariff, which is available to all water companies and can give certain customers on lower incomes a discount of up to 50%. Go to your water provider’s website and search ‘social tariffs’.

5.    Council tax support

If you are claiming benefits or on a low income you could get support with your council tax payments. You have to apply to get the support through your local council. Contact Walsall - 0300 555 2855 or Lambeth 034 5302 2312

6.    Pension Credit

Pension Credit could top up your income to a minimum of £201.05 per week for single pensioners and to £306.85 for couples or more if a person has a disability or caring responsibilities. Even a small Pension Credit award can provide access to a wide range of other benefits – such as help with housing costs, council tax or heating bills.
 Apply for Pension Credit online
You can also call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234

Benefit Advice

Get help and advice with your benefit claim

Whether you are currently employed or unemployed you could be one of the millions of people missing out on financial help, benefits, tax credits or grants which are available to you…

Every year around £2.5 billion in benefits and services are left unclaimed. We understand the whole process of claiming benefits can be really confusing and we know it can be very hard to get the right information you need. That is why we are on hand to help guide you through getting the best advice to suit your financial needs.

For free help with completing online Benefit and Universal Credit claims contact:

Scope

Call: 0808 800 3333

Email: helpline@scope.org.uk

Website: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/help-completing-benefit-claim-forms/

Walsall Community Living

Directory - https://go.walsall.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/walsall-wellbeing-directory

Benefits Advice Centre - https://www.mywalsall.org/index.php?view=directory&did=255

Help with jobs

Jobchange provides a high quality guidance, advice and training across the West Midlands. They offer FREE opportunities for skills and personal development, enabling people to constructively help themselves to access employment or other opportunities, maintaining self-esteem during periods of unemployment and career changes.

Website: https://www.jobchange2007.com/

Find a job

Find full or part-time jobs in England, Scotland and Wales. Use the ‘Find a job’ service to search and apply for jobs.

This service has replaced Universal Jobmatch.

Website: https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/

Agencies providing free practical support to help you manage your money, and help with budgeting to make sure all your priority bills such as rent and council tax are paid:

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/help-with-your-rent-and-other-bills

https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/dealing-with-debt-problems/what-debts-to-pay-first.aspx

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/payment_difficulties

If you are experiencing severe financial difficulties some of the links below may be of assistance:

Citizens Advice (CA)

Debt Advice

If you're having problems paying your bills we can help, call 01922700600 for advice from our trained money advisers.

https://www.walsallcab.org.uk/

You can also send an email to moneyadvice@cab.walsall.org.uk

Universal Credit Help to Claim

You can contact an adviser through the Citizens Advice  free Help to Claim phone service. Advisers are available 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday:

England: 0800 144 8 444

Ablewell Advice Services

Ablewell Advice Service provides free, independent, impartial and confidential advice services:

Website www.ablewelladvice.org.uk/

Telephone 01922 639700

Welfare Rights Service

Walsall Council based team providing benefits maximisation services:

Website Walsall Council Welfare Rights Service

Telephone 01922 652250

Email welfarerights@walsall.gov.uk

Use an online Benefits Calculator

The first thing to do is find out if there is extra support out there for you. The quickest and easiest way to do this is through an online benefits calculator. It’s free to use and anonymous so you don’t have to worry about giving away private information.

The benefits calculator will be able to tell you:

  • What benefits you could get.
  • How to claim.
  • How your benefits will be affected if you start a job.
  • If there are any charitable grants you could apply for.

What information will I need to use the calculator?

In order to assess your circumstances and to see if you are eligible for any benefits or grants you will need to make sure you have the right information on:

  • Any savings or accounts you have – if yes, how much?
  • Your income or your partner’s income.
  • A list of any benefits or pensions you already have (including anybody who lives with you).
  • Your monthly spends (rent, mortgage and childcare costs).
  • Your council tax bill.

Find out now if you could be claiming and saving money with the benefits calculator.

Universal Credit

There are a lot of changes to welfare benefits which may affect you and the amount of benefits you receive. The government are now using Universal Credit as a way to pay people in one single monthly payment rather than making several payments for different benefits and tax credits. It also means that you are now responsible for paying your rent rather than the government.

By 2020 the government want everybody who is receiving certain benefits to be using Universal Credit so it’s important you are ready for the changes. If you are looking to make a benefit claim or you are already on benefits, see our Universal Credit page for more help.

If you need help advice or guidance about claiming benefits your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) can assist you, find your local CAB branch online.

Benefit Cap

There’s a limit on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get. This is called the benefit cap.

How much you get for certain benefits may go down to make sure the total you get isn’t more than the cap amount.

If you think you may be affected by the Benefit Cap please seek advice from your Income Officer.

Benefit Cap Calculator

The government is changing the way the housing part of your benefit is calculated. Tenancies that start after 1 April 2016 are affected. Changes will be brought in from 1 April 2019 and any housing related benefits will be capped to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate.

If you rent a home and claim these benefits, you may be affected. The rules on LHA are complex. The key changes are:

  • under 35s living alone will receive the lowest LHA, the Shared Accommodation Rate
  • unlike the Under-occupation penalty (or bedroom tax) the rules on LHA apply to pensioners, so any spare bedrooms will be capped at the LHA rate
  • the maximum LHA rate you can receive is limited to the four bedroom rate even if your home is larger.

You need to understand these changes now so you can see how you could be affected. If your benefit is less than your rent and service charges, you are responsible for paying the difference.

If you claim housing related benefit and are affected by both the LHA cap and the spare room subsidy, the higher of the two deductions will be used (not both).

To find out how much you may be affected by looking at the LHA rates for your area at http://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Search.aspx

If you want to find out more about what it might mean for you and the support we may be able to provide then please just get in touch